NCTRC Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Updated on July 8, 2021

At a recent NCTRC Board of Directors Meeting, the following changes to the NCTRC Certification Standards were approved. The revised standard and interpretive guidelines read as follows:

Internship Certification Standard

A minimum 560-hour, 14-week internship experience in therapeutic recreation services that uses the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis Study under the supervision of both academic and agency internship supervisors who are NCTRC CTRS certified. The agency supervisor must also possess the CTRS credential for one year prior to supervising an internship student. An acceptable internship experience is one which is completed after the majority of required therapeutic recreation and general recreation coursework is completed as verified on the official transcript.

Interpretive Guidelines

Progressive learning experiences using the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis is an integral component of professional preparation in therapeutic recreation.

Active certification status of CTRS Supervisor: The primary supervisor must possess active certification status at the CTRS level on the first day of the applicant’s internship and have been certified for at least one year prior to supervising interns. Any change in certification status of the supervisor during the internship shall not affect the certification eligibility of an applicant.
The Academic Internship Supervisor must be an active CTRS at the start of the internship experience and must be employed at the college/university. The CTRS cannot serve in the capacity of both the academic supervisor and agency supervisor during a given internship experience.
Internship Should Be Completed After Coursework: An acceptable internship must be completed after the majority of required therapeutic recreation and general recreation coursework is completed. Verification of the completed internship must appear on the official academic transcript. The majority of therapeutic recreation and recreation content coursework is defined as no less than 12 semester or 16 quarter hours of coursework with at least 9 semester and 12 quarter hours in therapeutic recreation content coursework. This requirement applies to coursework completed at the degree earning institution and does not apply to coursework completed after the academic degree is conferred.
Academic credit and an evaluative grade: The student must receive academic credit and an evaluative grade for the internship experience as verified by official transcript. The internship experience must be completed over the same dates as the semester or quarter in which the student receives academic credit for the experience.

Fee Structure Change: CTRS Reinstatement Fee – Removed

Inactive professional certification may be reinstated at any time during the five-year certification cycle by submitting the annual maintenance renewal and fee. NCTRC has removed the $25 reinstatement fee.

NCTRC is here to support certificants, applicants, students and CTRS supervisors, and is always available for assistance with questions via email or phone (845-639-1439).

June Recertification – If you are late in submission, please email the Recertification Application with the $105 fee no later than August 31, 2021 as the late fee has been waived. If you have questions about the online recertification application process, please listen to the latest Recertification Tutorial.

Updated on February 19, 2021

NCTRC appreciates your continued patience during these challenging times. While we continue to streamline our customer service processes in this new environment, our response time to your emails, messages, and phone calls may be delayed.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

March Exam Window Candidates – For candidates that received exam authorization for the March exam window, please note that PSI has instituted various precautions to keep candidates safe. Please click here for a COVID-19 Update.

If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming March exam window, please contact NCTRC.

Annual Maintenance Renewal – if you submit your renewal fee of $80 past your expiration date, the reinstatement fee has been waived.

December Recertification – If you are late in submission, please email the Recertification Application with the $105 fee no later than February 28, 2021 as the late fee has been waived. If you have questions about the online recertification application process, please listen to the latest Recertification Tutorial.

Internship Interruptions continue to impact students completing/starting an internship experience. NCTRC wants to remind you of the modifications and options that students currently have in order to complete the internship component of the educational process.

The Internship Interruption Guidelines were modified to address the current internship environment. Please review the updated document by clicking here.

NCTRC is here to support the student and CTRS supervisors and is always available for assistance with questions via email or phone (845-639-1439).

Hardship Fee Waiver Program – While everyone is dealing with the impact of COVID-19, some individuals are experiencing a greater impact than others. If this or another unanticipated life event has caused a substantial financial burden, you might qualify for the Hardship Fee Waiver Program. Please call us and speak with a Credentialing Specialist about the process.

Updated on September 4, 2020

This week, NCTRC hosted a webinar session to review the Internship Interruptions due to COVID-19 information and provide an opportunity for individuals to ask questions. Please listen to the September 2, 2020 recording by clicking here.

Updated on August 13, 2020

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

July, August and September Annual Maintenance Renewal – if you submit your renewal fee of $80 past your expiration date, the reinstatement fee will be waived.

September Recertification – you may submit the recertification application and $105 no later than September 30, 2020 via MY NCTRC LOGIN. If you are late in submission, please email the Recertification Application with the $105 fee no later than November 30, 2020 as the late fee has been waived. If you have questions about the online recertification application process, please listen to the latest Recertification Tutorial.

May/July 2020 Exam Window Candidates – For candidates that received an eligibility number for the May or July exam windows but were unable to complete the exam during the window, NCTRC will be transferring the eligibility number to the September 2020 exam window at no additional charge. If you are unable to sit for the September exam, please contact NCTRC no later than September 11, 2020 regarding your eligibility to take the exam at a later date.

Please note that Prometric has instituted various precautions to keep candidates safe. Please click here for a COVID-19 Update.

If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming September exam window, please contact NCTRC.

NCTRC will be offering an Internship Webinar on August 24, 2020 at 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) to review the information below – Internship Interruptions due to COVID-19.

Internship Interruptions due to COVID-19 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact all aspects of life for the recreational therapy community especially the students completing/starting an internship experience. NCTRC wants to remind you of the modifications and options that students currently have in order to complete the internship component of the educational process.

The Alternative Internship Guidelines were modified to address the current internship environment. The following conditions must be met to structure an Alternative Internship:

1. The experience at all internship sites must meet all other content requirements of the NCTRC Standards and must reflect the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis.

2. The student should complete no less than 20 hours of experience and no more than 45 hours per week, regardless of how many hours and weeks were completed at the first or original internship site. If you are unable to work at least 20 hours per week for more than 2 consecutive weeks, please see the Alternative Internship Guidelines.

3. Regardless of the length of the interruption, when the interruption occurs, or how many interruptions occur, the student must complete a minimum of 560 hours and 14 weeks and receive academic credit as noted on the transcript.

4. Decisions related to the format of the internship experience (in person or remote) are determined by the agency supervisor, the internship site and the academic supervisor; this is not under the purview of NCTRC.

If your internship has been interrupted due to COVID-19, a letter from the agency supervisor and/or the academic supervisor will suffice. The letter should include the following:

1. Student’s name and a statement indicating that the internship was interrupted due to COVID-19.

2. Name of where the internship experience took place. If there were multiple agencies, please include each site and the dates and hours of the internship completed at that site.

3. Agency supervisor’s name, and certification number if available. If there were multiple supervisors, please include name of each supervisor.

4. If the academic credit is posted at a different time compared to when the internship was actually completed, a statement that the reason for this is because of COVID-19 and was originally an “Incomplete” until the internship was completed.

5. Internship logs are required to confirm the completion of 14 weeks/560 hours.

NCTRC is here to support the student and CTRS supervisors and is always available for assistance with questions via email or phone (845-639-1439)

Hardship Fee Waiver Program – While everyone is dealing with the impact of COVID-19, some individuals are experiencing a greater impact than others. If this or another unanticipated life event has caused a substantial financial burden, you might qualify for the Hardship Fee Waiver Program. Please call us and speak with a Credentialing Specialist about the process.

Updated on June 10, 2020

NCTRC appreciates your patience during these challenging times. Our team has been directly impacted by COVID-19 and because of this our response time to your emails, messages, and phone calls may be delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

April, May and June Renewal – if you submit your renewal fee of $80 past your expiration date, the reinstatement fee will be waived.

June Recertification – you may submit the recertification application and $105 until June 30, 2020 online. If you are late in submission, please email the Recertification Application with the $105 fee by August 31 as the late fee has been waived. If you have questions about the online recertification application process, please listen to the latest Recertification Tutorial.

May Exam – NCTRC has extended the May testing window so candidates can make an appointment from May 4, 2020 – June 27, 2020. If candidates register for the May 2020 exam and the appointment is cancelled, they will be rescheduled for a future NCTRC exam window at no additional charge.

Internship Interruptions due to COVID-19 –

If your internship has been interrupted due to COVID-19, a letter from the agency supervisor and/or the academic supervisor will suffice. The letter should include the following:

1. Student’s name and a statement indicating that the internship was interrupted due to COVID-19.

2. Name of where the internship experience took place. If there were multiple agencies, please include each site and the dates and hours of the internship completed at that site.

3. Agency supervisor’s name, and certification number if available. If there were multiple supervisors, please include name of each supervisor.

Hardship Fee Waiver Program

While everyone is dealing with the impact of COVID-19, some individuals are experiencing a greater impact than others. If this or another unanticipated life event has caused a substantial financial burden, you might qualify for the Hardship Fee Waiver Program. Please call us and speak with a Credentialing Specialist about the process.

Updated on April 24, 2020

NCTRC has been in contact with Prometric regarding the status of the May 2020 exam window. NCTRC has decided to extend our May testing window so candidates can make an appointment from May 4, 2020 – June 27, 2020.

Please note that with the test sites reopening, Prometric has instituted various precautions to keep candidates safe. Please click here for a detailed description of the processes Prometric will be adopting for resumption of testing, including reducing testing capacity by at least 50% to allow for social distancing and requiring all candidates to bring and wear a face mask/covering while at the test center. Note that local government social distancing guidelines apply to each step in the process.

Candidates who are displaced as a result of social distancing will receive an email notification that their appointment has been canceled prior to their scheduled test date, including instructions on next steps to reschedule their appointment if applicable. Candidates who are scheduled to test starting on May 1st will be informed of the policies above, to ensure compliance and provide an understanding of what they can expect.

If you have any questions or concerns about the May exam window, please contact NCTRC.

Updated on April 15, 2020

NCTRC appreciates your patience during these challenging times. Our team has been directly impacted by COVID-19 and because of this, our response time to your emails, messages, and phone calls may be delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

May Exam – Prometric anticipates re-opening their test centers by late April, however, please note that the specific date will be dependent on circumstances that are changing daily. If candidates register for the May 2020 exam and the exam is cancelled, they will be rescheduled for a future NCTRC exam window at no additional charge.

Updated on April 6, 2020

NCTRC understands the impact that COVID-19 is having on our recreational therapy community and your stage of the certification and application process. In light of the current situation, we are happy to waive the late and reinstatement fees associated with recertification and renewal through the end of May.

During these challenging times, please know that NCTRC is here to address your concerns. Please contact us at any time.

March Renewal – submit $80, reinstatement fee has been waived

March Recertification – submit the form and $105 until May 31, late fee has been waived

While everyone is dealing with the impact of COVID-19, some individuals are experiencing a greater impact than others. If this or another unanticipated life event has caused a substantial financial burden, you may qualify for the Hardship Fee Waiver Program. Please call us and speak with a Credentialing Specialist about the process.

Updated on March 25, 2020

This week, NCTRC hosted webinar sessions to review the NCTRC Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and provide an opportunity for individuals to ask questions. Please listen to the March 24, 2020 recording by clicking here.

Updated on March 19, 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has and continues to impact all aspects of life for the recreational therapy community. NCTRC has been in communication with other credentialing organizations, received guidance from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the NCTRC Legal Counsel and worked with the NCTRC Board of Directors to develop the following response. It is felt that this response adheres to the mission of NCTRC, which is to protect the public by promoting the provision of quality services offered by NCTRC certificants while also supporting certificants and applicants as they navigate this challenging time.

Since there is the potential for all aspects of the credentialing cycle to be impacted by COVID-19, this response has been formatted to align with the various stages of the certification and application process.

Impact on Internships: The Alternative Internship Guidelines have been modified to address the current internship environment. The following conditions must be met to structure an Alternative Internship:

1. The experience at all internship sites must meet all other content requirements of the NCTRC Standards and must
reflect the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis.

3. Regardless of the length of the interruption or when the interruption occurs, the student must complete a minimum of 560 hours and 14 weeks and receive academic credit as noted on the transcript.

4. Decisions related to the format of the internship experience (in person or remote) are determined by the agency
supervisor, the internship site and the academic supervisor; this is not under the purview of NCTRC.

Annual Maintenance: If you are late submitting your annual maintenance application due to impacts from COVID-19, NCTRC will waive the $25 reinstatement fee.

Recertification: If you are late submitting your March 31 recertification application due to impacts from COVID-19, NCTRC will waive the $50 late recertification submission fee.

Insufficient Continuing Education for Recertification: For individuals impacted by conference/CE event cancellations who have been unable to meet the required 50 hours of CE required for recertification (under the work experience and CE option), applicants are asked to review the Extension of Recertification Cycle Policy on pg. 28 of the NCTRC Certification Standards.

NCTRC Office Operations: Following the guidance from the CDC and with an abundance of caution, all NCTRC employees have begun working from remote offices. Support from Credentialing Specialists is still available via phone or email. For individuals who call the office, please leave a detailed message and a Credentialing Specialist will call you back. While almost all functions will continue without interruption, there will be a delay in processing any mail sent to the office, including transcripts. Please alert the credentialing team if you have sent something to the office.

Hardship Fee Waiver: If you have experienced an unanticipated hardship that has caused a substantial financial burden due to COVID-19, you may qualify for a waiver of NCTRC fees associated with the CTRS® credential. Please call the NCTRC office and speak with a Credentialing Specialist about the process.

If you need further assistance, please contact NCTRC.