nbcot fall 2015 newsletter
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8/20/2019 NBCOT Fall 2015 Newsletter
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8/20/2019 NBCOT Fall 2015 Newsletter
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Welcome to the Fall 2015edition o CertificationMatters, the annualnewsletter o the NationalBoard or Certiication inOccupational Therapy.
12 South Summit Ave.,Suite 100
Gaithersburg, MD 20877 USA301-990-7979
ino@nbcot.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OUR MISSIONServing the public interest
by advancing client careand proessional practicethrough evidence-based
certiication standardsand the validation oknowledge essential
or effective practice inoccupational therapy.
CERTIFICATION MATTERS
Introduced earlier this year, the NBCOT
Navigator™ has broadened the road oroccupational therapy proessionals in
their continuing-competency quest.Navigator, NBCOT’s continuing-competency
assessment platorm, was launched in June
as a way or OTR® and COTA® certiicantsto identiy proessional development goals
in the most up-to-date and time-efficient
evidence-based resource.“NBCOT Navigator is a suite o competency
tools built upon the latest practice
standards and evidence-based research,”said Paul Grace, NBCOT’s President and
Chie Executive Officer. “We launched thisnew resource earlier this summer and are
already seeing tremendous engagement and
positive eedback rom proessionals whohave used it.”
‘Cutting-Edge Tool’
Michael Graham, a 14-year OTR certiicant,says Navigator is essential or therapists
to ensure competency meets the higheststandard possible.
“Simply stated, Navigator is a cutting-
edge tool that will provide each therapistan opportunity to improve their skills and
improve the overall delivery o occupational
therapy across practice settings,” Grahamsaid.
NBCOT Navigator complements currentproessional development plans, but also
provides customized inormation to identiy
areas o proessional growth or chart a courseto move into new practice areas.
‘Abreast of Current Trends’
The tool suite enables certiiedoccupational therapy proessionals to earnCompetency Assessment Units (CAU) toward
their next certiication renewal. These
interactive tools are also designed to helpemployers acilitate the ongoing proessional
development and certiication process otheir occupational therapists and therapy
assistants.
“NBCOT already gives PDU or activitiessuch as book reviews, small study groups and
teaching a course, so it’s just another addition
to the wide range o activities that enablepeople to stay abreast o current trends,”
said Dee Berline, the owner o a small private
practice, an OTR or nearly 40 years and
current NBCOT board member.Beyond that, employers are promoting
Navigator to their staff as a resource that canbe used to assist in identiying continuing
competency goals, skill acquisition and tools
or today’s contemporary practice.“It is an excellent ‘one-stop-shopping’
experience or certiicants to use in planning
their proessional development activities,”said Christopher Alterio, the owner o a
private pediatric clinic, a 28-year OTR andormer NBCOT board member. “I am so
excited to have this tool available, and I am
especially excited to use it as a proessionaldevelopment tool with my employees.”
‘Therapists On the Go’
Navigator is accessed through the
MyNBCOT portal on www.nbcot.org and is
available to all OTR and COTA certiicants. Themulti-purpose tool suite not only prepares
occupational therapists and occupationaltherapy assistants or certiication renewal,
but also keeps them current in their practiceareas year round.
“I think this system will help target areasor continued proessional growth in a unand engaging manner,” said KatherineMennenga, 18-year OTR who works in a publicschool system. “It will help therapists relecton practice and guide the lielong learningprocess.”
Continued on Page 3
An Inside Look At NBCOT’s
Competency-Assessment Tools
2
An Inside Look At
NBCOT Navigator
3ProQuest: A Value
Added Beneft
4 An Energizing
Volunteer Opportunity
72015: Year
In Review
102016 Renewal: Join
The Online Trend
10Practice Blog: Join
The Conversation
10reparing Entry-Level
Candidates
11
The Growing
Need For OT
From Page 2
Navigator combines continuingcompetency with convenience byallowing proessionals to access the toolsrom anywhere they have internet access.
“Therapists are on the go, andthe Navigator will be available to uswhenever it is convenient to ocus on ourcontinuing competency,” Mennenga said.
‘Evidence-Based Methods’
Afer logging on to the MyNBCOT portal,users begin the Navigator by completingthe sel-relection questionnaire,which provides a customized list otool recommendations to help reachcontinuing-competency goals.
Users then veriy practice strengths by
completing case simulations, knowledgematch games and mini practice quizzes
that result in customized eedback with
recommendations or ollow-up reading.The recommended reading list
provides users with an opportunity
to educate themselves on the areas
they did not answer correctly during
the exercises through ProQuest and
ReWorks.
‘Phenomenal’
Use o Navigator and all o its
components are a value-added beneit o
maintaining OTR® and COTA® certiication.
“It is a tremendous asset or all o
us especially in settings that have
experienced cut backs in continuing-
education allotments,” Graham said.
“Navigator is a itting name or the
tool as it will take you on a journey to
improve your skills as a therapist and
implement evidenced based practice in
your setting.
“Navigator is phenomenal.”
NBCOT ANNUAL NEWSLETTER 2015 3
SELF-REFLECTION QUESTIONNAIRE:
Narrow down relevant practice
areas and make recommendations
for tools to better help a user reach
his or her continuing competency goals.
BALLOON MATCH GAMES:
Match balloons to the correct
clouds in a limited time.
MINI PRACTICE QUIZZES:
Range up to 20 questions and
test users on how to respond to
different scenarios and situations.
CASE SIMULATIONS:
Guide certicants through
different scenarios where they
will learn about a case, interact
with patients and decide which tests and
strategies to use.
PICO:
In the evidence-based
research component,
professionals are asked to use
the PICO method to assess
four clients and to nd existing research
based on client needs.
As an included beneit ocertiication, all OTR® and COTA®
certiicants have 24/7 access to
ProQuest—a trove o evidence-based research to support
you in your commitment to
evidence-based practice anddocumentation.
“Using the ProQuest access as acomplementary tool, therapists are
now more able to employ much-
needed evidence-based methodsinto their work,” said Dr. Christopher
Alterio, OTR, a ormer NBCOT
board member and owner o ABC
Therapeutics, a private pediatricclinic.
Current certiicants can simply
register or an account withMyNBCOT to access ProQuest,
which comprises the most up-to-
date studies, clinical trials, practiceinormation and research in the OT
ield.“I used ProQuest and was happily
surprised at the ease and number
o relevant articles that I was able toaccess,” said Justine Faghihiar, OTR.
ProQuest is just one way NBCOT
invests in your national certiication.
ProQuest: A Value-Added
Benet For Certicants
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Brandy Adkins, COTA was scouring
the NBCOT® website.
“I guess you could say I ound it bycident,” she said.
The OTA program coordinator at Brown
ackie College in Hopkinsville, Ky., wasarching or tools to help her students,
hen she stumbled upon somethingexpected.
“I saw this wonderul thing that said
lunteer opportunities,” Adkins, anBCOT certiicant or 15 years, said. “ I
cked on it and said, ‘Oh that sounds
teresting. Let’s give it a shot and seehat happens.”
That was a year ago. Now Adkins is
e o more than 100 OTR® and COTA®oessionals volunteering or NBCOT.
Each year, NBCOT recruits v olunteersroughout the country working in a
riety o practice environments and
pulation settings.
Way to Give Back
Among its many beneits, volunteering
r NBCOT provides certiicants a
warding way to give back to thedustry.
“I remember wanting to do somethinghere I could give back to the proession,
t learn more at the same time,”
id Ginger Brath, OTR, who’s been ancupational therapist or more than
years. “Volunteering or NBCOT is
warding because I’m giving back.”Brath, the regional director at
eenield Rehab in Milwaukee, saidlunteering gives her a great sense o
complishment.
Sanna Beerman, OTR, works or a publichool district in a small city in Montana.
lunteering ills her with a sense o pride.
“I’m passionate about OT,” she said.here’s a sense o pride in having the
pportunity to promote a competent
oession.”The involvement o passionate
lunteers sharing their expertise is a vitalset to NBCOT in ulilling its mission o
rving the public interest.
An Opportunity to Grow
As the program director in occupationaltherapy at Texas Tech U niversity,
Dawndra Sechrist signed up to attend an
NBCOT item-writing course held in SanJose (Cali.).
“I went to that and was just reallyimpressed with the people rom NBCOT
who were there leading the workshop.”
When Sechrist commented howmuch she was enjoying hersel, one o
the event’s coordinators suggested she
become a volunteer.Initially, Sechrist was hesitant to
become a volunteer – there was a sliver ouncertainty in her mind.
“But I thought, this is an opportunity,’
she said. “I was wanting to continueto grow, and I’ll take advantage o this
opportunity.”
And once she started volunteering,her uncertainty was quickly put at ease.
Now, with plenty o NBCOT volunteering
experience under her belt, Sechrist has,without question, seen the proessional
beneits.“Sometimes you get in a comort
zone and don’t think about other
areas o occupational therapy. Withevery volunteer meeting, I am learning
something new – about current and best
OT practice.”
A Re-Energizing Experience
The MOT program director at theUniversity o Indianapolis, Julie
Bednarski, OTR, OTD says she
understands the signiicance omaking sure students are prepared
when they enter the occupationaltherapy ield. That’s one o the things
she loves about her time volunteering
or NBCOT.“What we’re doing is helping NBCOT
to ensure the people coming out o
OT school and taking the test are trulycompetent occupational therapists,” she
said.A volunteer since 2011, Bednarski
says she comes away rom
volunteer meetings with a sense oaccomplishment in the work that has
been completed.
“When we go to these meetings, wehave a purpose,” she said. “We know what
we’re going there to do. We really ocus
and get work done. You eel like you’revery productive, and, by the time you
leave, you’ve really made an impact. I likethat.”
Beerman says volunteering or NBCOT
helps her to sharpen her skills to d o herOT job better.
Continued on Page 5
Volunteering with NBCOT:
An ‘Energizing’ Opportunity
CERTIFICATION MATTERS
From Page 4
“It’s an opportunity or me to stay ontop o what’s current and what’s being
taught, so that helps me sharpen myskills and be a better therapist.”
Bednarski says while the meeting
themselves are hard work, she returnsinvigorated and proessionally rereshed.
“The whole ocus is on OT,” Bednarski
said. “I’m with people who have apassion or OT. Everybody has the same
goal – you just get that energy – so youcome home and you’re re-energized
about OT.”
Creating an OT Network
Beerman will be the irst to admit herhome state o Montana is not usually
the epicenter o occupational therapy
breakthroughs. So spending time with
industry proessionals rom throughoutthe United States has a tremendous
upside.“I have ound that it’s a great
opportunity or me to network withoccupational therapists rom across the
country,” she said. “In Montana, you’re
somewhat isolated rom what’s going onin the rest o the country. Ofen times,
what’s new and great on the east coast
takes a couple o years, literally, or us tograsp and take off with.
“Volunteering gives me an opportunityto see what therapists rom Chicago,
Florida, Oregon or wherever are doing,
what kind o practices they use, andwhat evaluation tools they ind really
rewarding.”
“I don’t do a lot o pediatrics,” Brathadded “so, i I have a query in that area,
now I have someone that I know, or
that I’ve met (through my volunteering),with expertise in that area whom I can
contact.”
Comfort Zone
With every new opportunity comes
a certain level o uncertainly. First-time
NBCOT volunteers ofen have questionsabout whether they’re up to the
challenge.
“I was nervous,” Bednarski said o herirst time volunteering. “I was thinking,
‘Oh my gosh, what i I get there and I don’tknow everything, and everybody else is
smarter than me.’”
But she said once she arrived, herdoubts and ears began to subside.
“As you start to get into it, you get more
comortable,” she said. “Naturally, I was
nervous at irst – you don’t k now what toexpect – but as you get into it, you realize,
‘OK, I know this.’ And I’m learning as I go,
too.”Beerman said that she had to wrestle
with her own insecurities, but, once she
arrived, she elt welcome.“When I irst went, I was very
intimidated and, quite rankly, scaredto death,” she said. “That was my own
insecurity because I hadn’t traveled a
lot on my own to a large city. I was still,what I would consider, airly new to the
proession.
“They welcomed us in, they told uswhat they were all about, and we got to
work.”Beerman said NBCOT was helpul rom
the start to make her eel at home with
the new experience.“It really kind o boosted my own sense
o sel,” she said. “It helped me eel more
conident with what I am doing and whatI am capable o.”
Why Not?
“I eel like it’s a great service or the
proession. I people want to get involvedin service to the proession, this is a great
way to do it.” Bednarski said.NBCOT has volunteer opportunities
in several areas including assisting with
product development or the initialcertiication and continuing competency
program areas. The Item Writer Program
recruits volunteers to assist withdevelopment o examination items or
the OTR and COTA examinations. TheCertiication Examination Committees
review and validate the OTR and
COTA examinations. Both the ItemWriter Program and the Certiication
Examination Committees recruit OTR and
COTA volunteers.The Continuing Competency Project
Development Committee createscompetency assessment tools or the
continuing competency program.
“I would encourage anybody who has apassion or the proession and wants an
opportunity to travel and meet therapists
rom across the country to give it a tr y,”Beerman said.
Having completed her irst year as a
volunteer, Adkins says she would mostcertainly recommend the experience.
“You’ve got to try it,” she said. “You’regoing to be blown away when you do it.”
Volunteering
Committees• Item Writer Program
• OTR ® and COTA® Certication Examination Committees
• Continuing Competency Project Development Committee
(OTR only):
Criteria• Current OTR or COTA certication
• Good writing, reviewing and editing skills
• Commitment to working within a scheduled timeline
• Ability to work well in teams
• Computer literate
• Willing and able to travel to meetings if necessary
For more information on volunteering for
NBCOT, check out www.nbcot.org/volunteer
NBCOT ANNUAL NEWSLETTER 2015 5
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CERTIFICATION MATTERS
2015: Year In Review
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2015: Year In Review
CERTIFICATION MATTERS
2015: Year In Review
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Geared to prepare students or the OTR®d COTA® certiication exams, NBCOT
pire™ is a multi-aceted entry-level
mpetency development suite built toide candidates through their journey.
xam Blueprints
The OTR and COTA examinations arenstructed based on the results o
actice analysis studies. The studies
entiy the domains, tasks and knowledge
quired or occupational therapy practiceative to the respective credential.
elf-Assessment Tools
The ree OTR and COTA Entry-level Sel-sessment Tools are an excellent resource
help students identiy a sel-perceived
dication o their knowledge, skills andperience in relation to the validated
mains and tasks o OT practice.
ash Card App
With the official NBCOT Exam Prep
ashcard App, students will be able to
study or the NBCOT exam anywhere, atany time. The mobile- and tablet-riendly
app contains more than 500 terms and
deinitions across the domain areas o theexam blueprint.
Knowledge Match Game
Students can test their speed andrecall ability with the NBCOT Entry-level
Knowledge Match Game. This tool has
an interactive game environment where
candidates can test their OT k nowledge.
NBCOT Study Guides
A complete resource or exam
preparation, the Official NBCOT StudyGuides contain all the inormation
candidates will need to know about the
certiication exam.
Practice TestsCandidates can simulate their exam-day
experience. Designed to mirror the ormatand low o taking the examination on a
computer or OTR and COTA candidates.
For those due to renew their NBCOT®
certiication in 2016, renewingonline is now easier than ever.
Certiicants who have not alreadyigned up or online renewal should keep
n eye out or an email rom NBCOT with
link to sign up, so they can say goodbyeo the days o waiting or a paper
pplication in the mail.
The 2016 renewal season kicks offanuary 4, and runs through March 31,
2016. Those choosing to renew online will
eceive an email January 4, 2016, withnstructions on how to complete the online
enewal. Those choosing to renew by mailwill receive a paper application in early
anuary.
Why Renew?
When an OTR® or COTA® renewsheir national certiication, it shows a
ommitment to the NBCOT mission
o serving the public interest. It alsohows they place value in proessional
development and evidence-based practice.NBCOT partners with certiicants
n promoting excellence in practice
hroughout their career. Not only doesNBCOT set the national standard or
ertiication, it also offers certiicants
the tools needed to identiy practicestrengths and weaknesses to better
advance continuing competency.NBCOT certiication is granted or a
three-year period.
By maintaining NBCOT certiication,certiicants have access to Navigator,
NBCOT’s continuing competencyassessment platorm that supports
continuing competency goals o OTR and
COTA certiicants.
Featuring summaries o
evidence-based research,
proessional spotlights, industryupdates and how-to guides,
the NBCOT® Practice Blog gives
certiicants an opportunityto read up on occupational
therapy-related issues and jointhe conversation.
At practiceblog.nbcot.org,
certiicants can read researchsummary blogs on a variety o
different practice-related topics.
The blogs include sel-relectionand peer discussion questions.
Certicants can also access
the ull evidence-based studythrough ProQuest, a value-
added beneit o certiication.Proessional spotlights
highlight OTR® and COTA®
certiicants answering a numbero occupational therapy-related
questions to share more
about their background andexperiences in the industry.
The blog’s industry updatesprovide relevant inormation
on occupational therapy
matters, while how-to guidesgive certiicants insight into
taking advantage o their
certiication with a breakdownon using certain eatures, like
Navigator, NBCOT’s continuing
competency-assessmentplatorm.
Join The
Conversation
with NBCOT’s
Practice Blog
2016 Renewal: The Online TrendReasons to Renew
• With Online Renewal,
it’s easier than ever.
• Access to Navigator,
NBCOT’s continuing-
competency assessment
platform.
• Read up with included
access to ProQuest and
RefWorks.
• Show the value
you place in your
certication credential.
NBCOT Aspire: Preparing Entry-Level Candidates
Find us on
Social Media
CERTIFICATION MATTERS0
Growing Need For OTThe need or occupational therapy care
is growing.
The United States is acing anincreasing shortage o educated,
nationally certiied occupational therapist
registered (OTR®), who are state licensed.The aging o the U.S. population and a
growing number o people living withdisabilities that can be addressed by OT
care is outpacing the number o OTR
proessionals currently generated by U.S.
schools.As a result, many Americans –
especially the elderly with variousdisabilities such as stroke, A lzheimer’s
or Parkinson’s disease; children with
disabilities such as developmentaldisorders or autism; and returning
veterans with serious injuries to theirarms and legs and many with post
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – are
unable to get needed occupationaltherapy intervention.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
the population aged 65 and over willcontinue to increase and is p rojected to
comprise more than 20 percent o theU.S. population by 2030.
At the same time, the U.S. Centers
or Disease Control & Prevention (CDC),currently estimate 1 in 68 children have
been diagnosed as being on the autism
spectrum.The Institute o Medicine (IOM) has
reported many military veterans o theIraq and Aghanistan conlicts have
returned to the U.S. with physical andemotional needs that require the care ooccupational therapists.
While demand is growing, the
supply o occupational therapists inthe U.S. is lagging. According to the
U.S. Department o Labor, by 2022,
the need or occupational therapy willincrease by 29 percent with openings
projected to increase to 146,100 totalpositions rom its current openings
o 113,200. U.S.-based occupational
therapy educational programs arenot producing enough occupational
therapy master’s degree (MOT)
graduates to keep up with this risingdemand. In 2013-14, a study rom the
Institute o Medicine o the National
Academies stated that only 5,268U.S. Occupational Therapy graduates
entered the work orce.
NBCOT® has analyzed the state-by-state supply and demand or
occupational therapists and identiied
23 states and Puerto Rico with
signiicant shortages, with only oneoccupational therapist or every 3,000
or more people. O those 23 states,
nine have a population o over sixmillion. In an additional 20 states, there
is only one occupational therapist orevery 2,000 to 3,000 people.
Demand for OT Certicants On The Rise
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