NBCOT Fall 2015 Newsletter

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

[email protected]

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

http://www.nbcot.org/navigator-tools


https://my.nbcot.org/























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


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



http://www.nbcot.org/certificant-volunteering








2015: Year In Review










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


http://www.nbcot.org/aspire


http://www.nbcot.org/exam-blueprints

http://www.nbcot.org/self-assessment-tools

http://www.nbcot.org/flashcard-app

http://www.nbcot.org/match-game

http://www.nbcot.org/exam-study-guides

http://www.nbcot.org/practice-tests

http://practiceblog.nbcot.org/

https://twitter.com/NBCOT

https://www.facebook.com/NBCOTCertification

http://practiceblog.nbcot.org/

http://www.nbcot.org/practice-tests

http://www.nbcot.org/exam-study-guides

http://www.nbcot.org/match-game

http://www.nbcot.org/flashcard-app

http://www.nbcot.org/self-assessment-tools

http://www.nbcot.org/exam-blueprints





Documents

NBCOT Fall 2015 Newsletter