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NCTRC e-News
National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
Protecting and Promoting Since 1981
Welcome to NCTRC e-News
Fall 2021
A Message from the NCTRC Chair
Dr. Angela Wozencroft, Ph.D., CTRS, NCTRC Board of Directors
With the excitement of fall being just around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to introduce myself as I embark on my new adventure as the NCTRC Board Chair and update you on some of the work being done by NCTRC. First, it is incredibly important that I thank you for selecting me to serve on the NCTRC board. I have been thoroughly enjoying my experience as your Chair thus far.
As you may recall, I am originally from Brampton, Ontario, Canada but now live in Tennessee and am an Associate Professor in Recreational Therapy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I have been working in the profession for 15 years. I started my work in Recreational Therapy in adult day programs for seniors with physical and cognitive impairments. After falling in love with adventure education, I began working with at-risk youth, which led me to my current service work in therapeutic camping for youth and adults with multiple disabilities. A line of research that I am passionate about is compassion fatigue in Recreational Therapists. This research falls nicely in line with the increased importance of self-care that is on everyone’s mind these days in response to COVID-19. I certainly hope that each of you are taking some time to care for yourselves considering our ever-changing world right now.
At NCTRC, the Credentialing Specialists, office members, and Executive Director continue to work diligently with passion and dedication for the mission of NCTRC. NCTRC serves just under 19,000 individuals on the NCTRC CTRS® Registry and the staff are finding unique and effective ways to meet our certificants’ needs despite the challenges faced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
You may have noticed some changes to the testing procedures. There has been switch to a month-long testing window from the previous two week offering. Both the practice test and the exam are now offered in English, Spanish for Latin Americas, and Canadian French. Also, test takers have the option to use live remote proctoring for the exam instead of having to go to an in-person testing center.
NCTRC has launched its own Facebook page. I highly encourage you to check it out for “Fun Fact Fridays” and other current information being shared. NCTRC’s website also hosts a webinar tab where you can access online tutorials on topics related to completing the Professional Eligibility application, the annual maintenance process, and Recertification. You can also find the most recent 2019 NCTRC Professional Profile brochures as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Data under the Publications and Forms tab. Additional information will be shared in the coming months related to salary specifics so stay tuned.
Don’t forget about NCTRC’s two corporate social responsibility initiatives: Scholarship Program and Hardship Fee Waiver Program. Both programs seek to provide financial assistance to qualified applicants and certificants. The criteria and application details can be found on the NCTRC website under the Financial Assistance tab.
There have also been some changes to the certification standards and the interpretive guidelines. As a reminder, there are now two paths to certification: Academic Path and Equivalency Path. Both paths require the same TR and supportive coursework but differ on the Professional Experience component. Regarding the Internship Certification Standard, the word, consecutive, was removed from the requirement of a minimum of 560-hour, 14 consecutive week internship experience. Should you have any questions or concerns related to these changes, please feel free to reach out to the NCTRC office for assistance.
As you can see, the folks at NCTRC have been very busy behind the scenes yet still find time to support international, national, regional, and state conferences. The Credentialing Specialists have been actively providing Webinars across the United States, Canada, and Australia over the spring and summer months. They recently completed a virtual certificant’s meeting at the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association conference in June and plan to host another one later this fall for all certificants. It is exciting to hear of the ATRA/NCTRC co-chaired committee projects as well as the work to continually support the International TR Coalition and the Joint Taskforce for Licensure. We are excited about the collaborations and international connections being made with NCTRC.
In closing, it is such an honor for me to be a member of the NCTRC Board of Directors and an even greater honor to serve as the Chair. Thank you for your continued dedication to the field of Recreational Therapy and for valuing the CTRS® credential. While the world continues to change rapidly around us in ways that greatly influence how we serve our populations, be sure to take time to care for yourself so you can continue to be your best for others.
Dr. Angela Wozencroft, Ph.D., CTRS
Chair, NCTRC Board of Directors
It is Time for the NCTRC Board of Directors Election
NCTRC will be conducting the 2021 Board of Directors Election online from November 1 to November 30, 2021. There are three (3) open positions to be filled via this year’s election.
It only takes a few minutes for you to vote in this election, and voting is so simple.
- On November 1st, you will receive an email with a link to the ballot.
- Review information about each of the candidates.
- Once you have selected your candidates, complete the ballot and click on Submit.
- All e-ballots are tabulated anonymously by a third-party vendor selected by NCTRC.
The 2021 NCTRC Election Candidates:
- Alicia Gonzales, CTRS, BS, Arizona
- Shaeron King, CTRS, Virginia
- Chris Richard, CTRS, BRec, Ontario, Canada
- Linda Stevens-Johnson, CTRS, California
- Caronda Trigg, CTRS, CDP, MPA, Mississippi
Please take the time to exercise your right to vote!
If you have any questions about the election process, please contact NCTRC at (845) 639-1439.
Exam Statistics
A review of the September 2020, November 2020, January 2021, March 2021, May 2021 and July 2021 exams indicated that a total of 1641 individuals participated in the NCTRC exam program.
Provided below is a summary table that contains the number of candidates per exam administration and the corresponding pass rate of first-time examinees:
NCTRC Internship News and Webinar
Recently, NCTRC held a webinar to discuss the changes to the internship standard and interpretive guidelines in more detail. This webinar was recorded and can be viewed here.
At a recent NCTRC Board of Directors Meeting, the following changes to the NCTRC Internship Standards were approved. The revised internship 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.
Summary of Changes
The following components of the internship certification standard and interpretive guidelines have been removed. While the academic program may continue to use these guidelines to structure the internship experience, NCTRC will no longer require students to adhere to them. The format of the internship experience should be determined by the agency supervisor, the internship site, and the academic supervisor.
Language Removed from the Internship Certification Standard:
- The word, consecutive, was removed from the requirement of a minimum of 560-hour, 14 consecutive week internship experience.
Language Removed from the Interpretive Guidelines:
- The requirement that the primary agency CTRS® supervisor must be employed a minimum of 30 hours a week with at least 50% of the job duties within therapeutic recreation service at the sponsoring agency.
- The internship experience should be continuous and uninterrupted. No less than 20 hours per week or more than 45 hours per week will be accepted for the internship experience, except as may be provided in the Internship Interruption Guidelines.
- The total hours may not be split among different agencies or accumulated over multiple sites.
NCTRC Completes New Job Analysis Survey
NCTRC would like to thank all who participated in the recent Job Analysis Survey and appreciate your input and assistance with this important project. NCTRC completed the survey phase of the Job Analysis Study in April and the analysis phase will continue into the fall. The results from the Job Analysis survey will inform NCTRC about important tasks and related knowledge areas deemed necessary for competent practice in TR. This information is transformed into an exam outline that determines both the content and frequency of specific question related material that appears on the NCTRC exam. A comprehensive Job Analysis report will be available from NCTRC in 2022.
NCTRC Conference Presentations
If you are hosting a conference, workshop, seminar, etc. and would like NCTRC to present, please contact NCTRC directly and we would be happy to submit a presentation proposal.
Go further with an NCTRC Scholarship.
An NCTRC Scholarship recognizes the achievements of those who seek to advance their knowledge and professional competency to improve the quality of recreational therapy services.
Recertify and Reinvest in Yourself.
NCTRC knows how hard you worked to obtain the CTRS® credential. Continue your professional journey by renewing your CTRS® certification.
NCTRC is on Facebook!
NCTRC is now on Facebook. We are excited to open this new avenue of contact between you and the organization.
Please contact NCTRC at 845-639-1439 or nctrc@nctrc.org.
Thank you for your continued support of NCTRC and the CTRS® credential!
