NCTRC e-News

National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
Protecting and Promoting Since 1981

NCTRC Certificant’s Meeting

NCTRC hosted our annual certificants meeting at the ATRA Annual Conference on Monday, September 16 at 12:15pm. In order to keep all CTRSs up-to-date on NCTRC happenings, the PowerPoint presentation is posted on the NCTRC website.

It's Time for the NCTRC Board of Directors Election

NCTRC will be conducting the 2019 Board of Directors Election online from November 1 to November 30, 2019. There are two (2) open positions to be filled via this year's election.

It only takes a few minutes for you to vote in this election. All decisions related to the NCTRC Certification Standards are made by the Board of Directors, so it is critically important that you participate in the upcoming election. The Nominations and Elections Committee has done a fantastic job of pulling together a strong ballot for you, so please cast your vote this November.

The 2019 NCTRC Election Candidates are:

• Kerry (Brown) Steeb, CTRS, Oregon
• Shaun J. Geise, CTRS, Indiana 
• Laura McLachlan, PhD, CTRS, RTC, California
• Caily O’Connor, LRT/CTRS Specialization in Behavioral Health, Arizona

Please take the time to exercise your right to vote!

On November 1st, you will receive an email with a link to the ballot. You will be able to review information about each of the candidates. Once you have selected your two (2) candidates, complete the ballot and click on Submit. All e-ballots will be sent anonymously to NCTRC.

If you have any questions about the election process, please contact NCTRC at (845) 639-1439.

NCTRC Recertification Deadline

If your five-year expiration date is December 31, 2019, you should begin reviewing the rules and standards governing NCTRC Recertification. A complete copy of the NCTRC Recertification Standards can be viewed at the NCTRC website. Please submit your recertification application and fee via My NCTRC Login no later than December 31, 2019. Please be aware that the Recertification review process can take from 4-6 weeks for NCTRC to complete. If you are required to be certified for your employment, submit your application prior to the deadline.

Important NCTRC Recertification reminders:

• Please do not submit Continuing Education documents with your application. If your application is randomly selected for audit, you will be sent an email requesting that you submit your original, official documents to NCTRC via MY NCTRC Login.
• A letter of verification is required if your 480-hour TR work requirement has been met with either part-time or volunteer work.
• All continuing education hours must be related to one of the NCTRC Job Analysis Knowledge Codes (FKW – Foundational Knowledge, ASP – Assessment Process, DOC – Documentation, IMP – Implementation, ADM – Administration of TR/RT Service, ADV – Advancement of the Profession) and need to total 50 hours completed over the five-year period.

Continuing Education: The Opportunities are Endless

• Supervision: This standard allows for up to three (3) CE credit earning internship supervisory experiences per recertification cycle.  Each internship supervisory experience will be awarded five (5) CE credit hours for a maximum award of 15 credit hours per recertification cycle.  For additional information, please review the Guidelines for Continuing Education for NCTRC Internship Supervision and the NCTRC Internship Supervision Continuing Education Form. NCTRC recently added that a certificant may earn two (2) CE credit hours for each Equivalency Path applicant that is supervised, for a maximum of six (6) credits per recertification cycle.
• Hospital/Agency Education: Many work-related educational sessions or in-services may be appropriate for recertification. (Please note: topics such as Infection Control, CPR, First Aid and Life Saving are not accepted.)
• Academic Coursework: Coursework can be audited (8 hours per academic credit) or taken for credit (15 hours per academic credit). Academic courses may be taken online or through correspondence.
• Teleconferences/Audio Seminars: A growing number of continuing education providers sponsor teleconferences.
• Home Study Programs: Several organizations provide continuing education via professional journal review and home study courses. Like many online programs, educational material can be purchased for completion over an extended time period.
• Internet: A simple search for “continuing education” will provide many opportunities for consideration. Many of the internet/online-based continuing education programs can be purchased for a reasonable fee.
• Conferences: Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation, or CE sessions in related disciplines are accepted if the content relates to the NCTRC Job Analysis Knowledge Areas.

Remember that NCTRC offers a Continuing Education Approval Process. This process is designed to assist CTRSs in obtaining approval of pending or completed continuing education prior to the submission of a recertification application. It allows for official confirmation of continuing education to CTRSs who are not certain if specific continuing education opportunities meet NCTRC recertification requirements. This process is available to all current CTRSs and can be utilized at any time during the five-year certification cycle.

Please contact NCTRC at 845-639-1439 or nctrc@nctrc.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your continued support of NCTRC and the CTRS® credential!