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NCTRC e-News
National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
Protecting and Promoting Since 1981
A Message from the NCTRC Chair
Melissa Zahl, CTRS/L, NCTRC Board of Directors
It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. I sure hope you all had a terrific summer, both personally and professionally. Thank you to all who participated in voting for the Board of Directors, it has been a wonderful experience thus far.
At NCTRC, the Credentialing Specialists, office members, and Executive Director continue to remain busy. I have been extremely impressed by the dedication and passion of each employee to the mission of NCTRC.
You may have noticed, especially if you called NCTRC, that the level of certificant service has increased. We are pleased to have streamlined many operations to assist in providing you with a better experience. One such operation has been the transition to paperless processes within the office. NCTRC has spent the past year scanning and archiving information to become almost entirely paperless. NCTRC is also 1 year into the Certelligence system. When I recertified in November, it was very easy and took a matter of minutes before I received an email that my recertification was complete. Remember if you have any questions about the process, please contact the office.
Marketing continues to be a focus for NCTRC. NCTRC participated in the development of a video on recreational therapy and NCTRC. Executive Director, Anne Richard, collaborated with Innovations by Ed Begley, Jr. to feature NCTRC. The video and 60 second clip aired on FOX Business Network and CNN. The 6 minute clip showcasing NCTRC and recreational therapy can be viewed here. Please feel free to share it with others but please contact NCTRC for permission if you would like to host it directly on your website.
Other marketing initiatives include the Board Ambassador Program. This was started a few years ago, but recently Andrea Waters, Colleen Cooke, and Missy Armstrong have further refined the procedures to assist the committee as well as the Board of Directors in how to best promote the CTRS credential. We continue to receive encouraging feedback from conference attendees about recreational therapy. In the fall, one of the NCTRC Credentialing Specialists and Missy Armstrong (current Board member) will be attending the NRPA conference to advocate for the CTRS credential when hiring individuals who work with people with disabilities in their communities.
NCTRC Executive Director, Credentialing Specialists, and the Chair of the NCTRC Board of Directors continue to support international, national, regional, and state conferences. Credentialing Specialists have attended several regional, state, and international conferences this past spring. In addition there is a full slate of conferences lined up for the fall. We recently completed a certificant’s meeting at the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association conference in Halifax, NS. Thank you all who got up early to attend as well as the overall warm welcome to the conference. We are scheduled to provide another certificant’s meeting at the ATRA Annual conference in September; we are looking forward to seeing you in Grand Rapids. Anne Richard and Robin McNeal will travel to Australia in September to meet with the Board of Diversional and Recreational Therapy Association (DRTA), and present 2 sessions at the conference. While there, they will also present at a TR conference/event in Sydney. We are excited that our international efforts are increasing, and pleased to continue co-chairing with ATRA on the International TR coalition.
Lastly, NCTRC will launch the first of two corporate social responsibility initiatives later this summer with the release of the Hardship Fee Waiver program. This program allows individuals to apply for a waiver of fees associated with any NCTRC application if they have experienced a hardship or unanticipated life event that has caused a substantial financial burden and losses in major life areas. We hope this offers certificants the opportunity to maintain their credential during difficult times.
It has been such an honor to be a Board of Director as well as the current Chair. I thank you all for your continued dedication to the CTRS credential. If you are looking for ways to give back to the profession, consider joining a committee or running for a position on the NCTRC Board of Directors. For me, it has been the most enriching and probably the highlight of my professional career.
Sincerely,
Melissa Zahl, PhD, CTRS/L
Chair, NCTRC Board of Directors
NCTRC Board Ambassador Program Update
In June 2018, Missy Armstrong (current NCTRC Board member) and Diane Wagner Heffner (past member of the NCTRC Board of Directors), represented NCTRC as part of the Board Ambassador Program at the Case Management Society of America conference in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of the Board Ambassador Program is to educate hiring authorities as well as consumers/advocates about recreational therapy and the CTRS credential. While at the conference, Missy and Diane met with individuals holding the title of care manager, case manager, life coach, life planner, as well as administrators of hospitals and long term facilities sharing the importance of promoting evidence supported recreational therapy services provided by those who hold the CTRS credential. Although they were met by overwhelming support from the care managers who knew of recreational therapy services, the conference attendees urged the profession to provide more data, outcomes, and research to promote the value and uniqueness of our profession. Please be on the lookout this year for NCTRC sponsored training on the development of individual case studies.
NCTRC Announces New Hardship Fee Waiver Program
You may ask, “What is a hardship?” As defined by the NCTRC Hardship Fee Waiver Committee, it is an unanticipated life event that causes a substantial financial burden and losses in major life areas.
NCTRC believes that the fees associated with the application process should not be a deterrent to furthering your career. In this spirit, we are pleased to introduce the Hardship Fee Waiver program. This program is designed to provide a waiver of NCTRC fees associated with the CTRS credential, to those who have experienced a hardship or unanticipated life event causing a substantial financial burden and losses in major life areas. If you believe that you might qualify for a fee waiver, please contact the NCTRC office and speak with a Credentialing Specialist about the process.
To apply for the NCTRC Hardship Fee Waiver Program:
- Call NCTRC at (845) 639-1439 and speak with a Credentialing Specialist.
- Individuals may only submit the Fee Waiver Request Form after they have spoken with a member of the credentialing team and they have met the certification standards associated with the fees they are requesting to be waived.
- Submit the completed NCTRC Fee Waiver Request Form along with any requested documents to nctrc@nctrc.org.
- The Hardship Fee Review Committee will review all applications for Fee Waiver.
- Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision via email.
Please Note: Review of applications for professional eligibility, annual maintenance, or recertification is completed by the Credentialing Specialists and the decisions rendered are based on the NCTRC Certification Standards. They are not influenced in any way by the applicant’s decision to apply for a waiver of fees associated with the NCTRC application.
CTRS® Area of Specialization Designation
As healthcare evolves, the technical knowledge and skills required to practice successfully in a complex environment increases significantly. Beyond the broad range of essential professional skills, there is an increasing expectation to develop specialized knowledge and skills that are distinctive to specific populations and service sectors.
NCTRC awards recognition in the following seven areas:
- Adaptive Sports & Recreation
- Behavioral Health
- Community Inclusion Services
- Geriatrics
- Pediatrics
- Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation
- Developmental Disabilities
The CTRS® Area of Specialization Designation is a direct extension of the CTRS® credential. Only individuals who currently possess active CTRS® status may apply. Individuals who currently possess active CTRS® status AND meet both of the following requirements are eligible to request Area of Specialization Designation at the time of recertification:
- Completion of 75 continuing education hours within a designated specialty area during the five year period prior to application.
- Completion of five (5) years of full-time professional TR/RT experience within a designated specialty area.
NCTRC Certificates
To respond to certificants’ requests for immediate access to an updated certificate, NCTRC adopted a new business process that allows certificants to print their own certificate directly from the MY NCTRC LOGIN portal. Please go to the Dashboard Profile and print your updated certificate by selecting CTRS Certificate. The NCTRC office will mail certificates upon initial certification, recertification every 5 years, and upon request.
Application Review and Exam Statistics
NCTRC Exam: A review of the July 2017, September 2017, November 2017, January 2018, March 2018 and May 2018 exams indicated that a total of 1,876 individuals participated in the NCTRC exam program. Provided below is a summary that shows the exam dates, number of candidates per exam administration and the corresponding pass rate of first-time examinees.
- July 2017, 338, 88%
- Sept. 2017, 269, 88%
- Nov. 2017, 387, 82%
- Jan. 2018, 204, 78%
- March 2018, 245, 87%
- May 2018, 433, 93%
New Applications for Professional Eligibility: For the period July 2017 to July 2018, 1,546 new applications were reviewed for professional eligibility. The total number of candidates that met the NCTRC Professional Eligibility Standards and thus became eligible to sit for the NCTRC exam was 1503 (97%).
CTRS Annual Renewal: For the period July 2017 to July 2018, 10,583 (84%) individual CTRSs renewed their certification.
Recertification Application: For the period July 2017 to July 2018, 1,734 applications for recertification were received by NCTRC. A total of 98% of the applications were approved for recertification. Approximately 3.4% of the individuals who applied for recertification used the exam option while the majority (96.4%) used the professional experience and continuing education option.
NCTRC Attends CTRA Annual Conference
In the continuing effort to nurture its international focus, NCTRC attended the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA) Annual Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 13–15, 2018. NCTRC sponsored an exhibit booth, presented two educational sessions, and conducted a certificant’s meeting. NCTRC and CTRA continue to collaborate on an active basis to expand the CTRS credential throughout Canada. These strategic efforts have been very successful, and resulted in an increase in the number of CTRSs residing in Canada. There are now 709 CTRSs residing in Canada.
NCTRC to Conduct Annual Certificant’s Meeting
NCTRC conducts an Annual Meeting for CTRSs at the annual professional conference of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA). The official meeting this year will be held in Grand Rapids, MI at the 2018 Annual ATRA Conference. The Annual Meeting will be held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel on Saturday, September 15 from 12:30–1:30pm.
The NCTRC Annual Meeting of Certificants is a valuable opportunity for NCTRC to share information regarding current strategic initiatives and to introduce the Board of Directors, Standing Committees, and Staff. NCTRC has several exciting projects underway that we look forward to sharing with you. We hope that you will attend the meeting at ATRA or review a post of the meeting on the NCTRC website. If you are unable to attend, please contact NCTRC with any questions or suggestions you may have about the CTRS credentialing program.
NCTRC is Out and About
In an effort to continuously market the CTRS credential, NCTRC is scheduled to present at the following conferences and webinars:
Sept. 13–16, 2018 – ATRA Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Sept. 20–21, 2018 – DRTA Conference, Melbourne, Australia
Sept. 24, 2018 – TR Event in Sydney, Australia
Sept. 25–27, 2018 – NRPA Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN - Visit us at Booth 211 in the exhibit area
Oct. 26–28, 2018 – TR in Motion Conference, Baltimore, MD
Nov. 5–6, 2018 – NJ/EPA Annual Conference, Princeton, NJ
Nov. 8–9, 2018 – Minnesota TR Association Conference, Bloomington, MN
Nov. 12–13, 2018 – Illinois TR Association Conference, Alsip, IL
Please mark your calendars and plan on visiting the NCTRC staff at one of these conferences.
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.
CTRS® Credential Verification
Visit our CTRS® Verification Search Portal to verify information about active Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists.
NCTRC News
Visit our website for all the latest news and updates relating to NCTRC and the CTRS® credential.
