NCTRC May/ June 2016 Newsletter

As a reminder, NCTRC posted their May/ June 2016 Newsletter!

You can read it at their link here: http://nctrc.org/mayjune2016/

Student questions

There was a question and answer panel with a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) at the Great Lake Recreational Therapy Student Conference.

I  was very pleased to be one of the CTRS on this panel.

I heard there were over 100 students present! What a great bunch of enthusiastic people! I validated to them that the fact that they made it to this event. Most of the people I met were from Indiana or Michigan. 

Other CTRS on the panel included: Shawn Geise, Jake Newhand, Brittany Hook, Kaitlyn Smith, Tommy Means, and Lori Schwyer. 

Those CTRS are great people. They worked in various different fields and I was so happy and pleased to be on stage with them and to hear their experiences. One woman (and I regret to say I can't recall who) provides services for people with traumatic brain injury. I told her that I am a CTRS, but I would not feel fully competent working in that position. She told me she had worked in mental health before switching. She informed the audience that we can and do get harmed by clients in mental health, which I agreed is true. 

Jared Allsop (conference co-chair) lecturer at Indiana University had called on student hands in the audience. They asked questions and the CTRS answered!

I can’t recall the exact questions asked. I wish I would have had a student to write them down.

Some questions I vaguely recall some of the questions.

Should you take an internship in an area you want to work or reach out and try something different to broaden your horizons?

I disagreed with one of the other CTRS on this one. I suggested go for the area you want to get more of a focus/ experience in an expertise area. I also suggested being open-minded to at least trying out other jobs when you’re ready to get hired. Why? I did my training mostly with elderly and seniors in skilled nursing (internship) and rehabilitation hospital (practicum), and even a nursing home (practicum). My first job offer was in mental/ behavioral health working with children and teens. I took the job and I’ve worked there since August 2002.

·         

What do you look for in an intern for your facility? 

My answers: passion, interest, eager to learn, well-groomed/ appropriate to work in a hospital setting, and easy-going. willing to grow and learn. I informed them that they will make mistakes (as well all have). 

·         What do you like most about your job?

Seeing kids grow and change and become successful. Of course, I let them know there are a lot of work place stressors to be prepared for that as well.

·         

Where do you get new updates and information?

My answer: being a member of our professional association (ATRA) and reading.

Does a Master's degree help? 

I may have been the only CTRS with a master’s degree on the panel. I’m not sure. I don’t recall any members strongly advocating for getting a master’s degree. I argued that many of our professional colleagues in social worker, physical therapy, mental health counselling, occupational therapy are the process or have already moved their entry-level as having a Master’s degree.

Based on my understanding, the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) had created the specialty certification certificates to help increase the number of CTRS with a graduate level degree. 

How do you get a new intervention at your facility?

 My answer: if you’re working at a facility that does not offer an activity-based treatment intervention, then you could ask someone who is trained and experienced to come and give a presentation. That individual could help provide resources and connections to help your facility to open up a program.

 Feel free to Ask Danny questions and he’ll post them at his blog for others to read as well. 

RTs can Enjoy Knowing DannyPettry.com is pre-approved for CE credit

Huntington, West Virginia (for immediate release) -- The main 40 sessions at DannyPettry.com: Rec Therapy CEUs have been accepted and pre-approved by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) for continuing education credit.

DannyPetty.Com applied for pre-approval through NCTRC to assure recreational therapists who use his program that completing these courses will count for credit towards their recertification.

Pettry submitted outlined information for all of his current courses, which meet Therapeutic Recreation knowledge areas. NCTRC pre-approved these 40 sessions for Continuing Education (CE) credit.

To the delight of many, Rec Therapists who need to earn continuing education credit, they can now take advantage of the new pre-approval offering from DannyPettry.com: Rec Therapy CEUs.

This update delivers reassurance that the courses will count towards recertification to customers, interested parties and those active within the Recreational Therapy profession. In particular, these trainings have a focus on mental/ behavioral health knowledge areas.

DannyPettry.Com: Rec Therapy CEUs has been able to add this benefit because NCTRC started to pre-approve continuing education sessions and courses in 2015. Previously, NCTRC did not pre-approve any continuing education programs, including national conferences held by the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA).

Naturally, DannyPettry.com: Rec Therapy CEUs, which had been providing online continuing education for recreational therapists since 2007 applied for this pre-approval process.

DannyPettry.com: Rec Therapy CEUs is excited to unveil the latest benefit for those who complete their self-study courses as it's specifically designed to improve the experience and better fulfil the needs of Recreational Therapists.

When asked to provide greater insight on the subject, Danny Pettry, Owner/ Operator at DannyPettry.Com: Rec Therapy CEUs said: "Recreational therapists can feel relieved to know that these online continuing education courses will definitely count for credit towards their recertification. It is one less worry.”

DannyPettry.Com: Rec Therapy CEUs has made a point of listening to its customers and taking feedback wherever possible. They reportedly do this because his business consists of “Recreational Therapists helping Recreational Therapists. We grow on each other's knowledge.”

DannyPettry.Com: Rec Therapy CEUs has made it part of its mission to continue being the leader in online continuing education for recreational therapists in the Recreational Therapy. DannyPettry.Com: Rec Therapy CEUs is well-known for being the first online self-study continuing education program created specifically for the Recreational Therapist. There have been over 1,000 satisfied students since the program was opened in 2007. Amongst fans and customers, which Danny Pettry is immensely proud of, with the business being operational now for Since May 2007.

Interested professional Recreational Therapist who would like to be among the first to experience any of these 40 self-study continuing education sessions at DannyPettry.Com, which are now pre-approved for CE credit by NCTRC with are encouraged to visit the website at http://www.dannypettry.com/ for full details and to get started.

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Danny Pettry, 1509 Walnut St. # 5, Kenova, WV 25530

Email: Danny@dannypettry.com

Jan. Feb. 2016 NCTRC e-news

I love NCTRC!

I can recall doing volunteer work at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia way back in (1999) when I first discovered Recreational Therapy.

My friend Marci was just completing her internship there and she told me how to get a degree in the profession.

Later, I completed a 60-hour practicum in recreational therapy with Marci and I felt so happy seeing her degree and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credentials on her office wall. I knew that one day I would have those too. Thanks Marci.

I also learned that my good friend Connie was the first person to work in Therapeutic Recreation at the Huntington HealthSouth Rehab.

NCTRC has publically posted their Jan/ Feb. 2016 newsletter at this link:

http://nctrc.org/januaryfebruary-2016/ 

NCTRC newsletter

NCTRC posted their November/ December 2015 newsletter.
You can read it at this link:

http://nctrc.org/novemberdecember-2015 

NCTRC new web-site layout

I visit the web-site for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) from time to time.

I noticed they have a new layout for their web-site.

I must say that I really like it.
They have needed a new layout for a while now.
I give this one an A+

Check it out here:
http://nctrc.org/

How to become CTRS

Healthcaremanagement.com posted an article on how to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), which is neat.

Of course, I recommend getting in touch with the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification ( NCTRC) for official information.

However, here is the link by Healthcaremanagement:

http://www.healthcaremanagement.com/becoming-a-certified-therapeutic-recreation-specialist/

Congratulations to Ms. Anne Richard!

The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) Board voted to approve her as the next Executive Director of NCTRC.

An email by NCTRC shared: 

Anne comes to this position with vast RT practice and leadership experience in settings including behavioral health, acute hospital care, both skilled nursing and assisted living in geriatrics, and as an educator in RT academic programs. She has also been actively involved professionally and holds NCTRC Specialty Certification in Gerontology. In her roles as educator, consultant, clinical specialist, director, therapist, internship supervisor and manager, Anne has gained valuable skills that will continue the tradition of excellence at NCTRC. Please join the Board of Directors in welcoming Anne as she begins her position on August 1, 2015. 

NCTRC newsletter is here!

Did you read the recent newsletter?

National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) posted their March/April 2015 newsletter.

You can read it here:

http://www.nctrc.org/newsletter/MarApr15.html

NCTRC seeks director

The National council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) is seeking a new executive director.

Naturally, I hope for a person who has the leadership to help guide our profession in the right direction.

Here is the link for the job description and requirements:

http://www.nctrc.org/documents/EDPositionAnnouncement.pdf

Tips for Passing the NCTRC Exam.

I had posted a link at my first blog (a blog on books) about passing the NCTRC exam.

Here is the link:
http://hiddensecretwisdom.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-pass-nctrc-ctrs-exam.html

NCTRC Specialty Certification.

I had the opportunity to attend a session on the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC)’s new Specialty Certification at the 2011 ATRA conf.

It was presented by two of the NCTRC credentialing specialists: Robin McNeal and Susan Kaufer (shown in the picture).

The Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) is the benchmark for our profession. An individual who has earned this credential demonstrates that she (or he) has met the minimum standards needed for practice.

NCTRC created the specialty certification to acknowledge the CTRS who has met higher standards in one of the following areas:

Physical Medicine/ Rehabilitation (PMR)
Geriatrics (Geri)
Developmental Disabilities (DD)
Behavioral Health (BH)
Community Inclusion Services (CIS)

NCTRC pointed out rationales for the new specialty certification program, including:

a.) Provide incentive for the CTRS to advance her (or his) professional competence

b.) Develop areas of “specialization” in our profession (much like other professionals)

c.) Improve the CEU offerings at conferences. There will be more training offered in these specialty areas to help more people to earn the specialty certificate.

d.) This should help build a critical mass of graduate-level certificates. There are two paths to earning the specialty certification. One path includes a graduate degree in TR or RT. The individual would need to take a certain amount of course credit hours in the specialty area too. Many of our allied professionals have moved to advanced degrees as the bench mark to practice. Currently, RT/TR is still at the Bachelor Degree level. This new certificate program could help increase the number of practitioners in our field who have a Master’s degree.

I [Danny Pettry] have not applied for one of these yet.

I feel I have met all of the requirements for the Behavioral Health. I am going to apply, but I plan to wait and do it during my 5-year CTRS cycle so they’ll both be on the same cycle.

For more information, visit NCTRC here:

http://www.nctrc.org/SpecCert.htm

Undergraduate online courses in TR

I received an email from a person a while back asking if there were any undergrad courses in TR. This person was short on a few courses in TR that she (or he) needed to sit for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) exam.

I regret to say I can't remember who had asked me this question or sent me an email.

However, I did get info. in an ATRA List-Serv post today about online courses.

Here it is:

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) offers 2 totally online courses each semester. This fall we are offering
THERREC 203 Recreation as a Therapeutic Intervention
THERREC 308 TR in Phys Rehab/Behavioral Health
Courses are taught in a traditional 15 semester format with various assignments due each week to keep students engaged in the course.
Classes start T 9/6 but enrollment is a possibility through the week.
Interested individuals will need to act quickly to apply to the university, register for the course and then log into the course management system.

Question may be directed to me at pthomas@uwm.edu

Spring courses will start mid January.

Patty


Patricia Thomas, MPA, CTRS
Clinical Associate Professor
TR Certificate Coordinator
UWM PO Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
(414)229-2507
pthomas@uwm.edu

Pre-Approved CEUS for the Rec. Therapist

I have some good information for the CTRS, of course, you should have already received an email from NCTRC at this time about the NEW pre-approved CEU program!

ATRA also sent an email.

Here it is:

The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) are proud to announce the formation of a joint committee to establish a CEU Pre-approval Program. The purpose of the CEU Pre-approval Program is to improve services to CTRSs seeking to complete recertification requirements by assuring that potential ATRA CEU opportunities are approved by NCTRC prior to enrollment. It is envisioned that the CEU Pre-approval Program will result in an improved level of CEU related offerings and ultimately will expand the depth of critical knowledge gained via the NCTRC recertification process.

Representatives from both organizations have been working diligently during the past several months to complete a draft pre-approval process. A pilot project to test the newly developed process will commence with the 2011 ATRA Annual Conference to be held in Indianapolis, IN, September 18-21. CTRSs who attend the ATRA Annual Conference will be able to participate in educational sessions and earn continuing education hours that are pre-approved by NCTRC. It is anticipated that if the pre-approval process is successful during the initial pilot phase, then the program will be expanded to include other conferences and CEU related events.

Additional information about the CEU Pre-approval Program will be forthcoming from the joint committee on behalf of both organizations.

I, Danny Pettry will have the opportunity to attend the 2011 ATRA Conference in Indianapolis. I hope to see you there.

NCTRC Celebrates 30th Anniversary

I read at the TR Direcotry e-newsletter (March 28, 2011) by Charie Dixon that: The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) is proud to announce its 30th anniversary of excellence in providing professional certification to recreational therapists in the field of therapeutic recreation. Established in 1981 as a non-profit organization, NCTRC has provided credentialing services to more than 50,000 recreational therapists who qualified and obtained the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential. The CTRS credential is well established as the benchmark of quality within therapeutic recreation and those individuals who hold active certification as a CTRS are recognized as the qualified providers of TR/RT services.

NCTRC question

Here is an email I received today:

Hi I was just wondering how many CEU's I need to renew my certification. And does NCTRC send something in the mail letting me know a deadline to turn them in?

Thanks for the help,
xx

Here is my reply:

Dear xx --

Thanks for writing.
I’m not an official spokesperson for NCTRC. I am a CTRS!
Right now they require 50 clock hours (which is 5.0 CEUs) in a five year period.

NCTRC has a new post at their web-site about completing recertification information online at this link:

http://nctrc.org/recentnews.htm#Notice

You can log on to the NCTRC website at this link:

https://www.nctrc.org/source/Security/Member-Logon.cfm

I hope that information helps you.

ALSO ---
I offer several self-study courses that people can complete for CEU credit. It consists of reading a book on your own time and completing a quiz online. Students are allowed to retake the quiz as often as they wish, too.
Here is my web-site:
http://www.dannypettry.com/Courses.htm

your friend,

Danny.

NCTRC Exam

Are you going to sit for the NCTRC exam?

If so, you may want to download a FREE glossary of terms for Recreational and Occupational Therapists.

My good friend and mentor, Dr. David Austin posted a link at his blog today that directs people how to download this free glossary.

Dr. Austin claimed that several TR degree programs use this glossary to help students to prepare for the NCTRC exam.

You may want to follow Dr. Austin's blog for more useful tips.

Go here for the glossary:

http://rt-blog.blogspot.com/2010/07/glossary-available-at-no-cost.html

CEU Pre-approval process

The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC)
has a new process for CEU pre-approval. Basically, you can submit this form
with a record of the courses you've completed to see if NCTRC will accept the course.

They'll let you know if the course is approved. If it isn't -- then you can find courses that will be accepted.

http://nctrc.org/documents/CEUPreapprovalform.pdf


Need CEUs?
Check out my web-site for recreational therapists:

http://www.dannypettry.com <----

Enjoy.
Danny