View
this newsletter in your browser.
July/August 2009
| Quick Links |
| NCTRC Home |
| My NCTRC Login |
| NCTRC Recent News |
| CTRS Renewal |
| Standards and Publications |
| NCTRC Board |
| Contact NCTRC |
National Council For Therapeutic Recreation Certification 845.639.1439
|
| Welcome to NCTRC e-News! A Message from the NCTRC Chair Andrew Ritcey, CTRS, Chairperson NCTRC Board of Directors
It is with great pleasure and honor that I send to you my first official message as the new Chair of the NCTRC Board of Directors. I am pleased to report on the continued achievements of NCTRC.
As many of you probably don't know I have the unique distinction of being the first person from a country other than the United States to serve as the NCTRC Chair. This fact alone speaks well of NCTRC's achievement to gain international stature as the representative organization for qualified personnel in therapeutic recreation. Reflective of the NCTRC Mission Statement, the CTRS credential has achieved significant growth in areas outside of the U.S. As of April of this year, CTRSs work in 13 countries and 5 continents around the world. From Bahrain to Great Britain to Bermuda to North America to Australia to Asia, CTRS certificants hold their certification credential in high esteem and as the benchmark of quality performance within Therapeutic Recreation services.
As part of its comprehensive planning, NCTRC has an active on-going strategic plan. The NCTRC strategic plan addresses all aspects of operations and two of the seven strategic goals address practice-based certification standards and the maintenance of an effective and technologically advanced exam. Part of the work accomplished by the NCTRC Board and its committees this past year was the completion of a comprehensive review of the current requirements for certification as a CTRS. This review was a rigorous process that examined a multitude of data sources and information assembled by NCTRC staff and Prometric, NCTRC 's contracted exam management company. As a result of this comprehensive review a set of new and updated certification standards were announced during late fall of last year.
Additional exciting news along the developmental front is the recent approval of specialty certification by the NCTRC Board. In an effort to provide recognition of expertise and continuing competence among seasoned recreational therapists, the NCTRC Board approved a framework for specialty certification in conjunction with the CTRS credential. The specialty certifications will be population or service centered (i.e., Geriatrics, Inclusive Recreation, etc.) and will be achieved by documenting years of service and continuing competence in a given area of therapeutic recreation. A formal plan is currently being developed with respect to this new program with a commencement date expected in early 2010.
On the minds of many certificants is the recognition and value of the CTRS credential. NCTRC continues to promote and support the credential through a wide variety of venues including printed materials, support to professional organizations, sponsoring its fall Board meetings at sites that enable face to face meetings with TR students and local CTRSs, exhibiting at professional conferences and tradeshows, or by supporting the legal recognition of the CTRS credential through state/provincial licensure initiatives. All of these tasks and other Council initiatives are always completed in an ethical and fiscally responsible manner. While the past 12 months have been challenging to all communities around the world, a sense of hope and optimism continues to grow. Along with these issues will be the establishment and renewal of many opportunities for NCTRC. On behalf of the NCTRC Board of Directors thank you for continued support of NCTRC and for making the CTRS a truly recognized international credential of quality within TR services worldwide.
NCTRC and NRPA to Explore Certification Program in Inclusive Recreation The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) and the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) announced a joint venture to explore the feasibility of a formal certification program for professionals working in inclusive recreation. Inclusive recreation services for individuals with disabilities and special needs are viewed as an area with tremendous growth and development given the widespread implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Human Rights Act legislation. The possible development of a professional certification program would ensure that such services are conducted by qualified personnel in a safe and effective manner. The identified cohort group being considered as the most likely recipient of this certification is recreation professionals who are currently providing inclusive services to individuals with disabilities within park and recreation programs and other community-based programs. The initial phase of the project is exploratory in nature and will include the establishment of an advisory committee as well as the sponsorship of two focus group sessions to be conducted at the National Institute on Recreation Inclusion (NIRI) Conference (September 9-13, 2009) and at the NRPA National Congress and Exposition (October 13-16, 2009). This first phase will be followed by a comprehensive marketing analysis to help determine the appeal and feasibility of the proposed certification program.
NCTRC
was proud to be in attendance at the Therapeutic Recreation Education
Conference (TREC II) held in Stillwater, OK. The TREC II conference
was co-sponsored by the American Therapeutic Recreation Association
(ATRA) and the National Therapeutic Recreation Society (NTRS). The
purpose of the conference was to explore strategies to strengthen
the academic preparation of future TR/RT professionals and to discuss
opportunities to develop a unified accreditation program for TR/RT
academic units. NCTRC was represented by Executive Director Bob
Riley, CTRS, who presented a session entitled “Current Status of
Professional Preparation in Therapeutic Recreation”. Approximately
70 educators and practitioners
were in attendance at TREC II. A
post-conference report highlighting conference developments and
future accreditation initiatives will be forthcoming from the conference
sponsors. NCTRC Conducts Annual Certificants Meeting Each year, NCTRC conducts its Annual Meeting for CTRSs at the professional conferences of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and the National Therapeutic Recreation Society (NTRS). The official meeting this year will be held in Salt Lake City, UT at the 2009 Annual NTRS Conference. The Annual Meeting will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 4:30pm. NCTRC will also sponsor a meeting for CTRSs at the ATRA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The certificants meeting at the ATRA conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 5, 2009 at 5:30pm. The NCTRC Annual Meeting of Certificants is a valuable opportunity for NCTRC to share information regarding current activities and introduce the Board of Directors, 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 either conference site. If you are unable to attend, please contact NCTRC with any concerns or suggestions you may have about the CTRS credentialing program.
Application Review and Exam Statistics NCTRC Exam: NCTRC conducts three exam administrations within a one-year cycle. A review of the October 2008, January 2009, and the May 2009 exams indicates that a total of 1156 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.
New Applications for Professional Eligibility: For the period July 1, 2008 to March 24, 2009, 650 new applications were reviewed for professional eligibility. The number of candidates that met the NCTRC Professional Eligibility Standards and thus were eligible to sit for the NCTRC exam was 591 (90.9%). CTRS Annual Renewal: For the period November 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, 8804 (86.2%) individual CTRSs renewed their certification. Recertification Application: For the period November 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, 1266 applications for recertification were received by NCTRC. A total of 95.7% of the applications were approved for recertification. Approximately 3.3% of the individuals who applied for recertification used the exam option while the majority (96.7%) used the professional experience and continuing education option.
November Recertification Exam Option NCTRC would like to remind you that if you are coming to the end of your five year recertification cycle you can take the NCTRC exam to meet the requirements for recertification. The October 2009 exam is the only exam one can take to meet the November cycle Recertification requirements. The recertification registration deadline for the October 2009 exam is August 21, 2009. Visit the NCTRC website www.nctrc.org to access the exam registration form. From the home page, click Exam or use your log-in information to access the form. There are two options for submission. You can fill out the registration form online and submit it with a credit card payment or print off the registration form, fill it out, and mail it directly to NCTRC with a check or credit card number. The dates for the October 2009 exam are October 5-9, 2009.
In an effort to continuously promote the CTRS credential and educate individuals about TR/RT, NCTRC has planned a very busy fall travel schedule with presentations and exhibits at the following conferences: Aug. 26: Arizona P&R Association TR Conference, Scottsdale, AZ Sept.10-13: National Institute on Recreation Inclusion, San Antonio, TX Sept. 18: University of Toledo Annual Conference, Toledo, OH Oct. 2-6: ATRA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN Oct.12-13: North Carolina RT Association Annual Conference, Atlantic Beach, NC Oct.13-16: NTRS Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, UT Nov. 6–7: SUNY Cortland Annual Recreation Conference, Cortland, NY Nov 18: NY State Downstate Recreation Conference, White Plains, NY
Did you know ...
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. |