AOTA Conference - Board & Specialty Certification

AOTA conference will be here before we know it. I'm looking forward to that California SUN! However, I know that my employer is paying for my attendance; therefore, I'll be at many sessions to learn new information to share with students and colleagues when I return to Iowa.

Are you working on your Board or Specialty Certification application? Planning on attending conference? Check out these sessions offered by other AOTA certified practitioners who will help clarify the connection between their session and certification! You can use Program Builder on the AOTA website to customize your conference schedule.

Below are some courses you might consider!

Key: Institute = IN, Workshop = WS, Short Course = SC, Research Platform = RP

Wednesday

IN 010 (CBOT) (Cert) Back to the Basics: Feeding, Eating, and Swallowing Throughout the Lifespan

IN 020 (Cert) Strategies for Collaboration in School-Based Practice

Thursday

WS103 (Cert) Feeding, Eating, and Swallowing in Children and Adults: Cases and Advocacy

SC102 (Cert) A Self-Management Program for Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

SC114 (Cert) Implementing the Principles of Occupational Justice Into American Occupational Therapy Practice: System-Wide Barriers and Creative Solutions

SC118 (Cert) Self-Report Evaluation To Identify and Predict Occupational Performance in Adults with Low Vision

RP203 (Res) (Cert) Further Investigation of Brain Physiology Underlying Sensory Processing Disorders Using Electroencephalography

SC201 (Cert) Occupational Therapy Practitioners in the Land of Low Vision and Blindness Rehabilitation: Navigating the Maze

SC219 (Cert) Vision and Falls: Recognizing Risk Through Screening and Prevention

WS214 (SIS) (Cert) School System Annual Program: IDEA Part C: Early Intervention and Occupational Therapy Services

RP244 (Res) (Cert) The Effectiveness of Sensory Integration Treatment Interventions With Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Saturday

SC314 (AOTA) (Cert) Response to Intervention and School-Based Practice: Linking Policy to Practice

SC337 (Cert) Visitability and Universal Design as Foundations for Inclusivity and Occupational Performance

WS305 (SIS) (Cert) Gerontology Annual Program: Essential Skills for Working With Older Adults With Low Vision

Sunday

WS405 (Cert) Optics and Occupational Performance: Using Devices to Enhance Treatment Outcomes

SC429 (Cert) Transactional Approach to Analyze Complex Meanings and Benefits of Occupation in Older Adulthood

Christine Urish, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH

Why AOTA certification?

AOTA Board & Specialty Certification provide a framework for professional development that is specifically geared to the profession of occupational therapy.

For example, I am an occupational therapist Board Certified in mental health (BCMH). My signature looks like this: Christine Urish, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH.

I could have pursued certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner (CPRP) certification, which is administered by United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA). This is a certification related to psychiatric rehabilitation, and I value this certification; however, it is not unique to occupational therapy. My AOTA Board & Specialty Certification is unique to occupational therapy, and my employer recognizes my advanced knowledge and skills and the expertise which was required to obtain this certification.

I've heard of a couple of therapists who were successful in obtaining increased salaries as a result of obtaining Board and Specialty Certifications here in Iowa.

The process of Board & Specialty Certification is built upon the Standards of Continuing Competence, an AOTA Official Document developed by CCCPD. It is important that I emphasize that obtaining Board or Specialty Certification is a process, something that takes time. Recently in an article in the AOTA MHSIS Quarterly (page 2), Victoria Schindler chronicled her process in the development of her Board Certification application for mental health.

Take a minute and review Victoria's article. I'm certain you will find her review of the process helpful and encouraging. Then I encourage you to establish a personal goal for when you will begin your application!

Hope to see you at AOTA Conference and come back to visit this blog often!

Christine Urish, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH

Welcome to the Board & Specialty Certification Blog!

Greetings! I'm glad you took some time from your busy schedule to check out the Blog the Commission on Continuing Competence & Professional Development (CCCPD) has launched in conjunction with the Board for Advanced and Specialty Certification (BASC).

This Blog will provide information on the Board & Specialty Certification processes and offer resources and tips to assist you not just in preparing for certification, but in the ongoing process of professional development. We encourage you to come back regularly to see new information as it becomes available! AOTA Board and Specialty Certification is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated the capacity for meeting identified competencies and indicators that reflect either advanced (Board) or specialized (Specialty) occupational therapy practice through a peer reviewed reflective portfolio process. Check out the AOTA Certification Home Page link to download certification information.

Board Certification is available to occupational therapists who have been practicing for at least 5 years in a broad area of practice and have 5,000 hours in the certification area, 500 of which are direct service to clients. Board Certification is available in Gerontology, Mental Health, Pediatrics, Physical Rehabilitation.

Specialty Certification is available to occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants with at least 2,000 hours experience in occupational therapy, 600 hours which must be concentrated in the specialty area delivering services to clients. Specialty Certification exists in the following areas: Driving & Community Mobility; Environmental Modification; Feeding, Eating & Swallowing; and Low Vision.

We hope that this Blog will help to answer some of your questions about getting started in the application process or help you navigate through the application process in your pursuit of Board or Specialty Certification.

Christine Urish, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH