AMERICAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION INC
6116 EXECUTIVE BOULEVARD NO 200, NORTH BETHESDA, MD 20852 www.aota.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO ADVANCE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE, EDUCATION, AND RESEARCH THROUGH STANDARD-SETTING AND ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF ITS MEMBERS, THE PROFESSION, AND THE PUBLIC.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: AOTA SUPPORTS A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES TO SUPPORT THE PROFESSION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ("OT"). BROADLY SPEAKING, THESE FALL INTO THREE MAJOR CATEGORIES: EDUCATION, ACCREDITATION AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS.EDUCATION IS THE FIRST AREA OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST. THE DEVELOPMENT CAN BE FOR THOSE ENTERING THE PROFESSION, ENHANCING THE SKILLS OF THOSE IN THE PROFESSION AND SUPPORTING THE QUALITY OF PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE EDUCATION SERVICES TO THERAPISTS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS INCLUDES AOTA'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION-THE PREMIERE EDUCATION EVENT HELD FOR THERAPISTS. THE CONFERENCE WAS ATTENDED BY 10,500 THERAPISTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. IN THE COURSE OF THE CONFERENCE, A THERAPIST IS ABLE TO MEET THEIR REQUIREMENT FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION. PRE-CONFERENCE DAY-LONG INSTITUTES AND SEMINARS ARE OFFERED FOR THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE. DURING CONFERENCE, COVERING FOUR DAYS OVER 1,800 EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS ARE OFFERED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONFERENCE EXPOSITION HALL DISPLAYS THE LATEST IN TECHNOLOGY, JOB OFFERINGS, PRODUCTS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTENDEES. THE CONFERENCE INCLUDED A 3-DAY AOTA/RESNA TECHONOLOGY TRACK. AOTA ALSO PUTS ON SPECIALTY CONFERENCES TO IMPROVE SKILLS IN SPECIFIC AREAS. DURING THE YEAR THREE SPECIALTY CONFERENCES WERE HELD ON ADULT REHABILITATION, EDUCATION SUMMIT AND CHILDREN AND YOUTH. FOR THE FIRST TIME AOTA OFFERED IMPORTANT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES BOTH IN PERSON AND LIVE-STREAM COVERED PDPM (PATIENT DRIVEN PAYMENT METHODS) AND PDGM (PATIENT DRIVEN GROUP MODEL). IN THE OTHER AREAS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LICENSURE SUPPORT, AOTA OFFERS ONLINE EDUCATIONAL COURSES. AOTA HELPS NEW OTS AND OTAS PREPARE FOR THE NBCOT CERTIFICATION WITH OVER 6,000 INDIVIDUALS ENROLLED IN AOTA'S NBCOT EXAM PREP. AOTA PROVIDED OVER 40,000 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES DURING THE YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, AOTA PROVIDED 17,000 FREE CONTACT HOURS AS MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION.AOTA PROVIDES ADDITIONAL BOARD AND SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION IN SEVERAL AREAS OF THE PROFESSION WITH 88 CERTIFICATIONS BEING EARNED DURING THE YEAR, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CERTIFICATES TO 526. IN FY19, THE SEVENTH COHORT EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM WAS HELD OVER TWO DAYS FOR 18 OT'S. TO DATE, THERE HAVE BEEN 320 PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROGRAM. IN TERMS OF FIELD WORK EDUCATORS, THIRTY-EIGHT CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS WERE CONDUCTED DURING THE YEAR, WITH 838 PRACTITIONERS BEING AWARDED CERTIFICATES. MORE THAN 4,225 PRACTITIONERS HAVE COMPLETED THE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.SECOND, AOTA, THROUGH ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY EDUCATION, ("ACOTE") ACCREDITS 415 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OFFERED BY JUNIOR COLLEGES, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THAT OFFER A COURSE OF STUDY IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. THIS ACCREDITATION PROCESS INVOLVES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CRITERIA FOR THE SCHOOLS AND MONITORING THEIR COMPLIANCE AGAINST REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAM OFFERINGS TO STUDENTS. SCHOOLS ARE VISITED DURING THE REVIEW PROCESS; IN FY19 THERE WERE 35 ACCREDITATION ON-SITE EVALUATIONS AND 16 INITIAL ACCREDITATION VISITS. ACOTE IS RECOGNIZED BY BOTH CHIA AND USDE AS A SPECIALIZED ACCREDITOR. THE COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION ("CHEA") GRANTED ACOTE RE-RECOGNITION FOR A FIVE YEAR PERIOD. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY RESIDENCIES ARE DESIGNED TO ADVANCE A PRACTITIONER'S PERFORMANCE AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, CRITICAL AND ETHICAL REASONING, AND OVERALL EXPERTISE IN A FOCUSED AREA OF PRACTICE. RESIDENCY PROGRAMS OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIDACTIC LEARNING, MENTORED PRACTICE, AND SCHOLARSHIP FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS THAT HAVE GRADUATED AND COMPLETED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE. BY PARTICIPATING IN A RESIDENCY PROGRAM, INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE THEIR CLINICAL SKILLS AND BECOME MORE MARKETABLE IN THE FIELD OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AS SPECIALIZED PRACTITIONERS. NINE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED DURING THE YEAR.THE FINAL AREA IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AS IT RELATES TO PRACTICE, ETHICS, EVIDENCE AND STANDARDS. AOTA MAINTAINS SEVERAL COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS THAT ARE CHARGED WITH DEVELOPMENT AND PROMULGATION OF PRACTICE STANDARDS. AOTA PUBLISHES THREE PRACTICE GUIDELINES, THE THREE GUIDELINES PUBLISHED IN FY19 WERE: OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR ADULTS LIVING WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR PRODUCTIVE AGING FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. AOTA ALSO MAINTAINS AN ETHICS COMMISSION WHICH PROVIDES GUIDANCE IN THE CONDUCT OF PRACTICE AND ADJUDICATES COMPLAINTS AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. AOTA FUNDS RESEARCH, ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATES THAT INFORMATION TO MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. EFFORTS CONTINUED TO LINK RESEARCH, EVIDENCE, EDUCATIONAL AND PRACTICE. AOTA SUPPORTED THE SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE SCIENTISTS IN OT WITH 29 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING.

PUBLICATIONS: AOTA IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLISHER OF MATERIALS RELATED TO THE PROFESSION. AOTA PRODUCES A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL, THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ("AJOT") A PRACTICE MAGAZINE, OCCUPATION THERAPY PRACTICE ("OTP") A SERIES OF NEWSLETTERS FOR VARIOUS SUBSECTIONS OF THE PROFESSION AND A DATABASE OF ELECTRONIC LITERATURE THAT IS SEARCHABLE, OT SEARCH. AOTA PUBLISHES EDUCATION TEXTBOOKS THAT ARE PRIMARILY USED AT POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS FOR THOSE STUDENTS STUDYING OT. DURING FY19, AOTA PUBLISHED 8 NEW TEXT BOOKS AND THREE PRACTICE GUIDELINES. LASTLY, AOTA PRODUCES INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE USED BY CONSUMERS OF OT SERVICES.

ADVOCACY & AWARENESS: AOTA REPRESENTS THE PROFESSION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, PAYERS FOR OT SERVICES AND POLICY MAKERS AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVELS. AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, AOTA REPRESENTS THE PROFESSION TO BOTH THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT. AOTA CAN PROVIDE RELEVANT RESEARCH OR NEEDED INFORMATION FOR GOVERNMENT POLICY MAKERS. FOR MEMBERS, AOTA MONITORS AND ANALYZES GOVERNMENTAL ACTIONS. THIS EMPOWERS MEMBERS TO ADDRESS THESE ACTIONS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OR WITH MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. IN SEPTEMBER, AOTA ARRANGED FOR 536 OTS FROM 39 STATES TO COME TO CAPITOL HILL AND MEET WITH THEIR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES.AT THE STATE LEVEL, AOTA EFFORTS ARE FOCUSED ON PROTECTING THE PROFESSION, SUPPORTING THE FRAMEWORK OF STATE PRACTICE ACTS THAT FORM THE LEGAL BASIS FOR THE PRACTICE OF OT, PROMOTING THE USE OF AOTA'S PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS BY STATE REGULATORS AND ASSISTING STATE ASSOCIATIONS IN ENGAGING EFFECTIVELY ON CRITICAL POLICY ISSUES AT THE STATE LEVEL.AOTA WORKS WITH THERAPISTS, EMPLOYERS OF THERAPISTS AND PAYERS OF OT SERVICES, SUCH AS INSURANCE COMPANIES, TO ASSIST IN THE PROPER PAYMENT AND ALLOCATIONS OF SERVICES. ADDITIONAL, AOTA WORKS TO PROMOTE THE PROFESSION IN FOCUSED ADVERTISING AND BRANDING INITIATIVES.

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