Hand Therapy Certification and the CHT Examination

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1 Hand Therapy Certification and the CHT Examination

2 Mission The mission of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission, Inc. is to support a high level of competence in hand therapy practice and to advance the specialty through a formal credentialing process. Vision The Hand Therapy Certification Commission envisions a time when every qualified therapist who treats hand patients will become a Certified Hand Therapist.

3 Hand therapy is the art and science of rehabilitation of the upper limb, which includes the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder girdle. It is a merging occupational therapy and physical therapy theory and practice that combines comprehensive knowledge of the structure of the upper limb with function and activity. Using specialized skills in assessment, planning and treatment, hand therapists provide therapeutic interventions to prevent dysfunction, restore function and/or reverse the progression of pathology of the upper limb in order to enhance an individual s ability to execute tasks and to participate fully in life situations.

4 There are 6,687 CHTs worldwide: United States 6,249 Canada Australia/New Zealand Other countries, territories and military bases - 31

5 Occupational Therapists 85% Physical Therapists 14% Both PT and OT 1%

6 PA have been done consistently for 20 years HTCC eligibility policies come out of PA data A Practice Analysis was performed in 2014 Items in Domain 4 Promote Professional Practice are being redistributed into the other domains

7 Practice Domains & number of questions on test:* 1. Eval UE & Relevant Patient Characteristics Determine Prognosis and Plan of Care Implement Therapeutic Interventions Fundamental Knowledge & Basic Science 44 *Complete test specifications and blueprint are available on the HTCC website.

8 Current practice credential in Occupational or Physical Therapy 3 years as an OT or PT, dated on or before May 1, 2016 for the May 2019 exam and on or before November 1, 2016 for the November 2019 exam. 4,000 hours direct practice experience since becoming a licensed PT or OT

9 The exam is given via computer. It is offered over a six-day window on the following dates: May 6 11, 2019 November 4 9, 2019 First full week of May and November (Monday through Saturday) PSI/AMP administers the test via computer at test centers worldwide

10 Create an account in the Certification Center Complete the application process Upload supporting documentation Employment Verification Form Explanation of Hours Form Current OT or PT license Proof of 3 years as an OT or PT

11 If eligible you will receive an with eligibility confirmation and instructions on how to schedule the exam Schedule the exam date with PSI/AMP Know the directions to the Test Center before the day of testing Review the requirements for admission to the examination

12 If you applied to take the exam in you should use the Certification Center login and password you created then. Logging into your current account rather than creating a new account, will assure that the documentation previously approved by HTCC will be displayed. Complete the application process The only new documentation you will need is your current license to practice.

13 Have the proper papers for admission and two forms of ID Name on the eligibility must match your ID Centers open at 9 am; testing times are 9 and 1:30 Leave personal belongings locked in your car. You are only allowed to bring a wallet into the test center Not allowed to take anything into the testing room Will be given scratch paper & pencil to take into the room

14 You MUST bring one of the following: driver's license with photograph state identification card with photograph passport military identification card with photograph The second form of identification must display your name and signature for signature verification (e.g., credit card with signature, social security card with signature, employment/student ID card with signature). The name on the identification must match the name under which you are registered with AMP/PSI.

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17 Trained & Certified Test Center Administrators AMP test center administrators are certified professionals who complete a recertification exam every year.

18 Questions with ambiguous statistics are flagged by HTCC psychometrician following test administration HTCC compiles comments from candidates Both comments and questions are reviewed by a sub-committee of the exam committee in conference call Consensus is reached on multiple keying of flagged items or questions with valid comments Items with poor statistics or valid negative comments are either eliminated from item bank or revised by bank maintenance committee After this process is complete, a final passing score is determined

19 A scaled score is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly The scaled score is statistically determined using standardized methodology HTCC does not determine the scale and does not know any candidate s raw score The scaled score for the CHT exam is 0 99, and the passing score is 75

20 Test results will be sent within 6 weeks after the test Scaled scores of 75 or above will be reported as PASS (no numeric score will be reported to passing candidates) Failing examinees will receive scaled scores ranging from 0-74

21 If you do not pass, you will receive a score report that includes your scaled score and the percentage of questions that you answered correctly in each of the five subject areas.

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23 Item writers selected by application and HTCC provides two-day training Each item writer writes 40 questions over two years Questions are reviewed by item writer mentors and are revised and edited

24 Checks are performed for accuracy, current reference and relevance to practice The question is then reviewed by the exam committee and it is either revised again or added to the question bank for inclusion on the exam The item s performance and statistics are monitored very closely by HTCC s Psychometrician

25 Passing Rate: May % Nov % May % May % Nov % The passing rate has fluctuated between 52% to 68% since 2002

26 The CHT exam performs with a.92 score reliability in which content and difficulty remain consistent within the various domains

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28 Hand Therapist Peer Mentoring Manual HTCC Self-Assessment Flashcard app Exam Prep Tips

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30 For the purposes of the examination, ROM is expressed with extension/flexion. Hyperextension will be described, rather than expressed as a number (e.g. there is 10 of hyperextension present at the PIP joint. ) A lack of extension is shown as a number without a minus sign. For example:

31 For items involving grades of muscle strength, the following grading system, with both alpha and numeric designations, will be used: Normal (5) Good (4) Fair (3) Poor (2) Trace (1) Absent (0)

32 For items involving temperature, Fahrenheit is given followed by Celsius in parenthesis.

33 How to Prepare for the CHT Examination

34 Megan Meisenheimer PT, DPT, OTR/L, CHT Newark, CA Jarrod Maddox OTR, CHT Lubbock, TX Elisa Santizo OT, CHT Santa Monica, CA Brittany Willis OT, CHT Saint Louis Park, MN Christina Woods OTR/L, CHT Nashville, TN