Hand Therapy Certification and the CHT Examination

Transcription

1 10/4/2017 Hand Therapy Certification and the CHT Examination 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. 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. There are 6,451 CHTs worldwide: United States 6,044 Canada Australia/New Zealand Other countries, territories and military bases - 35 PA have been done consistently for 20 years Occupational Therapists 85% Physical Therapists 14% Both PT and OT 1% 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 1

2 10/4/2017 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. Beginning in 2017 Starting with the May 2017 examination, candidates for the Hand Therapy Certification Examination will be required to be licensed as an occupational therapist or a physical therapist for three (3) years instead of five (5). The requirement of 4000 hours in direct hand therapy practice experience remains unchanged. Current practice credential in Occupational or Physical Therapy 3 years as an OT or PT, dated on or before November 1, 2014 for the November 2017 exam and on or before May 1, 2015 for the May 2018 exam. 4,000 hours direct practice experience since becoming a licensed PT or OT The exam is given via computer. It is offered over a six-day window on the following dates: November 6 11, 2017 May 7 12, 2018 November 5 10, 2018 Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) administers the test via computer at test centers worldwide Create an account in the Certification Center Complete the application process If eligible you will receive an with eligibility confirmation and instructions on how to schedule the exam Schedule the exam date with AMP Know the directions to the Test Center before the day of testing Review the requirements for admission to the examination 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. 2

3 10/4/2017 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 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. Trained & Certified Test Center Administrators AMP test center administrators are certified professionals who complete a recertification exam every year. Test center surveillance includes videotaping and audio monitoring of all testing sessions AMP utilizes extensive security procedures during candidate check-in to verify candidate identity and reduce the risk of fraud. Have a name that exactly matches that used by the candidate when registering for his/her examination, including designations such as Jr. and III. 3

4 10/4/2017 Questions with ambiguous statistics are flagged by testing company 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 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 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 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. Passing Rate: May % Nov % May % The passing rate has fluctuated between 52% to 65% since 2002 The CHT exam performs with a.92 score reliability in which content and difficulty remain consistent within the various domains 4

5 10/4/2017 Hand Therapist Peer Mentoring Manual HTCC Self-Assessment Flashcard app Exam Prep Tips Brittany Battaglia, MS, OTR/L, CHT Goodyear, AZ How to Prepare for the CHT Examination Hannah Gift, OTR/L, CHT St. Louis, MO Aaron Kubistek, OTR/L, MBA, CHT Canonsburg, PA Bonnie Lucio, LOTR, CHT Mandeville, LA 5

6 Brittany Battaglia 2017 Exam Prep Panel I graduated with a BS of Allied Health Sciences and Psychology in 2012 as well as a MS of Occupational Therapy from Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania in 2013 (I was in a 3-2 program). I always thought I would end up permanently working only in acute care and burns after my second Level II clinical at a burn center. I began my career as a burn therapist and eventually took on the trauma and burn ICU as the dedicated OT on the unit for the first 2 years of my career. I was determined to gain increased competence and skills in splinting and to better understand the anatomy of the upper extremity during this time so I was additionally allowed one day per month to spend in outpatient shadowing the only CHT in our hospital system. I found my favorite part of working with acute injuries was the splinting, wound care and positioning of the upper extremity and trunk to regain function later in the recovery process. When the hospital was bought out by a large group, my husband and I decided to move to Phoenix. I knew then that I was ready to transition into my dream job, a hand clinic. I was lucky enough to find a company that was willing to take on a relatively new graduate with minimal experience in hands. I immediately knew that becoming a CHT was the only way to maintain the knowledge and competence acceptable to be successful. The company not only had 12 CHTs but also an owner who dedicated his own time twice per month to mentor me in addition to being placed with the owner for 3 months and transitioning to a direct mentor for the next 1 year in the clinic. I studied textbooks, read every journal I could get my hands on, memorized everything I could think to write down, mapped anatomy and learned how to splint beyond a resting hand. The mentorship I received in the first year at my current company was priceless for my hand experience. I also started taking continuing education courses online from ASHT, attended every meeting I could find on UE anatomy and surgical techniques and eventually found the IAOM courses for manual therapy and started on their track for upper extremity certification. I thought I would have at least 1.5 years further to continue preparation for the previous "5 year rule" to sit for the CHT exam, until last November when we started receiving s from HTCC and ASHT stating the rules had changed. I was at first thrilled, then I was very nervous that I could not possibly be ready for this and then I came to the conclusion that this was a sign because the test was being given the week before we had scheduled a vacation over a year before. I decided to give the test a shot and studied any and all available hours I could find from the day I found out I was eligible until last May. I passed my exam on the first try in May of 2017 and am still working with the company that helped my achieve my dream, Desert Hand Therapy. I am working in one of the 10 locations and am still working along side of my mentor every day. I would say the most important thing that made me successful was first believing that I could actually pass this big test and that I did know more than I gave myself credit for.. (with some major encouragement from my mentor!) I would also say the studying process was challenging, but incredibly rewarding because it made me a more competent clinician and I was able to catch things such as a hook of hamate fracture or understand how to treat a lateral band injury correctly. Those 3 letters mean the world to me and I am very proud to be able to wear them and use them to educate and treat patients every day. Recommended Resources/Materials

7 1- Rehabilitation of the Hand and Upper Extremity 6th Edition 2- "Purple Book" Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation 3rd Edition 3- HandTherapy.com: "Hand Exam Prep" Resources list and Purchased Practice Examinations x 3 prior to exam day. 4- IAOM-US Hand and Upper Extremity Track courses 5- Trail Guide to the Body by Biel 6- YouTube (videos of surgical procedures and upper extremity anatomy) 7- Consider an exam prep course 8- Use ASHT resources! Advice for the Test 1- Make notecards/cheat sheets and put them EVERYWHERE 2- Know the brachial plexus, nerve repair order and high vs low nerve injuries 3- Know orthoses and application 4- Know what is normal FIRST, then start to develop understanding of abnormal/pathology 5- Speak with as many CHTs as possible as much as possible- pick their brains! 6- Do NOT work 2-3 days before your exam 7- Start a journal club, Present on topics you struggle with at work or otherwise 8- Pick 2-3 resources and mostly work with only a few Other Quick Tips 1- Find a great place to study 2- Use your time wisely: review while driving (in your head), before sleep, at the gym, have family test you, etc. 3- Eat well, Sleep well, Exercise 4- Don't doubt yourself!

8 CHT Exam Prep 2017 Hannah Gift, OTR/L, CHT, COMT, CEAS I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011 knowing I wanted to be a hand therapist but not knowing how I could make this happen. I researched fellowship programs offered for hand therapy and even though I didn t quite meet the qualifications for applying, I gave it a shot anyway. Currently there is a hand therapy fellowship offered in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Hand Center; New York City with Hospital for Special Surgery; Ann Arbor Michigan with the University of Michigan Hospital; North Carolina with Orthocarolina; Houston with Houston Methodist; and in Rochester NY With the University of Rochester. I interviewed and accepted the Evelyn J. Mackin Hand Therapy Fellowship with the Philadelphia Hand Center in This fellowship included a full caseload, weekly didactic lectures, reading requirements, monthly surgeon office hours and surgery observation, and a weekly orthosis fabrication lab. I received a very strong background in hand therapy at this fellowship and this groundwork really helped set me up for studying for the CHT exam. I moved to St. Louis in 2013 and have continued to work in outpatient upper extremity rehab. A mentor told me once to give yourself 2 years to study for the CHT exam, but I was already in the study mode from my fellowship so I started studying about 5 hours per week at the time. I also took every opportunity for a continuing education opportunity and average about 120 hours of continuing education per year. I also reached out to the OT programs in St. Louis and I am involved in teaching at all three OT programs with orthosis fabrication and upper extremity rehab. I really recommend reaching out to either OT programs or other OTs/hand therapists to offer some kind of teaching, because the best way to understand the material is to teach it to someone else. The final thing I wanted to touch on is how becoming involved in ASHT helped me prepare for the CHT exam. I started volunteering for the ASHT education division in I am the chair for the hands on orthotics courses, which introduced me to new orthoses and gives me the opportunity teach orthosis fabrication. I took the Hand Therapy Review Course in 2014, and in 2015 and 2016 I was able to attend the course and assist the cadaver portion of the course which was very valuable. I am also on the webinar committee so I have the opportunity to moderate and attend the webinars each month. Volunteering with ASHT is a commitment but if you are interested, it can lead to very valuable experiences that can prepare you for the exam. Every year s come out asking for volunteers, and there are opportunities for every area of ASHT, including education division, practice division, and research division. Resources used: ASHT CHT prep book Study group through employer Purple book Rehab of the hand ASHT Hand Therapy Review Course Certification in Orthopedic Manual Therapy program

9 CHT exam prep 2017 Bonnie Trainor Lucio, LOTR, CHT I graduated from Louisiana State Medical Center with a BS in Occupational Therapy in While in school, I was fascinated with upper extremity anatomy and knew I wanted to work with individuals who injured or had deficits with their upper extremities. For my last fieldwork, I chose to complete a hand and burn specialty, which further peaked my interest in hands. I originally began my career working at an acute care hospital, whose director of the department was an orthopedic surgeon. He referred his patients to me and expected me to do what it took to help in their rehabilitation. I was the only OT in the department, so I had to become resourceful to find information and learn about diagnoses which were not familiar. I was on a mission to learn as much as I could about hand therapy and began reading books and journals to expand my knowledge. I attended surgeries with the orthopedic surgeons and attended weekly rounds to absorb and learn as much as I could and often spent time in the library looking up hand therapy articles. This was before the internet and before pub med became readily available! I also attended local continuing education courses and met other more seasoned therapists, whom I called to discuss cases with or talk about protocols or just to pick their brain. I loved my time at this hospital, learned a lot and grew as a therapist, but knew I wanted more exposure to hand patients. I heard about a local hand therapy fellowship program in New Orleans and applied for it. Instead of being accepted into the fellowship program, the hand therapy director and her mentor, Dr. Harold Stokes hired me to begin on the job mentoring while treating patients. They were both incredibly supportive and often I would go on rounds with Dr. Stokes while he saw patients. He would grill me and his hand surgery residents and fellows about different diagnoses and this type of interaction forced me to further study and learn about treating the hand. I became a charter active member of ASHT at the time when a therapist had to submit three hand therapy case studies for review to the society in order to become a member. Those case studies helped me learn about research. Afterward, I became involved with a research study related to TFCC tears and had the findings published in The Journal of Hand Therapy. I began taking OT students interested in hand therapy and mentored those students. By teaching someone else information about hand therapy, one learns what they know and don t know. The more I taught certain topics the more I retained and the more comfortable I became with hand rehabilitation. I also began giving lectures at LSU for both the OT and PT programs. My next challenge was to take the CHT exam. I had to wait until the second year the CHT exam was administered to take the test because I graduated May 25, 1986 and the test was given May 4, I did not have the full five years necessary to sit for the exam. So, I waited and prepared. I attended an ASHT review course which helped me plan how to strategically study all areas that would be on the exam. There was one other therapist in my local area that was going to take the exam and she and I began copying articles from hand journals and books listed in the review course. Three huge binders full of articles plus our main references, Rehab of the Hand and Green s Operative Hand Surgery were what we used to study for the exam. We met and studied together once every two weeks and in between we studied individually so that when we got back together we would share and discuss what we had learned. We started about a year before the exam, but took breaks during holidays and on some weekends. I took a few days off of work before the exam to study and felt as prepared as I possibly could be for the exam. I got a good night s rest and ate a healthy breakfast the morning of the exam. I also got to the exam site early. During the exam, if I didn t know the answer, I would move on to the next question and place a dot next to the one in question. I later

10 went back and completed the ones that I wasn t sure about. Waiting for the results was torture, but I was thrilled to learn that I passed. I couldn t be happier with the career path I chose and I take great pride in being able to say that I am a hand therapist. The journey has been incredible. Preparation pearls: Utilize the practice analysis that identifies what is on the exam and the other great resources provided by HTCC and ASHT. Know your weaknesses and where to focus. If you don t know what they are, take the selfassessment tool on HTCC s website to identify strengths and weaknesses and study accordingly. Have a plan with dates and topics to be studied and adhere to your plan. When I took the exam, the references were limited. Use the references provided by HTCC s 2016 Exam Prep Survey. Join a study group and teach each other. In my opinion, there is no better way to feel confident in your knowledge, than to have to teach it to someone else or say it out loud to yourself. Know the brachial plexus, nerve innervations and resulting effect from injury and write it down on the exam if you can t remember. Study and prepare notes/notecards and review frequently. Think about each topic that you re studying from a clinical standpoint, not just by memorizing the information. Study a few hours at a time. Don t try to cram for hours on end. Take time out to enjoy yourself between study sessions. Take practice tests to become familiar with wording of test questions. If possible, attend an exam review course. If you re not sure about a question, rule out the distractors and focus on the possible choices.