7-25-08
AOTA Announces New National Partnership With RehabCare
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) recently welcomed RehabCare, a national leader in physical rehabilitation management services, as the newest member of its National Partnership Program. This partnership will allow RehabCare’s almost 1,300 occupational therapy practitioners to have access to the educational and professional resources that AOTA offers.
Reaching More Practitioners
National partners such as RehabCare offer AOTA membership to their occupational therapy practitioners as an employee benefit, sending a clear message to both practitioners and their clients that continuing education and professional development are important parts of providing the highest caliber of care.
By partnering with AOTA, RehabCare has demonstrated its dedication to its staff of occupational therapy practitioners. “One of the qualities that has always set RehabCare apart is the level of training we provide to our clinicians,” says John Short, PhD, president and CEO of RehabCare. “We see this partnership with AOTA as an expansion of that investment. Through its publications, continuing education, conferences, and a host of other resources, AOTA complements our efforts by keeping clinicians up to date. We’re proud to be associated with a prestigious national organization like AOTA.”
AOTA began its National Partnership Program in 2007 as a way to reach more occupational therapy practitioners and better support the advancement of the profession. Partnering with RehabCare gives AOTA an immense opportunity to extend its resources and opportunities to many more occupational therapy practitioners. As AOTA Executive Director Fred Somers describes, “Working in partnership with RehabCare enables us to provide educational opportunities and the latest practice-related information to better support occupational therapy practitioners in the field.”
As a national partner, RehabCare will be able to recruit well-qualified practitioners by offering AOTA membership as a perk, thereby securing some of the best and brightest practitioners in the profession—and retaining them. Practitioners who are up-to-date on best-practice trends and evidence-based research, and in open communication with other occupational therapy professionals, ultimately benefit the consumers of their services.
Advancing Occupational Therapy
Promoting the occupational therapy profession is at the heart of AOTA’s Centennial Vision. As broad as this idea may be, the Association understands that the ability of practitioners to provide the highest quality of care to clients is closely tied to having access to very best products, resources, continuing education, and professional opportunities.
Partnerships such as this one foster better communication between practitioners and the Association that represents them. “I am enthusiastic about this new partnership because the interaction between AOTA and RehabCare demonstrates both organizations’ belief in and encouragement of occupational therapy practitioners to lead the way in evolving practice,” says AOTA President Penelope Moyers-Cleveland, EdD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA. “Both organizations benefit when occupational therapy practitioners are able to significantly contribute to the growth of the profession. I look forward to seeing how this partnership will model the way in which employers and the professional organization can work together to make a difference in health care service delivery.”
Partnership with RehabCare widens the channels of communication among the Association and practitioners, boosting AOTA’s efforts to create and maintain strong linkages among research, education, and practice—a central part of the Centennial Vision. Connecting these three areas, and keeping these connections strong, requires the support of the businesses such as RehabCare that employ occupational therapy practitioners.
AOTA membership is an excellent place to begin advancing the occupational therapy profession. “This partnership reinforces the value that we place on professional membership,” Short says. “In a multitude of ways, AOTA helps our occupational therapy practitioners be better at what they do, and ultimately, to provide better care to their patients.”
More Information
AOTA Press Release on New Partnership With RehabCare