Orfit is proud to acknowledge the 133 newly Certified Hand Therapists (CHT’s) who passed the November 2016 Hand Therapy Certification Examination. Many hours of study and hard work went into their success. These committed individuals are occupational or physical therapists with at least 5 years of clinical experience, including 4000 hours or more of a hand therapy caseload. Certified Hand Therapists also must pass a comprehensive multiple choice examination on advanced theory and clinical practice relating to rehabilitation of the upper extremity.
Continued professional development
Certified Hand Therapists need to recertify every 5 years by demonstrating continued professional development through attendance at conferences, continuing education courses and/or by other professional activities. Orfit supports the efforts of Certified Hand Therapists and offers splinting courses for beginner, intermediate and advanced practitioners. Taking part in an Orfit Orthotic Fabrication workshop is an excellent way to earn important continuing education credit while learning advanced orthotic fabrication skills with all of Orfit’s wide range of thermoplastic materials.
Hand Therapy Certification Commission
The mission of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission is to support a high level of competence in hand therapy practice and to advance the specialty through a formal credentialing process. The Hand Therapy Certification Commission has just announced a major change in eligibility requirements for taking the certification examination. Therapists must be licensed for only 3 years instead of five, due to the fact that in the United States, occupational and physical therapists now enter the health care field with graduate degrees and gain a great deal of specialty knowledge in the first two years of clinical practice. There are 5861 Certified Hand Therapists working in the United States and more than 350 therapists working in 22 additional countries!
Are you interested in seeking advanced recognition of your clinical skills in hand therapy? Check out www.htcc.org for more information.
