Abstract
The business of the 39th spring meeting of the Representative Assembly is presented here in summary. A complete copy of the official minutes can be obtained from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) website at http://www.aota.org/∼/media/Corporate/Files/Secure/Governance/RA/Minutes/April-2016-RA-Meeting-Minutes.pdf?la=en or from the AOTA National Office.
The Representative Assembly met on Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Chicago. The Assembly passed substitute motions for two motions that were initiated by AOTA members. The first motion charges the Commission on Practice to investigate professional policy and practice issues related to telehealth and occupational therapy in conjunction with content experts and AOTA staff to make recommendations to the Assembly for the spring 2017 meeting.
The second motion charges the Speaker, with recommendations from the Board, to establish an ad hoc committee to
Develop a fact sheet that highlights the benefits of and supports occupational therapy intervention in the area of seating and wheeled mobility (SWM), including durable medical equipment and complex rehabilitation technology; and
Develop a plan for educational materials that will support practitioners working at an advanced level in SWM.
Recruitment for candidates for the SWM ad hoc will be done in the near future by the Volunteer Leadership Development Committee.
In addition, several motions brought forward by the ad hoc committees on licensure portability, case management, and OTA entry-level education were adopted, most with some changes in language. The final motions include the following:
AOTA support for state licensure models that allow for licensure portability, including but not limited to an Interstate Licensure Compact for Occupational Therapy
A letter to state licensure boards conveying AOTA support for recognition of continuing education courses/workshops/seminars related to case management as acceptable to meet licensure renewal requirements for occupational therapy practitioners working in case management roles
An official document on the role of occupational therapy practitioners in case management
Development of an online forum on OT Connections under Special Interest Section sponsorship for occupational therapy practitioners interested or working in case management roles
A charge to the Commission on Education (COE) to revise the AOTA Blueprint for Entry-Level Education to reflect the latest edition of the relevant AOTA documents and to consider the OTA bachelor’s degree, along with the OTA associate’s, OT master’s, and OT doctoral degrees, in crafting this new edition
A charge to the COE to consider the different entry-level degrees when reviewing and revising the AOTA Occupational Therapy Assistant Model Curriculum (2008) and the Occupational Therapy Model Curriculum (2008)
A request from the Speaker to the Board to direct the AOTA Executive Director to identify and implement strategies to develop qualified occupational therapy assistants to be educators in entry-level occupational therapy assistant programs.
Last, the following official document was adopted: Assistive Technology and Occupational Performance.
Summary of Representative Assembly Fall Online Meeting, October 19–25, 2016
The Representative Assembly (RA) met online from October 19 to October 25, 2016. The original Consent Agenda contained, as attachments to the report from the Bylaws, Policies and Procedures Committee, several revised Job Descriptions (JDs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); two revised policies related to licensure; and a new position paper from the Commission on Continuing Competence and Professional Development (CCCPD), “Continuing Professional Development in Occupational Therapy.” At the request of an RA member, this document was removed from the Consent Agenda, and a separate discussion thread was initiated. The action items remaining on the Consent Agenda and voted for adoption by the RA included SOPs for the RA, Ethics Commission, and Commission on Practice; JDs for the Sergeant at Arms, Consumer Member, Recorder, RA Speaker, and RA Vice Speaker; Policy E.12 (Licensure Portability); and Policy E.9 (Licensure). The policy on Licensure Portability is a new one, drafted as an outgrowth of the RA ad hoc committee addressing this issue over the past year. It reflects the increasing interest in telehealth and other services delivered remotely or across state lines and efforts to address current barriers to this process. In addition, the new position paper on continuing professional development, an action item from the CCCPD report, was adopted by the RA.
Full minutes are available at http://www.aota.org/AboutAOTA/Get-Involved/RA/Minutes.aspx.