ARLINGTON, Va.--After months of discussion and study, the
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of
North America has rolled out its plan to combine the Assistive
Technology Supplier (ATS) and Assistive Technology Practitioner
(ATP) certifications into one.
Unlike the current ATS and ATP designations, the new designation
of Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) is not tied to a role,
but instead “recognizes professionals who have reached an
internationally accepted standard of knowledge in assistive
technology and who adhere to RESNA's code of ethics and standards
of practice,” according to RESNA officials. The change is
effective Jan. 1, 2009.
“RESNA has made this change to clarify the purpose of
certification, remove confusion that is caused when certification
is tied to roles and to identify a core knowledge base in AT that
is common to all individuals working in the service delivery model
so that they can consult, refer and work with each other to best
serve the needs of the consumer,” said Anjali Weber, the
organization's director of certification.
Weber said RESNA will continue its scheduled ATS and ATP exams
through the end of the year. Those earning the designations will
automatically be transferred to the new designation, she said, and
those already holding such certificates will be issued new ones
with the redefined ATP designation. No additional testing or fees
will be required.
An updated test designed for the new ATP certification will be
released in January, and computer-based testing will also be
implemented then, according to RESNA.
Assistive technology stakeholders largely applauded the
move.
“We are in support of the consolidation. We think it is an
appropriate move for the profession and the industry at this
point,” said Simon Margolis, executive director of the
National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers.
He added, “There are going to be people who have
reservations and who don't understand it. We have spent the last 13
years working toward role-based certification, so it's difficult to
get your arms around.”
However, Margolis continued, NRRTS held a teleconference on the
change with Laura Cohen, chair of RESNA's Professional Standards
Board, and she was able to address many of the NRRTS members'
questions and concerns.
Julie Piriano, director of rehabilitation industry affairs for
Pride Mobility Products in Exeter, Pa., also supported the
change.
“Overall, it's a positive move. I know that there is going
to be some confusion initially because the current ATS/ATP is
looking [at it] as a role that the individual plays in the team as
opposed to a knowledge base,” she said. “But in the
long run, it hopefully sets up the industry, especially complex
rehab, to move more toward a positive continuum of care similar to
orthotics and prosthetics.”
Piriano said she particularly welcomed the ability through the
new designation to speak a common language with others in the
industry. “It's very important to be speaking the same
language with the providers, the clinicians, the
researchers,” she said.
“It simplifies the confusion between the ATS and the ATP
credential, and settling on the ATP was the right move, I
think,” said Tim Pederson, president and CEO of WestMed Rehab
in Rapid City, S.D., member of the American Association for
Homecare's RATC and an ATS himself. “I see it as a good move.
It takes the confusion out of the marketplace.”
Last year, CMS' DME Program Safeguard Contractors eliminated a
requirement for a certified ATP to evaluate beneficiaries receiving
certain power wheelchairs after industry stakeholders said the
nationwide shortage of ATPs would result in an access issue for
Medicare beneficiaries. (See
target="_blank">HomeCare
Monday, Dec. 11, 2007.)
Elimination of the ATP requirement, which had been set to take
effect in April this year, drew mixed reviews, with Margolis saying
at the time he felt the complex rehab and assistive technology
profession had been “sold out.”
The new single designation changes all that, since it allows a
baseline of knowledge, Margolis said.
“The rationale is that all people who are involved in
seating and technology … need to have a certain baseline of
knowledge [in whatever role they play]. This [designation] brings
everything together and says, 'Here is the baseline.'”
The exciting aspect of the change, he and other stakeholders
said, is that specialty certifications will be offered by
RESNA.
“The first specialty in seating and mobility will be
available in the second half of 2009, and the process for
clinicians and for suppliers will be a separate one that is yet to
be determined,” Weber said.
She added that not all areas of practice require specialty
recognition; which ones do “will need to be identified by
those practicing and recognizing the need.”
Margolis said NRRTS will be involved in helping to develop the
specialty certification for seating and mobility.
“We want a specialty certification that is affordable,
accessible and realistic,” he said. “It can't cost $600
and we have to be able to get to it. It has to be computer-based,
using all the technology that's out there, that measures what we
do. I think our involvement is going to be critical.”
Weber said specialty certification might not be through a test.
“Recognition in the various practice areas may be awarded by
many different pathways other than an exam, including certificate
programs, continuing education and training, strict work experience
or education requirements and more,” she said.
As it moves forward with the new certification program, RESNA
will work with funding sources, employers and accrediting bodies to
ensure that the appropriate policy changes are made, officials
said.
