RT Medicare Project Conference Calls

Lisa Morgan,CTRS,Co-Chair of ATRA's Federal Public Policy Team,recently send out this information:

Learn more about what is going on with the Recreational Therapy Medicare Project!

Our profession needs you to participate on one of this week's ATRA Medicare Project Conference Calls!!

Thursday- March 27, 2008 at 7:00 pm EST (6pm CST, 5pm MST, 4pm PST)
or
Friday- March 28, 2008 at 12:00 pm EST (11am CST, 10am MST, 9am PST)

Call in number: 712-580-1800
Access Code: 604906#

We need EVERY CTRS and Student in every STATE to make this successful. Please don't assume that someone else is taking care of your future in this profession. We invite and encourage you to make one of these calls so that we can better assist you in getting your Representative and Senator on board.

AJRT Issue on Depression

Linda Buettner recently sent out this information:

A special issue of the American Journal of Recreation Therapy is now available: Recreation Therapy for the treatment of depression in older adults: a clinical practice guideline. This is a special CEU issue with 98 pages of information and 15 hours of credit for recreation therapists available through UNCG Continual Learning.

The IBSN is 0-932834-04-3
The publisher is: Weston Medical Publishing Phone: 781-899-2702

New Recreational Therapy Blog

Charlie Dixon has a new blog -- the recreational therapy blog. You may want to regularly check it out at http//recreationtherapy.net/

Below is an early post from his blog (early in the life of the blog and early in the day!):

? recreational therapy
March 3, 2008 – 5:58 am
Posted by Charlie Dixon, MS, CTRS

What’s going to happen to recreation therapy? Will there be more job opportunities in the near future? Will it fade away? Why has recreation therapy programs been eliminated in universities around the country in the past 10 years? If the Recreation Therapy Medicare Project fails will it eliminate a lot of recreation therapy jobs? Why is pay low for beginning recreation therapists? Why is there only 4 states that requires license to practice recreation therapy? Will pay scales go up if a license is required? Does recreation therapy benefit clients? What research do we have to prove that recreation therapy can positively impact individuals? Why are so few recreation therapists members of the national associations? Do we need more graduate programs in recreation therapy? Is it time for therapeutic recreation curriculum to have higher standards — is having 3 or 4 classes in TR enough? Is it time for recreation therapy to have a united set of interventions based on research? Recreation therapy, recreational therapy or therapeutic recreation - shouldn’t we stick with one term?

Part-Time RT Positions

Meaningful Day Services, Inc. has immediate openings for part-time Recreational Therapists to serve southern Indiana (Lawrence, Jackson, Bartholomew, Brown, Monroe, and Jennings counties) and northern Indiana (including Ft. Wayne and surrounding counties). Both positions could potentially be full-time.

Therapists provide home-based services to people of all ages with developmental disabilities under the Medicaid Waiver. Must currently be CTRS or scheduled to take the May exam.

Salary and Benefits:
$18+/hour
Flexible hours...make your own schedule!
Medical Insurance
401K
Moving cost assistance for out-of-state hires
Supply/activity reimbursement
Company laptop computer
Free CEU opportunities at company trainings
Reimbursement for 1 conference per year
Opportunities for professional growth...Be a Mentor or Project Manager!

Check out our website www.meaningfuldays.com

You can learn more about our company and apply online!

Mandy D. McQueeney, BS, CTRS
Director of Recreational Therapy
Meaningful Day Services, Inc.

www.meaningfuldays.com

IU Faculty Position Opening

INDIANA UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION, PARK, AND TOURISM STUDIES
Visiting Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or Assistant Professor (fixed term)
Area: Therapeutic Recreation

Position: Visiting Lecturer, Visiting Senior Lecturer, or Visiting Assistant Professor of Therapeutic Recreation. One-year position beginning Fall, 2008.
Position Description: Lecturers may be assigned responsibility for teaching, and for research and service that supports teaching. Teach undergraduate and or graduate courses in Therapeutic Recreation (TR) as well as departmental
core courses. Advise students majoring in TR.

Qualifications: Earned doctorate preferred, will consider a Master’s degree in therapeutic recreation. CTRS required.

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

Application Deadline Open until filled with review of applications beginning in April 10 of Deadline: 2008.

Application: Send letter of application, curriculum vita, and the names, addresses,e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three references to:
Professor Marieke Van Puymbroeck, Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Studies, 1025 E. Seventh Street, HPER Building, Room 133, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405. Telephone (812)855-3093; Fax (812) 855-3998; E-mail: mvp@indiana.edu

After the Search committee completes its initial screening, applicants will
be notified of the status of their application. If appropriate, the committee
will request permission to proceed to the next stage. With applicant’s
permission, references will be contacted after screening.
Indiana University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame" 100 Years Old

With the baseball season fast approaching, here is a Fun Fact to share with others. The music for "Take me out to the Ballgame" was written 100 years ago by Indianapolis native Albert Von Tilzer.

Another Fun Fact: The song is the 3rd most played in America, only behind the national anthem and "Happy Birthday to You."

CTRA Conference May 7 - 9, 2008

The 2008 Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA) Conference will be held in St. John's, NL, May 7-9. The theme of the 2008 conference is "Therapeutic Recreation: Respecting the Past, Embracing the Future." This will be the 12th annual CTRA Conference.

David R. Austin, Ph.D., CTRS, FALS, will lead a pre-conference workshop on May 7th and then deliver the Keynote Address for the Conference. The title of the address will be "This I Believe...(about Therapeutic Recreation)."

I feel very honored to be asked to speak at the CTRA Conference and look forward to getting to know our colleagues in Canada.

For information on the 2008 CTRA Conference go to http://ctra2008.org