Professional Development Categories

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A CHT must accumulate a minimum of 80 contact hours of professional development activities, with a minimum of 36 hours in clinical hand therapy courses (Category A) during their five-year accrual period.

Click here to download the Summary of Professional Development Activities Table (PDF)

Click here to download the Comprehensive Listing of Professional Development Categories (PDF)

Category A	Formal Courses in Upper Quarter Therapy
Category B	Informal Courses in Upper Quarter Therapy
Category C	Formal Courses with General OT or PT Content
Category D	Hand Therapy Publications
Category E	Hand Therapy Presentations
Category F	Activities Related to Practice Management
Category G	Activities That Promote Professional Practice

Category A
Formal Courses in Upper Quarter Therapy, Greater Than 3 Hours in Length
Minimum required: 36 hours per 5-year accrual cycle; all 80 hours may be submitted in this category

Courses that may be applied to this category must be a minimum of three hours in length from the following areas:

Formal professional development courses that award CEUs or contact hours
Academic course work at a college or university
Home study or web-based courses

Description of Activities
Courses in Category A must contain content that relates to therapy of the upper quarter and/or hand in examination and/or therapeutic management in the following areas:

Edema	ROM	Physical Agent Modalities
Pain	Strength / Endurance	Ergonomics
Sensation	Dexterity	Orthotics
Wounds / Scar	Function	Taping Techniques

The upper quarter includes the cervical spine, scapula, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand.
Courses on topics such as ergonomics, edema management, kinesiotaping, physical agent modalities, wound care, and strengthening may be placed in Category A.
Courses with content that is a combination of the upper quarter and the lower quarter should be divided between Category A and Category C. When submitting hours for courses with mixed content, be sure to include the course outline as documentation of how the hours were divided.
Courses with content specific only to the lower quarter belong in Category C.
National conferences with hand therapy content (e.g. the annual meeting of the American Society of Hand Therapists), which have individual sessions of less than three hours, should be entered in A for the total number of hours attended. Likewise, if you attend a state OT or PT meeting that has both hand therapy content and general content, you can split the hours between A and C for the total of hours attended in each.
For the Journal of Hand Therapy "Read for Credit" or ASHT's "Read and Respond," enter the hours in Category A if your certificate is for three hours or more; enter the hours in Category B if your certificate is for one or two hours.
Home study, Internet courses and courses on media such as CD-ROM can be entered into Category A if the content is related to the upper quarter and they are three hours or more in length.
If you have presented a lecture for a course that you have also attended, you cannot apply the portion of the course that you taught in this category. You can, however, apply those hours in Category E.
You may submit the same course for credit each time that you take it within the five-year period.

Contact Hours, CEUs, and Academic Credit Awarded

The course being submitted must specify the number of contact hours awarded.
1 contact hour = 1 clock hour of education
1 CEU = 10 contact hours
If the course is taken through a college or university:
- One Semester Hour or one credit equals 15 contact hours
- One Quarter Hour or one credit equals 10 contact hours
The specific number of hours of educational content must be indicated.

Acceptable Proof
Submit a photocopy of the course certificate, the formal transcript, or grade report that contains:

Your name
Date(s) of attendance
Title of course
Sponsoring organization
Contact hours awarded

If the course did not provide a certificate, submit written verification of attendance signed by a supervisor or course coordinator containing the same information as above.
If the course title does not include words that convey that content relates to therapy of the upper quarter and/or hand in examination and/or therapeutic management in the following areas, you must submit the course or
content outline.
If the course content is clear from the title, please do not submit the course outline or flyer.
If you are dividing the content between two categories, you must submit the course or content outline. A course schedule or overview is sufficient; the course syllabus is not necessary.
A course registration receipt alone is NOT sufficient proof of attendance.

Category B
Informal Courses in Upper Quarter Therapy, Less Than 3 Hours in Length
Maximum accepted: 30 hours per 5-year accrual cycle

Description of Activities
Category B encompasses courses addressing subjects having direct application to the evaluation and treatment of upper quarter and/or hand therapy patients but are less formal and shorter in length than Category A courses. They include non-CEU courses and CEU courses that grant less than 3 contact hours. Examples of these courses are employer-related continuing education, in-service courses, journal clubs, and study groups. Observation of surgery (no matter how many hours were observed) should be entered in this category with verification from the surgeon. The content must address topics related to the hand or upper quarter.

Contact Hours Awarded

1 contact hour = 1 clock hour of education

Acceptable Proof
Submit written verification of attendance signed by a supervisor or course coordinator containing:

Your name
Date(s) of attendance
Title of course
Subject matter
Hour(s) of the course (minus breaks and meals)

A sign-in sheet may be used for proof as long as it is legible and includes the information above.

Category C
Formal Courses with General Clinical OT or PT Content
Maximum accepted: 30 hours per 5-year accrual cycle

Description of Activities
This category encompasses courses that address the clinical application of general occupational therapy or physical therapy knowledge such as the following:

Spine (other than the cervical spine)	CPR Training	Reimbursement
Cranio-sacral therapy	Injury Prevention	Medical Ethics
Cardiac rehab	Infectious diseases	Research
Lower Quarter	Coding or Billing	Practice Management
Pilates	Posture/Movement	Neurological Conditions
Complementary Medicine (see below)

Courses pertaining to practice management should be placed in Category C. Activities related to those areas (e.g. peer review, and participation in quality assurance activities) should be placed in Category F. Supervision of fieldwork students should be place in Category G.
Courses too general for Category A may be appropriate for this category.
Some educational courses have content that are applicable to both Category A and Category C. Proof for such courses must delineate how many contact hours from the course content apply to Category A and how many contact hours apply to Category C. Only one copy of the course outline and certificate needs to be sent to HTCC when submitted online. However, it should be included in both categories if your recertification application is mailed to HTCC.
You may submit a combination of up to 10 hours earned in courses such as CPR training, health & safety courses, courses related to practice management, and similar courses that may be required by your facility or state, during each five-year recertification cycle (e.g. 3 hours of CPR training for two years, and 1 hour of HIV Updates for four years = 10 contact hours).
You may submit a total of 10 hours in courses related to complementary medicine, such as acupuncture, Feldenkrais, magnet therapy and yoga as long as the courses are designed for health care professionals. You may not submit a yoga class that you attend as a participant.

Contact Hours, CEUs, and Academic Credit Awarded

The course being submitted must specify the number of contact hours awarded.
1 contact hour = 1 clock hour of education
1 CEU = 10 contact hours
If the course is taken through a college or university:
- One Semester Hour or one credit equals 15 contact hours
- One Quarter Hour or one credit equals 10 contact hours
The specific number of hours of educational content must be indicated.

Acceptable Proof
Submit a photocopy of the course certificate, the formal transcript, or grade report that contains:

Your name
Date(s) of attendance
Title of course
Sponsoring organization
Contact hours awarded

If the course did not provide a certificate, submit written verification of attendance signed by a supervisor or course coordinator containing the same information as above.
A course registration receipt alone is NOT sufficient proof of attendance.

Category D
Hand Therapy Publications
Maximum accepted: 45 hours per 5-year accrual cycle

Description of Activities
This category encompasses the publication of material that addresses hand therapy. The CHT may be an author or co-author, and the item must be accepted for publication or published during the applicable recertification period.

Contact Hours Awarded

Four contact hours per page of printed text are awarded for each publication up to 10 pages for books, chapters in books, and articles in professional journals.
One contact hour per page is awarded for newsletters, trade journals, or journals that are not peer-reviewed.
Five contact hours are awarded for each 15 pages of editing in a book or journal.
One contact hour is awarded per year for editing a newsletter.
Two contact hours are awarded to each author who contributes to a publication that is sponsored by a professional organization and is written by a committee, regardless of the number of authors. An example would be treatment guidelines written for the American Society of Hand Therapists.
One contact hour is awarded per review for a written review of an article or book that is published in a peer-reviewed book or journal. Both the subject of the review and the publication it appears in must be related to hand therapy.

Acceptable Proof
To receive credit for a publication, submit a copy of the publication or condensed version including a minimum of the title page, the table of contents, the first and last pages, and a sample of the content. Proof of authorship and the source of publication must be shown. If the manuscript is not yet published, include a letter of acceptance from the editor of the publication, indicating the anticipated number of printed pages and a draft of the material.

Category E
Hand Therapy Presentations
Maximum accepted: 45 hours per 5-year accrual cycle

Description of Activities
This category encompasses participation as an instructor or presenter delivering hand therapy information. In order to receive credit hours for a presentation, it must be delivered within a structured framework of teaching/learning, such as a lecture, paper presentation, workshop at a professional meeting, or university course.

For courses that use other media, such as CD-ROM or Internet courses, submit supporting documentation that describes the course, the media, etc.

Contact Hours Awarded

Eight contact hours will be awarded for a formal scientific or clinical paper presented at a national meeting.
Four contact hours will be awarded for each hour of formal presentation to health care professionals or health care students, for example, at a meeting that grants CEUs or at a university.
Two contact hours will be awarded for each hour of informal presentation to health care professionals or health care students, for example, at an in-service course.
One contact hour will be awarded for each hour of presentation to non-health care professionals.
Four contact hours will be awarded for a poster presentation.
Two contact hours are awarded per six hours of course material for course coordination.
Credit will not be awarded for presenting the same course more than once per recertification cycle.
Hours submitted for credit in this category may not duplicate hours used in calculating the 2,000-hour minimum work requirement for recertification.
Professional Development and Work Experience Credit for participation as a hand therapist on a hand surgical trip or educational program in a developing country: up to 10 hours per week of formal and informal teaching in Cat E plus 30 hours per week towards work experience or 40 hours per week towards hand therapy work experience.

Acceptable Proof
To receive credit for presentations, submit evidence of participation in the presentation (e.g., course, brochure, and/or course outline) that includes the following:

Number of actual hours presenting
Date(s) of presentation
Title
Sponsoring organization

Category F
Activities Related to Practice Management
Maximum accepted: 6 hours per 5-year accrual cycle

Description of Activities
This category encompasses all activities that serve to define, assist, or promote the systemic improvement of patient care. The activities should fall outside of the therapist’s primary job duties. They are often related to serving on a committee for the facility and are not related to the direct practice of hand therapy or patient treatment. These activities may include participation in:

Safety Committee
Case management
Utilization review
Quality Assurance/Peer review
Patient satisfaction survey
Compliance Committee

Courses with similar content should be submitted in Category C.

Contact Hours Awarded

One contact hour is awarded per quarter year of completed activity.

Acceptable Proof
Submit written verification of project, activity, or committee involvement, including date(s) of involvement, signed by your supervisor.

Category G
Activities That Promote the Profession
Maximum accepted: 12 hours per 5-year accrual cycle

Description of Activities
This category encompasses leadership responsibilities or active committee participation in OT, PT, or hand therapy professional organizations such as the following:

Serving as an officer or chairperson of an OT, PT or hand therapy association or regulatory body
Serving as an active committee member of an OT, PT or hand therapy association
Writing questions for a professional certification examination (including the Hand Therapy Certification Examination)
Involvement in state and/or national legislative issues pertaining to occupational therapy or physical therapy
Participation in health fairs that promote hand therapy
Activities that promote public awareness of hand therapy (note: these activities will not be accepted if they also promote the therapist's facility)
Outcome studies specific to the upper quarter
Clinical protocol development specific to the upper quarter
Supervision of OT or PT students
Serving on the editorial board of a peer-reviewed OT, PT or hand therapy journal

Contact Hours Awarded

Two contact hours per year of completed service for serving as an officer or chairperson of a committee of an OT, PT or hand therapy association
One contact hour per year of completed service for serving as an active committee member of an OT, PT or hand therapy association

Two contact hours for completed activities as described above
One contact hour per year for participation at health fairs and activities that promote public awareness of hand therapy
One contact hour per year for Clinical Protocol Development or Outcome Studies
Two contact hours per student greater than one month of supervision
One contact hour per student for less than one month of supervision
Two contact hours per year for serving on an editorial review board. Please note that If hours are claimed in this category, they cannot be claimed in Category D.

Acceptable Proof
Submit written verification of committee participation, organizational leadership, item writing, etc., including dates, signed by an officer or administrator of the organization.