Warning: Undefined array key "random_ads_start_direction" in /home/u271425115/domains/healthcarecareersguide.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/ad-injection/ad-injection.php on line 1087
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/u271425115/domains/healthcarecareersguide.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/wp-word-count/public/class-wpwc-public.php on line 123
The Many Benefits Of The American Occupational Therapy Association
The Home For Occupational Therapists
Each professional body needs some kind of safe place that will help them when they need advice or to help them establish themselves in an economy which is growing tighter each year on the budget of each American.
There are many benefits of belonging to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) that it would not make sense to not belong to this national professional association.
What The American Occupational Therapy Association Is
In order for occupational therapists and occupational therapy students to give the best service they possibly can and to help them to stay current with the latest techniques. AOTA takes on members and acts in their best interest by keeping them up to date and informing them of any changes in the laws that are applicable to their practices as well as keeping them informed of any workshops that are available in their areas.
Not only does this give the member of the association and edge over those professionals who have not joined, but it also ensures that the industry as a whole gives the quality service that is expected by their patients as well as making sure that the standard of service does not drop. When there is a set standard available, it is much easier to stay within the boundaries of what is expected and perform to those standards, than having to waste time looking up and researching through a mass of possibly incorrect information to see what is expected and what is seen as acceptable service levels.
The Advantages Of Being A Member
The first and probably the most obvious benefit of being a member of the association is that you do not have to do any guesswork as to what is expected of you as an Occupational therapist by the law and by the public as a whole. You are guaranteed to have all of the information that you may possibly need to run a successful and ethical practice at your fingertips.
In short, the benefits of your membership can be summed up as follows:
- All the tools and resources that you may need to become a successful OT (occupational therapist) and to maintain that status
- Categorized membership to ensure you are registered in your specific field of practice
- Legal representation on your behalf through legislative advocacy
- Availability to all learning tools to maintain and renew your license as an OT
- Professional certification programs as well as credentials
- Ways to get in touch with others in your field to network and connect
- Discounts that are only available to members at specified partners
- A platform to find a job or advance your career
- Learning courses that will help you become a better OT in general as well as to start your own business or to help you qualify for a management position through leadership training
The Tools And Resources Available
In order for the AOTA to reach their strategic goal of uplifting the standards of the professionals who are registered with them, they provide the necessary tools to the OT who is registered with them to prepare them for the current situation. As we all know, each generation will face their own unique set of challenges and it is up to the OT to keep up with the challenges that face different communities and different profiles in order to have the solution to those challenges.
Being online is also a very big advantage for the AOTA as all of the information that is possibly needed by the member can be downloaded at the push of a button and the AOTA can easily keep track of their many members online and manage these members in the same way by monitoring how many members they have in which sector and by having a database already set up when the member registers online.
Categorized Membership
It is pointless and a waste of time for an OT who deals with children to have to sift through all of the information and offers for the other sectors such as dealing with seniors who have had a stroke. For this reason, the memberships are clearly categorized and the sector the member registers for will be represented in the membership. This simplifies the process for the OT and they will receive offers that are relevant to their own sector. Should the OT wish to update or customize their membership profile, they can simply do that by going online and filling in the details they wish to change on the member center link.
Legislative Advocacy
In the medical field, there is always something that can go wrong, even if it was unintentional or if it was simply a misunderstanding and the consequences for these transgressions can be quite severe. Having all of the information at your disposal in case a problem arises for which you need legal advice is critical to solving the problem before it becomes a crisis. When you know what your rights are and how to make sure you have followed all of the correct procedures as well as how to keep record of how you followed procedure, then staying away from court becomes that much simpler.
Learning Tools
OT students can also be members of the AOTA and all of the information they may need to complete their studies can be gained from the AOTA. Students will also have access to the networking channels where they can get in touch with professionals who have been practicing in the field for an amount of time and gain insight from their experience.
Professional Certification
The aim of the AOTA is to have a professional environment for all of its members and the public who make use of these services and to ensure all of its members are on the correct service levels, they have access to certification courses which will help them to gain a good standing with their peers and patients alike. These courses do not qualify a person to start practicing as an OT, but is at the disposal of the already qualified OT in order to stay current with new practices as well as maintaining a level of continuous development of their career.
Networking
In the age of technology it is hard to ignore the power of networking. Getting in touch with professionals from all walks of the profession is very beneficial to an OT as they can gain insight and grow as a professional by gaining insight from and by teaching others in the profession thus raising the standard automatically and stepping away from textbooks and gaining insight on what is working for other professionals.
Discount At Partners
It does not matter which career a person is in, it is always nice to have a bonus element attached to being a member of an association. The same goes for being a member of the AOTA. Members enjoy discounts on products, courses, workshops as well as subscriptions. All of this value adds up and makes the membership more than a piece of paper with bragging rights. Putting money back into the pockets of the professional means that they have more excess funds to further their careers and become more educated which helps the AOTA materialize their goals. Thus the benefit is two-fold.
Career Management
Getting into the profession can be difficult, but because the AOTA accepts students as their members, these students can start to look for vacancies through the AOTA’s career link where they can find work just before or just after they qualify. Members that have qualified as professionals already and who are in the profession already can further their careers by looking for employment opportunities online as well. There are so many opportunities available that it all comes down to knowing where to look at the end of the day. Even if you are not looking for employment, you can take a look at which qualifications are sought after so that you can gain these improvements to your resume gradually. This can prepare you for future employment opportunities.
Continuous Development Through Learning
Nothing places a professional sector, or any other sector for that matter, more at risk that stagnation. When a group of professionals as a whole reach a certain level of knowledge and then stagnate on that level then progress grinds to a halt and it leads to the downfall of the entire profession. This stagnation also leaves gaps in the market and the individual who dare to take advantage of this gap and progress in their knowledge and skills to a level above the norm, will excel and leave the rest of the market plummeting and floundering for survival. For this reason it is very important for the AOTA to not only maintain a level of knowledge and skill, but to raise the bar continuously and to challenge all of their members so that the level of service keeps rising to uplift the profession as a whole.
The American Occupational Therapist Association Online
AOTA online makes it easy for members to keep track of their memberships and to check up when they are due for re-registering and makes it easy for non-members to register. All information about the AOTA can be found online as well as who to contact in case you do not find what you are looking for.