The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently published new guidelines for managing low back pain. A few of them have been highlighted in an article on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) website.
- Patients with low back pain will have to be offered a choice of either a structured exercise programme, a course of manual therapy, including manipulation, or a course of acupuncture, by their GP.
- All patients whose pain has lasted more than six weeks must be offered the menu of three types of evidence-based treatment.
- Patients should not be offered therapeutic ultrasound, lumbar supports, or injections of therapeutic substances into their back.
Click here to read the full article on the CSP website.
Here is the latest news from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT).
Beginning June 15, 2009, NBCOT® will only accept credit card payments (MasterCard and Visa) for examination applications and related services such as score transfer and confirmation of examination eligibility notices. Candidates applying for the examination (OTR® or COTA®) must pay by submitting a credit card at the time of application submission. No off-line payments will be accepted. This change is necessary to increase security and decrease processing time enabling candidates to move through the eligibility process in a shorter period of time. Any questions should be directed to NBCOT via email at onlineexamapp@nbcot.org or by phone at 301-990-7979.
For physical therapists who would like to become a Board Certified Clinical Specialist, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has announced that applications for the 2010 exam cycle are now available.
The application deadline for specialist certification in Cardiovascular & Pulmonary and Clinical Electrophysiology is July 1, 2009.
The application deadline for all other specialist certifications is July 31, 2009.
Interested applicants should start by downloading the “Application and Info” booklets appropriate to their specialty area.
For more information, click here.
Advance for OT recently released the results of their 2009 salary survey for Occupational Therapists based in the US. Here are just some of the highlights of that survey:
- Pay is up more than 25 percent for both levels of the profession-to $65,190 for full-time OTs and $45,044 for full-time OTAs.
- Hourly rates for OTs who work full time averaged $37.23; rates for OTAs averaged $24.93.
- Salary by State: North Carolina came in highest at $83,087, and averages in California, Florida, Maryland, Indiana and New Jersey all topped $70,000. Wisconsin ranked lowest, at $55,982. By hourly rate, New York OTs ranked highest at $47.11/hour, followed by Arizona ($44.53) and New Jersey ($43.70). Lowest hourly rates were found in Virginia at $32.81/hour. For OTAs the highest pay was in Texas at $29.26/hour, with California and Florida following. Lowest rates were in Wisconsin at $19.94/hour.
- Settings & Employers: The most popular settings for practitioners remain skilled nursing facilities, with 25 percent of all respondents working there, and schools, with 23 percent. The most lucrative setting by salary was skilled nursing facilities ($74,828 or $35.59/hour), followed by hand clinics ($70,958 or $35.15/hour) and hospital outpatient clinics ($70,409 or $36.15/hour).
- Specialty Certifications and Education: The average salary for OTs with specialty certification is $69,309 or $39.78/hour. OTs with entry-level master’s degrees are making the least, at $59,431. OTs with bachelors degrees ($67,955) make only slightly more than those with post-professional master’s degrees ($67,751), while OTDs came in at $69,133. A PhD will significantly up your earnings to nearly $75K.
Makes you want to splurge now on Vegas vacations, doesn’t it? To read the full article on this survey, click here.
International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities
2nd Asia Pacific Regional Congress
Theme: Creating Possibilities for an Inclusive Society
When & Where
June 24 – 27, 2009
Furama Riverfront Hotel
Singapore
Confirmed Key Note Speakers:
- Dr. Henny van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk,
- The Netherlands
- Dr. Monica Cuskelly, Australia
- Prof. Glynis Murphy, UK
- Prof. Levan Lim, Singapore
- Prof. Matthew Janicki, USA
- Prof. Rune J. Simeonsson, USA
- Prof. Shigeru Suemitsu, Japan
Asian Research to Practice Round Table:
- Dr. Kenneth Poon, Singapore
IASSID Academy Workshops:
For more information, visit the IASSID website.
