2020 TNOTA Conference and Student Trackhas concluded. Thanks to our excellent speakers, volunteers, and attendees for making it a successful event! Miss a course? Most are recorded and are available to conference attendees on Aspire OT. Individual courses are available for purchase on AspireOT starting October 1. Visit our continuing education page to log in. You can also check our list of scholarship and award winners on our conference page.
Visit the TNOTA advocacy pageto stay informed on our actions on telehealth and other initiatives to protect our profession.
Invitation to leadership: TNOTA is looking for volunteers to serve in the Northeast and Southeast Districts, on our membership team, and communications team. Email [email protected] for more information!
Practice Act Review Task Force: TNOTA and other occupational therapy stakeholders are forming a task force to recommend revisions to Tennessee's occupational therapy practice act. You do not need to be a TNOTA member to participate. Task force members will review the current practice act as well as recent proposed edits, and make suggestions for revisions to the act to be presented to the Tennessee legislature prior to the January session. Estimated time commitment is 5 hours per month until January. Interested parties may contact [email protected].
STAR Institute Annual Symposium: Join STAR Institute October 7-10, 2020 for the annual symposium, as we look at the underlying connections between challenging behaviors, sensory processing, regulation, and relationship. There is a phenomenal line-up of speakers whose presentations provide unique perspectives to this year's theme Beyond the Surface: Reshaping Challenging Behaviors. Each speaker, with a multidisciplinary lens, will look at clinical application, research insights and first-person lived experiences. Be a part of the 4-day event which includes professional and parent workshops, lecture presentations, expert panels, networking and more. Sign up and receive 30-day access to lecture recordings and BONUS recording from our 2019 Symposium.
Check out our 2020 conference page for conference wrap up information, surveys, awards, and more!
2020 Executive Board Nominations!
Please click the following links to nominate individuals for Executive Board positions. Nominations are open through October 31st, 2020. Voting will run from November 1st to November 31st.
2020 has been an incredible year of change and awakening that is causing organizations, institutions, and individuals to examine their beliefs and systems. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is one of those organizations. In August 2020, AOTA released its “AOTA’s Guide to Acknowledging the Impact of Discrimination, Stigma, and Implicit Bias on Provision of Services”, which defines key terms and lists next steps which all occupational therapists and practices should take. The entire article can be found at the following link: https://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/Practice/Guide-Acknowledging-Impact-Discrimination-Stigma-Implicit-Bias.pdf
It is imperative to highlight one of the terms defined in this thoughtful document: implicit bias. “Implicit biases do not require one’s active awareness. Hence, they are also known as unconscious biases because of the underlying thread of behavior and actions (Blair, et al., 2011). Practitioners can form inaccurate views about various clients and fellow practitioners because of implicit biases. The AOTA document states, “Such views affect the therapist-client relationship beyond that of cultural competence (for example, unconsciously creating barriers to treatment, like overlooking necessary treatment interventions or providing appropriate referrals)” (AOTA, 2020).
As therapists and professionals dedicated to high standards, we must examine our individual implicit biases to ensure we are providing high levels of care to all our clients, cultivating strong relationships with our peers, and ensuring occupational justice for all. Accessing and reading the AOTA article referenced above and taking The Implicit Association Test (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html) developed by Harvard University are excellent steps in the right direction.
Blair, I., Steiner, J. & Havranek, E. (2011). Unconscious (implicit) bias and health disparities: Where do we go from here? The Permanente Journal: 15(2): 71-78.
TNOTA is now hosting our online course library with our partners at Aspire OT, an online continuing education platform created by OT practitioners, for OT practitioners.
New courses are added monthly. Check out Ethics & Jurisprudence, Unpacking the Practice Act, & more!
Head over to our continuing education page for more information and details on accessing TNOTA's online courses, hosted by Aspire OT.
As an additional member benefit, we have partnered with occupationaltherapy.com to offer discounted CEUs! Please click the link below to take advantage of this great deal.
TNOTA has created a page to support ongoing efforts to further our profession by students, educators, and clinicians. You can visit the page by clicking here. Please support your colleagues in their attempts to provide evidence based practice for all OTs and OTAs.
