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Community DC Angela Macauley NBCOT Final for 2.8.26 · Community D.C.

• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we welcome to
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the program for the first time, Angela McAuley. She is
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  Speaker 1: the President and CEO for the National Board for Certification
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: in Occupational Therapy, better known as NBCOT.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 1: NBCOT is a not for profit organization in the United States.
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  Speaker 1: It provides national certification for occupational therapy professionals, OTRs and cotas.
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  Speaker 1: It develops, administers, and reviews certification exams to validate professional competence,
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  Speaker 1: ensures ethical practice, and promotes public safety and occupational therapy.
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  Speaker 1: So sit back and enjoy my conversation with Angela. I
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  Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed as much as I did. Good morning, Angela,
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  Speaker 1: Good morning. Well, it's great to have you aboard on
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  Speaker 1: Community DC for the first time. And I don't think
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  Speaker 1: I did the NBCOT justice by saying what you do,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: So as president and CEO, I know you know exactly
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: what you and your team do, and I'd love to
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  Speaker 1: talk about that. We're also going to chat chat about
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: mission and vision, a lot about occupational therapy and really
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: really educate our listeners on all the incredible different things
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: and the buckets that you work with and the different
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  Speaker 1: systems and processes capabilities. But if you could just to
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: start off, maybe give myself and our listeners kind of
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  Speaker 1: a thirty thousand foot view. But NBCOT what it is
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  Speaker 1: and what you do.
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  Speaker 2: Sure. NBCOT is the National Board for Certification and Occupational
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  Speaker 2: Therapy and our mission is to protect the public through
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  Speaker 2: the validation of essential competencies for effective and safe occupational
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  Speaker 2: therapy practice. And what that really means is that everyone
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  Speaker 2: who goes to school to become an occupational therapist or
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  Speaker 2: an occupational therapy assistant has to go through our examination
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  Speaker 2: in order to obtain a state license to practice. And
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  Speaker 2: what we really want to do our organization is to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that the individuals coming through can provide safe
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  Speaker 2: and effective care to the individuals that need it. That
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  Speaker 2: is at a very high level kind of what our
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  Speaker 2: organization does.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Listen, I'd love to talk about the origin and
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  Speaker 1: I don't know how much you are when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to the history about NBCOT, but was there a moment
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  Speaker 1: in time where the origin story said, you know, we
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: need this because there's a lack of this. Every time
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: I talk to a nonprofit there's always a missing piece
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  Speaker 1: to a puzzle, and then somebody started with just a
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  Speaker 1: small idea. It was a great idea and it's boomed
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  Speaker 1: into something great that you're doing now. But what's the
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  Speaker 1: history about NBCOT.
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  Speaker 2: Sure. There's a very long history within this organization, and
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  Speaker 2: even before it was the National Board for Certification and
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  Speaker 2: Occupational Therapy, it had many other different names and has
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  Speaker 2: an origin, but it has evolved into what it is now.
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  Speaker 2: And really, you know, there is such an essential need
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  Speaker 2: in healthcare for individuals to be certified, to be held
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  Speaker 2: to a national standard so that regard wardless of where
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  Speaker 2: someone is practicing within the country, that everyone is meeting
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: that same standard. And it really all boiled down to
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  Speaker 2: public protection. You know, I talk about this with people
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  Speaker 2: when I try to say why certification matters. You know,
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  Speaker 2: people look to a doctor and they look at board certification,
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  Speaker 2: they look at other individuals for certification. It is extremely
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  Speaker 2: important when you are thinking about your own health or
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  Speaker 2: your own you know, healthcare, or a family member's healthcare
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  Speaker 2: to really look at that individual and ensure that they
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  Speaker 2: are competent and they are always learning and enhancing their knowledge,
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  Speaker 2: and that they're holding themselves accountable.
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  Speaker 1: So certification is obviously a real big deal. It's on
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  Speaker 1: your homepage, it's everywhere, and we're going to make sure
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  Speaker 1: that Angela gives the website a few times and at
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  Speaker 1: the end of our conversation and our smart listeners are
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  Speaker 1: probably already Google and they're on the website.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 1: It's gorgeous, but there is a lot of information on there.
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  Speaker 1: But it did come to my attention as I'm kind
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: of navigating around and learning about NBCOT that certification really
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  Speaker 1: is a big deal. Can you expound on it and
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  Speaker 1: talk about certification? And I also want to talk about
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  Speaker 1: criteria when it comes to people that you work with,
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  Speaker 1: But why don't we start with certification, the importance of
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  Speaker 1: it and what you get when it comes to NBCOT
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  Speaker 1: and how you kind of use certification to direct things.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, so we really believe that maintaining certification, When occupational
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  Speaker 2: therapists and occupational therapy assistants maintain their certification, it means
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  Speaker 2: that they are committing themselves to meeting the highest standards
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  Speaker 2: of professional practice. They're holding themselves accountable to practice standards
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  Speaker 2: and to a code of conduct to really serve the
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  Speaker 2: public interest, And you know, we really believe in supporting
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  Speaker 2: them throughout their career, so we really want to ensure
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  Speaker 2: that they are always trying to meet that next level
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  Speaker 2: of professionalism, always increasing their knowledge, making sure they're doing
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  Speaker 2: evidence and based to practice. I think that's really important
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  Speaker 2: as well. So just making sure that everyone is held
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  Speaker 2: to a very high standard, and it's a consistent national
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  Speaker 2: standard because you can be state licensed. You know, you
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  Speaker 2: have to be state licensed to practice, but every state
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  Speaker 2: has its own rules, every state has its own scope
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  Speaker 2: of practice, every state has its own continuing competency. So
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  Speaker 2: it's important to you to know that certification doesn't just
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  Speaker 2: happen at one point in time. Certification is maintained. Our
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  Speaker 2: certification is a voluntary certification except for one state, the
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  Speaker 2: state of South Carolina requires it, but every other state
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  Speaker 2: is voluntary and we have over ninety percent renewal rate.
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  Speaker 2: So that speaks really high to the value of our certification,
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  Speaker 2: not only to the people who are holding it, but
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  Speaker 2: then to those who are looking for it when they
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  Speaker 2: are looking for care in occupational therapy.
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  Speaker 1: So when it comes to occupational therapy, and I won't
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  Speaker 1: hold you at any data if you don't have it handy,
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  Speaker 1: but whether it's the DMV or nationally. What kind of
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  Speaker 1: numbers are we looking at when it comes to how
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  Speaker 1: many occupational therapists are out there right now?
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  Speaker 2: Sure, there's over two hundred thousand occupational therapists in the
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  Speaker 2: United States.
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  Speaker 1: My goodness, it's quite a number. I imagine it's growing exponentially now.
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  Speaker 1: When it comes to you working with certification people, is
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  Speaker 1: there a criteria of people working with NBCOT. I just
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  Speaker 1: I think I'd like to educate our listener about how
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  Speaker 1: they get acquainted with you, NBCOT and how you can
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  Speaker 1: help them directly.
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  Speaker 2: So, people who are earning our certification are individuals who
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  Speaker 2: are going who are coming out of OT school. So
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  Speaker 2: these are individuals who have completed either at the occupational
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  Speaker 2: therapy assistant level, they're completing a associate's level degree or
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  Speaker 2: a bachelor's degree, and at the occupational therapist level, they're
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  Speaker 2: completing either a master's or a doctorate level degree. Once
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  Speaker 2: they finish their schooling, once they do field work and
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  Speaker 2: anything else that's required within that graduate program, then they're
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  Speaker 2: coming to us in order to pass our certification exam
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  Speaker 2: in order to go on to the next kind of
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  Speaker 2: way of becoming licensed and being able to practice in
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  Speaker 2: the country.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things that you headline and spotline on
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  Speaker 1: your website is about the value of certification and I've
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  Speaker 1: love to for you to kind of expand and talk
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  Speaker 1: on that a little bit. What are the value or
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  Speaker 1: values when it comes to certification.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, I think it definitely provides that standard national level
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  Speaker 2: of accountability. It shows that OT professionals are committed to
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  Speaker 2: their profession. It's ensuring that they're continuing their professional growth
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  Speaker 2: and their development, that they're very invested in themselves and
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  Speaker 2: that they do believe in the mission of this organization
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  Speaker 2: and serving the public interest.
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  Speaker 1: So I'd love to talk about third parties that you
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  Speaker 1: work with and also what to do. I'm going to
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  Speaker 1: roll back because I know you mentioned your code of
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  Speaker 1: ethics and all the different things that people have to
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  Speaker 1: learn as it gets certified. When you set rules and standards,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes it's a board, sometimes it's third party, sometimes it
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  Speaker 1: is a people on your team when it comes to
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  Speaker 1: all the practices that you set, code of ethics and
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  Speaker 1: all the different things when it comes to the certification,
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  Speaker 1: who's setting the criteria and how's it executed?
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  Speaker 2: Sure, So there's a number of things I think that
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  Speaker 2: we should kind of cover there in terms of you know,
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  Speaker 2: we are governed by a board of directors, and that
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  Speaker 2: board of directors at this organization is made up of
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  Speaker 2: a mix of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistant and
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  Speaker 2: public members. So those individuals are governing this organization, they
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  Speaker 2: are the ones who are approving the code of conduct,
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  Speaker 2: so ensuring that the individuals, you know, this is the
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  Speaker 2: code that you must follow. But then when we look
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  Speaker 2: at how the certification exam is created, that exam is
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  Speaker 2: created by serving the individuals that are within the profession
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  Speaker 2: right now and determining what they're doing, what is required
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  Speaker 2: at that entry level in order to be a competent
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  Speaker 2: and safe occupational therapy practitioner, and we use that information
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  Speaker 2: to build the exam that the incoming people will be
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  Speaker 2: taking to be able to practice.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things you also spotlight is who we
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  Speaker 1: are and what we do, and that gets into the mission,
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  Speaker 1: the vision, and the values. And I didn't want to
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  Speaker 1: skip over this because you've spotlighted on the website, because
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  Speaker 1: I know it's important. Can you talk a little bit
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  Speaker 1: more about mission vision and your values.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So obviously we're always our primary mission is to
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  Speaker 2: protect the public, just to make sure that everyone coming
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  Speaker 2: into this profession is meeting that minimum standard in order
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  Speaker 2: to provide that safe and effective care. And our vision
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  Speaker 2: obviously is that everyone, all occupational therapists and therapy assistants
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  Speaker 2: are certified and everyone who's receiving care is receiving that
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  Speaker 2: from a certified professional. And for us, it's very important.
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  Speaker 2: At our organization and our board, you know, our values
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  Speaker 2: are really to recognize and value diversity. We're always committed
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  Speaker 2: to learning and growing. We're dedicated to those evidence based practices.
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  Speaker 2: We're always fostering innovation, and we really build trust by
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  Speaker 2: acting with integrity, all right, And I.
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  Speaker 1: Think that's a good segue to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
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  Speaker 1: And by the way, if I mispronounce it, because I'm
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: a Star Wars guide, do you actually say Jedi?
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  Speaker 2: We do?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Inhernally we do yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, God, and make sure because I saw it, I said, hey,
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: cool Star Wars stuff. So but also this is spotlighted
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  Speaker 1: on the website too, And I'd like you to talk
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  Speaker 1: about each of them because as I read them, I
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  Speaker 1: imagine they are altra important for all the people that
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  Speaker 1: you work with, But can you talk a little bit
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  Speaker 1: about justice, equity, diversity and inclusion Jedi, Sure.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, No, we just really recognize and value all the
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  Speaker 2: diverse background, flives and experiences of all of our community members,
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  Speaker 2: including the team b COOT and those students that are
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: coming through the Occupational Therapy pipeline, and not only that,
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  Speaker 2: but then the individuals who are practicing are certified OTRs
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  Speaker 2: and cootas. We're just always committed to making sure we're
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  Speaker 2: growing our knowledge and we're staying true to each one
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  Speaker 2: of these So, you know, obviously we always want to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that we're eliminating in a systems or structure
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  Speaker 2: that un limit the opportunities for equity, and we always
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  Speaker 2: want to make sure that everyone is represented. It's very
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  Speaker 2: important in healthcare and you know, to be able to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that you are taking that into account with
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  Speaker 2: the individuals that you may be providing care to. Everyone
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  Speaker 2: is different and just making sure that we're always collaborating
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  Speaker 2: and getting information from all groups of people, that's really
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  Speaker 2: important to us.
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  Speaker 1: If I could have a follow up on that, Angela,
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  Speaker 1: I'd like to ask you about the follow through when
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: it comes to those things that you talked about. I
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  Speaker 1: know they're important, but when you have people and you
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: start handing down codes of ethics and JEDID to them
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  Speaker 1: and all the other things that our mission and values
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  Speaker 1: to all the things that you want to make sure
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  Speaker 1: that everybody believes in but also executes as well, where's
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: the follow up to make sure that people are doing that?
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  Speaker 1: And if they're not, how do you learn to get
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  Speaker 1: better in those situations when they aren't executed?
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  Speaker 2: Sure? Well, for us, our JEDI is really a It's
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: not a requirement in terms of making sure people are
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: doing that right. Our code of conduct is really what
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  Speaker 2: we're holding people to when they're practicing or when they
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: hold our certification. These are just things that for sure
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  Speaker 2: hold value to the organization, and we want to ensure
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  Speaker 2: that we can try to push them forward as much
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  Speaker 2: as we can and consider them in anything that we do.
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  Speaker 2: But really holding individuals accountable comes to our code of conduct.
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  Speaker 1: I was joking with you before we start our interview
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  Speaker 1: that you have as many acronyms as we do in
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: the sports world. So we've talked about JEDI and a
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: few other things, but I did want to ask you
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  Speaker 1: about OTR and COTA. So Uh, they are professionals, what
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: are they exactly?
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  Speaker 2: Sure? So the OTR and co OTA are the credentials
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: of NBCOT and basically that it's you know, an occupational
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  Speaker 2: therapist is someone who can hold the Occupational Therapist Registered credential,
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  Speaker 2: and a OTA is someone who can hold the Certified
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: Occupational Therapy Assistant credential. So basically, an OTR and a
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  Speaker 2: COOTA work collaboratively. The OTR is really the individual who's
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: going to evaluate a client or a patient. They determine
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: like the type of intervention that they may want to
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: do with that patient or client, and then they complete
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  Speaker 2: kind of the discharge documents and they are all They
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: are the individuals who provide the supervision of the COOTA,
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  Speaker 2: and the COOTA is really the individual who's implementing and
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  Speaker 2: documenting the therapy that's happening and can provide feedback and
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  Speaker 2: work with the OTR to make sure that the clients
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  Speaker 2: are progressing during their treatment.
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  Speaker 1: We're almost at the halfway point. And I always love
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  Speaker 1: to ask our guests because I know it's important about
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: a few things about funding and also volunteering, and I
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: know those are big deals. So as a nonprofit. How
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  Speaker 1: are you funded right now?
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  Speaker 2: So that comes through the individuals taking the examination, so
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  Speaker 2: in order to enter, you know, to take the examination
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  Speaker 2: and enter the profession, and also from the individuals who
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  Speaker 2: are volunteering voluntarily renewing their certification. It is a really
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: low cost fee to renew it right now is only
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: sixty five dollars every three years to maintain that certification.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: But those are the two. You know, where our revenue
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: is coming from is from the examination and the maintenance
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: of the certification.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: All right, well, how about volunteering. I know there's a
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: whole section on that when it comes to volunteering with
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: NBCOT talk about the process for us.
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: Sure, we have many volunteer opportunities within the organization. And
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: you know the majority of our volunteer opportunities are for
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  Speaker 2: individuals within the profession. So if they are an occupational
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: therapist or an occupational therapy assistant, there's opportunities there. There's
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: also opportunities within our Board of directors for individuals from
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: the public perspective to join. So looking for individuals who
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: may bring that maybe the patient client perspective, or they're
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: bringing they're coming from a different realm of healthcare. Maybe
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: they're a doctor or like a physician, or maybe they
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: are in healthcare policy. So there's opportunities for individuals outside
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: of the profession to also volunteer with the organization.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: You know, before maybe I get a really cool story
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: from you. I also like to talk about challenges because
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: I know that we have joke with a lot of
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: our guests that it's not always unicorns and rainbows all
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: the time, even though you guys are doing really well
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: at NBCOT, but in the industry maybe overall, especially with
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: you leading right now, what kind of challenges are in
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: the industry we're facing you and your team today.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there. You know, many people are facing
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  Speaker 2: many challenges right now. One of the challenge that this
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: profession has always encountered is that no one knows what
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: occupational therapy is, so that is a is a major challenge.
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  Speaker 2: There's a lot at the federal and state levels in
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: terms of regulations and policies that we are always navigating
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  Speaker 2: that come up. I think there's a pipeline issue, and
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: not just for occupational therapy, but for all health care
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  Speaker 2: and even kind of all professions. Just the generations are changing,
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: So how is that going to affect the future of
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: the individuals coming into healthcare but also into this profession.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I don't mind you being biased with my
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: next question, but I'm curious because you're living in it
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: every day. What is the health about being an occupational therapist?
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: Is it? Is it thriving right now? Or are there
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: some issues with people joining in and making a lot
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: bigger and then they're more growth there? Where where's the
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: industry right now?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: So the industry, you know, is really good. It's always
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  Speaker 2: one of the top jobs that's listed in terms of healthcare.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: It's always on that top job level. There is always
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  Speaker 2: the issue because a lot of people don't know what
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: it is that they're not being disposed to it soon enough,
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: so they may not be thinking, oh, this is exactly
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: what I want to do after undergrad or this is
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: exactly what I want to go into from high school.
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: There's that kind of awareness aspect that's missing that could
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: help us drive more people into the profession for sure.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: How many types of occupational therapy is there? I imagine
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: there's there's different funnels and buckets when it comes to it.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: But are there multitudes or is there only a select
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: number of kind of occupational therapists.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: No, so occupational when they occupational therapy. When when individuals
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: are going into school, they're being they're coming out as
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: a generalist, so they really cover. Occupational therapists and therapy
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: assistants can cover everything from newborn to the end of life,
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: so you know when you when you're going into practice.
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: You can work in pediatrics if you don't want to
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: work in pediatrics and work with kids, and you can
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: switch and work with older adults. You can work in
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: the hospital, you can work in home health. There's so
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: much that's available within the occupational therapy profession. And I
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: think that's a realness too that not a lot of
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: people understand how much impact occupational therapy has throughout the lifespan.
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: You know, I imagine that advocacy is a real big
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: deal for you, and I don't know how much you
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: get to do it, whether it's Capital Hill or talking
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: to different post secondary schools out there, or maybe at
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: the high school level. So maybe to your point when
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: you're trying to get the message out there that we're
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: here for you and this is what we offer, who
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: do you get to talk to And when it comes
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: to advocating. How does that work for you?
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: Sure? So what we have been doing to help get
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: the word out is we created a national campaign called
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: why Choose OT, and we have social media accounts, the
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: websites at ychooseot dot com. And what we're really trying
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: to do is help people from all the way from
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: you know, kindergarten. We're going into elementary schools, middle schools,
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: high school talking to the influencers of those individuals, parents,
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: school counselors to really make sure that we're explaining what
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: occupational therapy is as soon as we can, because what
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: happens is most people don't know what OT is until
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: it's they're impacted in some way in their life, like
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: either they know a family member who's had it or
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: they need to have it themselves. So when people hear
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: occupational therapy, they think occupation and they think job, but
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: that's not right. Occupation is really what occupies your time
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: from the moment you wake up to the moment you
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: go to sleep, even sleep, everything you do from that
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: span of time those are called occupations, and occupational therapy
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: is going to help you do all of those things
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: that you need to do throughout you know, your day,
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: whether you know, if you're impacted from an illness, from
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: an injury, a disability, they are going to help you
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: live the most independent life that you can.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: And when it comes to schooling and I imagine, once
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: again it depends on what you want to do specifically.
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: But when it comes to OT, is it usually a
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: two year plan, a four year plan or does it
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: really vary?
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: It depends what level you go into. So if you're
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: going into the occupational therapy assistant avenue pathway, you can
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: do that within two years at an associate's level. There's
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: also a bachelor's level now, so you can do either one.
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: If you're going in at the occupational therapist level, then
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: that's going to be a master's or a doctorate, so
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: you're going to have to do your undergrad first and
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: then you'd be going into a master's or a doctor
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: a program.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: I don't know if you have any latest data, but
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: what's the ratio of men and women when it comes
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: to OT and who participates and becomes one?
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there are definitely more women than men within the profession,
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: but we are seeing that change. We are seeing more
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: men come into the profession, which is fantast it is,
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: I want to say almost. You know, probably eighty five
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: or ninety percent women in the rest right now are men,
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: but that has been slowly shifting.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: Tell me why you think that's happening. Or is it
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: a concerted effort on your part at the NBCOT to
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: make more men at least be aware of the great
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: opportunities they can have in this field.
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah. No, I hope that our campaign will help make
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: that difference. But I do think it's just it is
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: help people seeing the true impact that this profession can have.
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: You know, a lot of people think when they're in
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: school and their undergrad potentially that they think they want
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: to be a nurse, and they think they want to
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: be a PT, or they think they want to do
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: athletic training, and then they're exposed to occupational therapy and
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: they see this profession that they never knew about, and
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: just how broad it is, how holistic it is, how
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: it looks at the whole person, and it really changes
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: their mind and they want to go into that pression.
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: So I really do think it's a lot about awareness
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: and the more and more we can get out there
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: and educate people about this profession, the.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: Better and we're doing that today, so I'm glad we're
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: doing our little part at iHeartMedia DC. I did want
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: to ask you about a great story, and it might
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: not be something that happened with you personally, could have
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: been maybe team member that shared it with you. And
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: I know you talked to so many people on your
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: team and then just all over the United States, so
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: I know you have a lot of conversations about great
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: things that happen out there and the effect that NBCOT
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: has on people for the better. But is there a
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: story that you can share. I kind of present it
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: to people and guests in the show, this is why
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: we get up every morning that something really cool happened.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: We had an indirector or direct fact on somebody's life
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: because we were there for them, or we assisted them
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: in this, or we gave them that, and this amazing
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: thing happened. Is there a story that maybe has happened
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: over the last year or two that sticks out to
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: you said, you know what, it was a good day
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: for the NBCOT that I'm glad we could be a
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: part of this.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: That's a really great question. Honestly, I think it's hard
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: to pinpoint exact story For me, it's really about knowing
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: the true impact that this profession has on people's lives,
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: and to witness that every day and see the dedication
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: that the OT community brings to people in need is amazing,
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: and I think it's if people really want to see
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: and experience that, I would encourage them to go to
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: the y choose OT socials on Instagram, TikTok all of
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: those at wychoose OT where we really do show the
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: impact of occupational therapy every day from someone who has
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: a stroke where they know they can't talk, they can't walk,
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: they can't do anything independently OT along with other healthcare
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: professions because obviously it's not just OT in the room,
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: but you see the impact of getting that person from
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: not being able to be independent to living their life
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: fully again. And people truly don't understand the impact that
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: has until they're in that situation. So I think just
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: being able to be a part of that knowing that
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: are what we're doing in terms of being able to
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: protect the public, to ensure that everyone has competent and
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: safe occupational therapy practitioners providing that care is so meaningful
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: every single day.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Well, that's that's great. Words. I really appreciate you sharing that.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: You know, one of the things I love to talk
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: to you about in the remaining time we have is
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: about leadership, and I think we're getting a really good
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: look at how many moving parts you have when it
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: comes to NBCOT so when it comes to communication and
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: the code of ethics and your values and execution. We
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: have a lot of people that listen to say, you know,
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: how do you do it all? And I know it's
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: probably not easy, and I know you probably have a
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: great team that you'd love to talk about. It's always
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: very important, especially when you're running a nonprofit because sometimes, folks,
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: the numbers are low and it's only a few people
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: getting all the work done out there. But can you
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: talk a little bit about you know, what you do
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: and your execution and to make sure that you are
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: getting better and if something's happening then maybe isn't correct,
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: how you reverse that and make sure that you're on
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: the right path. Can you chat a little bit about
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: that for us?
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Sure, I think you did totally nail it on
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: the head. It is. It is a team effort, Like
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: we have an amazing team and an organization. I think
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: one of The best things about our organization is that
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: we have a very strong team who stays so there
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: are a lot of individuals who have long tenure at
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: this organization, and we have created a very solid foundation,
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: and we are very adaptable and we can, you know,
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: handle risks that come and handle anything really that comes
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: our way and adapt and shift. So but I don't
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: do this alone, you know. I have a fantastic team.
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: We have a large team of occupational therapists on our
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: staff as well, and we have fantastic teams who provide
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: support to our customers, to to our community. We have
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: an amazing technology team who's creating all of our products.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: We have an amazing communications team, we have an amazing research team.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: We just we what makes an organization so good is
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: that for me, it's like you have your home family,
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: but you have your work family. And I really do
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: feel like I'MBCOT functions like a family and we will
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: do everything together to ensure the success of the organization,
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: but also to ensure the success of the mission of
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: our organization. Ultimately, that is the most important thing to us,
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: is to make sure that we're continuously driving to protect
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: the public.
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: Angel what's the future of this industry because I know
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: you're always looking ahead and you sound very excited. You're
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: obviously very passionate about your job, your team and what
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: you do. But how's the future look.
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: I think the future is very bright. There's lots of
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: interesting things that are coming down, like how does AI
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: fit into the world of healthcare and occupational therapy? You know,
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: how do how do we continue to drive people into
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: the profession, how do we continue to increase awareness? You know,
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: there's so many things changing in the healthcare realm, not
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: just in the occupational therapy profession. So I think that
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: no day is ever the same, which is always you know,
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: sometimes can be good, sometimes not, but you.
• 27:20
  Speaker 4: Know, I think there will where The thing with occupational
• 27:25
  Speaker 4: therapy is where there is people, there is always going
• 27:29
  Speaker 4: to be a need for occupational.
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: Therapy always, And I really do encourage people to educate
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: themselves about occupational therapy so that they can be sure
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: that if it is an offer to them, maybe they
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: may need to ask for it. So advocate for yourself
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: in case you know this is something that you may need.
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: I just think the more people who know about it,
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: the better. I definitely want OT to be a household name,
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: just like a doctor or a nurse or anyone else.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: I really do think that it deserves to be at
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: the same level.
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: I'm Staniel. Listen, we have about forty five seconds left.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: Maybe some final thoughts from you, and also let's give
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: the website to everybody. The floor is yours.
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: Sure, our website is NBCOT dot org. I would also
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: encourage people to go to y chooseot dot com to
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: learn more about the profession and follow us also at
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: hy choose ot on social media to learn more about
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: OT as well.
• 28:22
  Speaker 3: Well.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: Listen, I know we only had thirty minutes today. I
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: hope we did it justice. I know there's so much
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: more to talk about it. I would love to have
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: you on the program again. But it sounds like you're
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: doing some really great work. The website's beautiful. There is
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: a lot of information out there, so I want everybody
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: to check it out. But it is easy to navigate
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: and you can learn a lot out there, and you
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: really you and your team serve an important part in
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: our world about what you're doing. So I'm glad for
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: your success. I'm glad you guys are there, and it
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: sounds like things are thriving, so are very happy for you.
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: So Angela, thank you so much. Give my best to
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: your entire team, and we really appreciate you and all
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: you do. And I'm glad we could spotlight you on
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: Community DC. Thank you so much.
• 28:59
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