Georgia Occupational Therapy Association

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center.

How to Contact the Program

Children With Special Needs Coordinator Contact List for information on how to reach local Babies Can't Wait Programs.” - Above text taken from http://health.state.ga.us/programs/bcw/index.asp

.  Click here

GOTA Continuing Education Course Approval
The Continuing Education Review Committee is a sub-committee of the GOTA Education Committee.  Members are appointed by the President of GOTA, and are former Georgia O.T. Licensure Board members.  The Committee’s purpose is to review courses submitted by CEU providers, who wish to have their educational offerings pre-approved for content and hours according to Georgia Licensure Board standards.

There is a fee for this service, and though approval does not guarantee acceptance by the Georgia OT Licensure Board, historically, they have accepted GOTA’s recommendations on courses.  Click here for information about course approval.

GOTA and AOTA - Approved Continuing Education Courses
Click below for a list of GOTA and AOTA approved courses.  Please check the event calendar for additional continuing education opportunities.

• GOTA Approved Courses
• AOTA Approved Courses

Continuing Education Courses - Not Listed
Individuals wanting to know if courses are appropriate without going through the GOTA Continuing Education Review Committee are referred to Section 671-3.08 of the Rules and Regulations of the Georgia State Occupational Therapy Licensing Board.  You may visit their website at http://sos.georgia.gov/plb/ot/.

Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy
237 Coliseum Drive
Macon, GA 31217-3858
(478) 207-2440
http://sos.georgia.gov/plb/ot/

CE Requirements
Below are the current continuing education requirements from the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy as of October 9, 2008.

• Continuing Education (C.E.) Hours
  If you were licensed on or before March 31, 2007, you must have 24 hours of continuing education (16 minimum in direct patient care and no more than 8 in general) completed between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2008*
• *NEW/NOTE*: CE Hours in excess of the required 24 hours obtained between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2008, that WERE NOT COUNTED FOR THIS BIENNIUM RENEWAL PERIODS (4/1/2006 – 3/31/2008) REQUIRED CE HOURS may be carried over/used for 2008-2010 renewal period’s CE required hours (to be obtained between 3/31/2008 and 3/31/2010). Board rule 671-3-.08(3)(a).
• Anyone initially licensed between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008 is not required to meet the continuing education requirements for this initial renewal period (2008 – 2010) ONLY; Board rule 671-3-.08(4).

Download important GOTA information.

Vision, dedication, client advocacy, community service, resourceful, volunteerism.  Do any of these words describe you?  If so, you may have leadership qualities that are yearning to be recognized!

As an OT, you may not realize how often you use your own leadership skills to guide your clients and their families.  Building on your own leadership capacity can be very helpful to you in your practice because it may enable you to implement changes that are beneficial to you and your clients in the areas that you serve.

GOTA is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn and refine your leadership skills!  We have many talented volunteers who have been serving on our Board of Directors, some for many years, and some with many years of experience and wisdom.  We invite all of our members to become the leaders that they hold inside, by joining us in our efforts to educate ourselves and the public, about occupational therapy and to promote ourselves in this era of change.

Are you interested in getting involved in GOTA but just don’t know what to do or how to do it?  You may complete and submit our Volunteer Opportunities form.  This form will be reviewed and you will be partnered with another member of our Board of Directors.  As a new volunteer, you will have the opportunity to shadow and receive support from someone that will take you under their “wing” for the purpose of exposing you to the processes of GOTA, the board and it’s efforts, and to specific activities that would help you achieve your leadership goals.

We hope that you will consider this opportunity and we look forward to working and growing with you in the very near future!

Below is a list of positions currently available.  If you are interested in posting a position, please visit our advertising area.

Chris Bosonetto-Doane , MS, OTR/L, FAOTA
Nominations Chair
Contact me

The Nominations Committee is responsible for seeking qualified candidates for positions on the GOTA Board.  When positions need to be filled and it becomes time for members to submit nominations during an election, we post that information and those requests on this page.  Please feel free to contact us at any time with suggestions or questions about positions.  Your input is valuable and appreciated.

Check out this page for the following information to be posted during election times!  The duties of the Nominations Committee are:

• Prepare a slate of qualified for candidates for each GOTA elections.
• Consult with the President.
• Communicate with the GOTA Exec. Office to eblast and post the call for nominations.
• Communicate with the GOTA Exec. Office to eblast the ballot to the membership.
• Receive returned ballots by email.
• Tabulate results.
• Announce election results.

The OT Political Action Group supports issues, people and activities that contribute positively to the OT profession in Georgia. The OTPAG is a non-profit organization and is not fiscally tied to GOTA.

Information about practice issues.

Award Categories and Definitions of the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association

Barbara E. Grant Award of Merit
    
Description
The Barbara E. Grant Award of Merit is the highest Association honor for an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant in the state of Georgia.

Purpose
To honor an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant who has made an outstanding global contribution to the profession of occupational therapy in the following areas: service, leadership, education, and advocacy.
    
Minimal Requirements

1. The nominee must be an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.The nominee shall have served as a leader within the professional and health care community, actively fostering growth and development of the profession and the Association.
2. The nominee must be a current member of GOTA at the time of his or her nomination.
3. Preference will be given to nominees who are also members of AOTA.

Outstanding Occupational Therapy Practitioner of the Year Award

Description
The Outstanding Occupational Therapy Practitioner of the Year Award is an award of excellence bestowed upon an occupational therapy practitioner (OTR/OTA) in the state of Georgia.

Purpose
To honor an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant who has made outstanding contributions to the profession in one or more of the following areas:  practice, research, education and/or client advocacy.

Minimal Requirements

1. The nominee must be an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant in good standing.
2. The nominee shall have made a significant contribution to the profession by utilizing special skills and/or knowledge in therapeutic practice, education, research, and/or administration.
3. The nominee must be a current member of GOTA at the time of his or her nomination.
4. Preference will be given to nominees who are also members of AOTA.

Outstanding Occupational Therapy Student of the Year Award

Description
The Outstanding Occupational Therapy Student of the Year Award is an award of excellence bestowed upon an occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant student in the state of Georgia.

Purpose
To honor an occupational therapy student or occupational therapy assistant student who demonstrates leadership capacity in the area of service to the     profession and to professional/student associations.
    
Minimal Requirements

1. The nominee must be a registered student at an OT or OTA program in the state of Georgia.
2. The nominee shall have demonstrated his or her commitment and dedication to the profession of occupational therapy through participation in leadership activities, advocacy for the profession, community service and/or education.
3. The nominee must be a current member of GOTA at the time of his or her nomination.
4. The nominee must be a member of the student association at his or her respective school.
5. Preference will be given to nominees who are also members of AOTA.

Service Commendation

Description
Service Commendations are awarded to those who have provided leadership and service to The Georgia Occupational Therapy Association.

Purpose
To recognize individual members of the association who have served the association through time or task limited activities that foster the work and help meet the strategic goals of the Association.

Minimal Requirements

1. Nominees shall have demonstrated service to the Association and/or profession through time or task limited activities.
2. The following individuals will automatically receive the Service Commendation during their last year in service:
        - President
        - Vice President
        - Secretary
        - Treasurer
        - Regional Representatives
        - Board of Directors Members-at-Large
        - Committee Chairs
3. Nominees must be members of GOTA.

Certificate of Appreciation
    
Description
This award is given in appreciation for extraordinary contributions that led to the advancement of occupational therapy and/or health promotion.

Purpose
To honor and recognize an individual or an organization that is not an     occupational therapy professional or provider, for their support, promotion and/or advocacy of the profession of occupational therapy.

Minimal Requirements

1. Nominees shall have made a significant contribution to the advancement of occupational therapy.  Their efforts may include, but are not limited to, financial contributions, political support, pioneer work, or an outstanding leadership role.
2. Individual or organization must not provide direct occupational therapy services.
3. Members/Organizational Members may be nominated for services or contributions that have been made clearly beyond those of normal professional duties and responsibilities.
4. Non-Members may be nominated for services or contributions that have markedly benefitted occupational therapy.

If you are interested in nominating someone for one of these awards; please download the GOTA awards nomination form. For a complete listing of past GOTA award recipients, click here.

Nicole Walker, MS, OTR/L
Reimbursement Chair
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Feel free to contact us for updates or with ideas.

Click here to read memo regarding Billing Medicare for OT services provided by an Occupational Therapy student.

Research (noun) 1: careful or diligent search  2: studious inquiry or examination ; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws  3: the collecting of information about a particular subject
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/research)

Rather: What is Evidence Based Practice?
Sackett and colleagues1 … have defined evidence-based practice as "conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.  The practice of evidence-based [health care] means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research" (p. 2).
(1. Sackett, D. L., Richardson, W. S., Rosenberg, W. M., & Haynes, B. R. (1997). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM.New York: Churchill Livingstone.)

GOTA would like to promote research activity and facilitate involvement in research amongst its members.  GOTA’s Clinical Research Partnerships strategic goals for 2008 are:

• GOTA will provide a resource list of OT professionals to participate in research projects to be posted on GOTA website.
• GOTA will provide a resource list of current research projects/activities to be posted on GOTA website.

In order to meet these goals and develop Clinical Research Partnerships among the GOTA membership, we currently seek your feedback on your needs and ideas.  First, we invite you to attend GOTA’s Annual Conference and Professional Meeting to learn more.

Second, if you are a member of AOTA (www.aota.org) remember that you have access to a wealth of information there that focuses on evidence-based practice research.  Papers such as:  Research Priorities and the Parameters of Practice for Occupational Therapy wherein The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) recently reaffirmed research priorities and parameters for practice for the profession.  (Established 1999; Reaffirmed 2003 Jointly By AOTF and AOTA http://www.aota.org/Pubs/OTP/1997-2007/Features/2004/f-022304.aspx).  Summary: 

• In the broad sense, the priorities are intended to facilitate quality research in occupational therapy that will be understood, recognized, and valued both inside and outside the profession.
• In the narrower sense, the priorities and exemplars represent the kinds of questions that occupational therapy practitioners face in their day-to-day practice.

There is also information at AOTA’s Evidence-Based Practice Resources: http://www.aota.org/Educate/Research/PracticeResources.aspx provides resources that informs OT practice.

Please visit this page often for more information about research and the activity of the Research Partnership Committee!