Experts in Care For Individuals With Developmental Disabilities. www.assistedindependence.care P.O. Box 1683, Columbus, IN 47202 Phone: 812-374-9450 Education, Certifications & Licensure A highly qualified staff is the heart of our that comes from pursuing professional degrees. organization. When identifying what it takes to Furthermore, we encourage and strive to build a team that can provide continuous forward accommodate our staff who are currently pursuing movement, Assisted Independence is consistently degrees. We want the individuals we serve and hiring highly qualified individuals with various their families to know they are in good hands. college degrees, certifications, licenses as well as provide opportunities for continuing education Assisted Independence employs and works with and training through our quarterly in-services. a variety of individuals with varying educational backgrounds. These backgrounds include but are Assisted Independence understands the not limited to Physical Therapy, Occupational importance of having well-qualified Direct Therapy, Recreational Therapy, Behavior Analyst, Support Professionals and has high standards Behavior Technician, Teachers, Teacher Assistants, when evaluating candidates throughout the hiring Social Workers, Nursing, Music Therapy, process. We continually seek new employees Nutritionist and American Red Cross Instructors. that have demonstrated the type of commitment Assisted Indeprendence Listed below are the basic requirements to obtain the degrees necessary to serve the individuals we serve. PHYSICAL THERAPY OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Physical therapy degrees are only available at According to the American Occupational the doctoral level. Most programs last three Therapy Association, a variety of undergraduate years and include several clinical internships majors can prepare occupational therapists for with supervised experience. the graduate-level study they need to work in Before enrolling in a doctoral degree program the field. These include kinesiology, psychology, for physical therapy, you must meet certain anthropology, biology, and sociology. Some prerequisites. This normally includes completing schools offer accelerated or dual degree a bachelor’s degree in Anatomy, Physiology, programs, through which students can obtain a Biology, Chemistry or Physics. All states require bachelor’s and master’s degree in occupational PTs to become licensed. Licensing requirements therapy after about five years of study. Master’s are set by individual states but include passing degree programs in occupational therapy the National Physical Therapy Examination typically take two years to complete. Students (NPTE), which is administered by the Federation also participate in approximately 24 weeks of of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). field experiences. Occupational therapists must After working in the field, physical therapists obtain a state license. Requirements include may apply to become a board- certified completion of an accredited occupational specialist in one of eight clinical specialty areas therapy program, fieldwork experiences, and offered by the American Board of Physical a passing score on the National Board for Therapy Specialties. In order to become board- Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certified, physical therapists must complete at exam. Successful candidates for licensure least 2,000 hours of clinical work or an APTA- receive the Occupational Therapist Registered accredited residency program in the specialty (OTR) credential through the NBCOT. area and pass an exam. RECREATIONAL THERAPY BEHAVIOR ANALYST Recreational therapists need a bachelor’s Behavior analysts must hold a master’s degree degree. Recreational therapy programs include in applied behavior analysis, education, or courses in assessment, human anatomy, medical psychology to be certified. In addition to a and psychiatric terminology, characteristics of master’s degree, an approved university- illnesses and disabilities, and the use of assistive supervised practicum or hours of supervised devices and technology. Bachelor’s degree work experience is required. The supervised programs include an internship. A qualified practicum varies in required hours based on recreational therapist is nationally certified as the intensity of supervision, but the required a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist hours is 750 for intense supervision, and 1,000 (CTRS), usually referred to as Recreational hours for a typical practicum. To become a Therapists. Board Certified Behavior Analyst, licensing Qualified professionals are certified through the departments establish requirements for National Council for Therapeutic Recreation behavior analysis licenses on a state- by-state Certification (NCTRC), which requires a basis. This includes a graduate degree from bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited an accredited university, completion of the university, a formal internship and the passing required amount of supervised practical hours, of a national certification examination. A CTRS and passing the licensure exam. Most states must maintain their credential every five years require licenses to be renewed every two years. through the NCTRC recertification process. Assisted Indeprendence TEACHER To be eligible for Indiana teacher licensing, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, complete an approved teacher preparation program, and pass the state-required tests. Candidates must also earn CPR/AED/ Heimlich certification and complete suicide prevention training, programs which are typically included in teacher preparation curricula in the state. Indiana uses a tiered system with two levels of teaching licensure: Initial Practitioner and Proficient Practitioner. The Initial Practitioner is a renewable two-year license for first-time teachers. BEHAVIOR TECHNICIAN While teaching under the Initial The Registered Behavior Technician RBT is a Practitioner license, teachers must paraprofessional who practices under the complete the Indiana Mentoring and close, ongoing supervision of a BCBA. Though you do not Assessment Program (IMAP), a two-year need a college degree to be an RBT, mentored internship. The Proficient Practitioner license is a renewable five- most insurance companies prefer a college degree. You must year license issued to working teachers also complete 40 hours of training, complete a background who have successfully completed the check, pass the RBT Competency Assessment, and pass the IMAP. RBT examination. RBTs have ongoing certification requirements which include receiving ongoing supervision and complying with the BACB’s RBT Ethics Code. RBTs must annually renew their certification, including passing the RBT Competency Assessment, and completing a renewal application. TEACHER ASSISTANT based exam. Examinees are given two and half Teacher’s aides are required to meet one of two hours to answer 90 multiple-choice questions, criteria. The first is to complete either two years which focus on reading, math, and writing. of university coursework, which is 48 credit The reading portion tests a future aide’s ability hours, or to earn an Associate of Science or an to identify a writing passage’s main purpose Associate of Art degree at an accredited college. and supporting ideas, as well as their ability to There is no specification, however, for the focus teach students how to sound words out and of this education. Students interested in working use contextual clues to learn the meaning of as a teacher’s aide can take classes that focus on words. The math section tests examinees’ ability topics like the emotional and social development to complete basic mathematical functions and of children, the psychology of education, ethical interpret graphical representations of data. Finally, issues for teachers, and educational philosophy. the writing subtest covers basic grammar and word choice and tests examinees’ ability to help The second option for becoming a teacher’s aide students formulate ideas and choose source is to pass the Praxis ParaPro Assessment. Indiana material. requires at least a 460 score on this computer- Assisted Indeprendence SOCIAL WORK The foundation of a career in social work begins at the undergraduate level, as students work toward their bachelor’s degree in social work. After several semesters of meeting graduation requirements, social work students will split off into their major and concentration area, focusing on areas relevant to the occupation. Most undergraduate social work programs required a minimum of two semester long supervised practicums. The health services industry requires social workers to have obtained at least a If you wish to attain the title Licensed Social graduate education, holding an MSW in order to Worker (LSW) in Indiana, you will need to qualify for these more advanced positions. MSW complete the following steps: You must first programs build on the undergraduate foundation, get a Bachelor of Social Work or a Master of but they focus more exclusively on social services Social Work degree from a Council on Social policy and regulation, occupational ethics, social Work Education (CSWE) accredited university work leadership theory, and practical execution of or college. You will need to document two years these skills. The average MSW program requires of work supervised by a Licensed Social Worker at least 900 hours of supervised instruction or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. If you have on the job in a social work capacity, which will