I just want to say what an honor it was to be on the slate for Vice President with Brent and Paula. Both were excellent candidates who are dedicated leaders committed to serving the profession of OT.
I also want to say thank you to all of my supporters out there. I am blessed to have this opportunity to serve in this capacity. I look forward to continuing my blog throughout my Vice Presidency to keep the membership informed of what AOTA is doing for you! Stay tuned!
Thank you again for the support!
There are less than 48 hours to make your voice heard in the AOTA 2012 Elections!
Occupational Therapy has the power to influence our health care system’s reconstruction and emerging educational reforms. This power can only come from inside the profession. Others cannot understand the value of occupational therapy if we do not speak up. We need to hear from you…practice making your voice heard today!
Visit http://www.aota.org/governance/elections-2012.aspx and cast your vote. Voting closes Tuesday, February 28th, at 11:59pm!
In the 2011 AOTA general elections 1,511 member’s votes were tallied. With a membership base of 42,350; that means that less than 4% of the AOTA membership was heard in 2011!
In 2012, we need to hear from everyone! The opportunities and challenges facing our profession are too large to sit back and be quiet. Encourage your colleagues to log in, get informed and cast their votes as well. AOTA drives the future of the profession which impacts the future of your practice.
Don’t let the 2012 election polls close without your voice being heard.
Then make sure to log in, vote, and make your voice heard at http://www.aota.org/Governance/Elections-2012.aspx
Voting ends February 28, 2012!
Congratulations to the practitioners and students across the globe doing your part in making OT widely recognized. Every day I pick up something new from Twitter followers. Below are my “tweets” from February 8-19 that are part of the 28 Occupational Therapy Professionals I'm Prepared to Represent as the Next Vice President of AOTA.
Feb 8 – Prepared to represent practitioners who believe our clinical judgment should drive therapy decisions and treatment. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 9 – Prepared to represent school based practitioners participating in RtI programs bringing OT to the forefront in gen education. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 10 – Prepared to represent practitioners and students making OT more “widely recognized” via today’s technology and social media. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 11 – Prepared to represent OT practitioners and students ready to repeal the Medicare Outpatient Part B Therapy Cap once & for all! Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 12 - Prepared to represent private practitioners who want to focus on providing access to quality services for populations served. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 13 - Prepared to represent the business side of where OT's practice and advocate for reasonable policies & regulations. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 14 – Prepared to represent OT practitioners, students, educators & researchers as we move the profession we LOVE forward in policy & practice! Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 15 – Prepared to represent OT practitioners looking for ways to incorporate wellness and prevention into their existing practice. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 16 – Prepared to represent OT practitioners and students seeking to increase OT’s power in the healthcare and education arenas. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 17 – Prepared to represent practitioners & students ready to return to the roots of OT through mental health practice. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 18 – Prepared to represent practitioners & students looking to expand the role of occupational therapy in community based practice. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 19 – Prepared to represent practitioners & students ready to make OT an initiating service in home health with HH Flexibility Act. Vote@AOTAInc
.....find out more on twitter @amylambVP2012.
Elections close on February 28th!
Cast your vote and make your voice heard. It will make a difference in the future of our profession!
One of the presentations I gave this week was to students in the OT program at San Jose State University in California. I was grateful to receive feedback today that the students found my description of professional association membership valuable and thought I would share it.
There are over 140,000 occupational therapy professionals in the United States. We have approximately 41,000 members of AOTA. When talking with policymakers the more powerful statistic is “we represent the interest of over 140,000 occupational therapy professionals across the United States.” The reality is that we are doing that with the resources generated by 41,000 members. Imagine what could do with 60,000 members; 80,000 members or 100,000 members. This brings to light the question why be a member of my professional associations, what is the value to me as a practitioner?
I view membership like an insurance policy. I am a member of my national and state associations to protect my ability to continue in my daily practice. AOTA and my state association are protecting the work I do today and paving the way for the work I seek to do tomorrow. Without AOTA’s advocacy efforts of the years past there would not be reimbursement for occupational therapy in Medicare, IDEA, Medicaid, etc….our ability to earn a paycheck to do the work we love is directly correlated to the success of our professional associations. Finally, the information provided from AOTA and my state association is the power I need to be an informed practitioner. AOTA and your state associations are right now positioning Occupational Therapy to be successful in the implementation of health care reform. What if they were not there, where would that leave your clients and your practice?
I also, do not believe that we can look at membership as an either or scenario. Inevitably, when I am presenting and the topic of membership comes up, half of the individuals who identified as being AOTA members also identify being members of their state association. Both are essential to your practice. Both serve a distinct purpose to your clients and your practice. Both need your support.
I do not believe we, as associations, have a good understanding of why people are or are not members of their national and state associations. This is however, something I want to know. So, why are you or are you not a member of AOTA and your state association?
A key part of our Centennial Vision is that occupational therapy will be “widely recognized” and it is so much fun to explore the ways in which the message of occupational therapy is spreading around the globe. In preparation for OT Month, I’m wallpapering my office door with some of the innovative news from the profession.
So far, I have highlighted the first app designed by an occupational therapist; a Facebook page for occupational therapy professionals focused on occupation in practice; an article about a local private practitioner meeting the sensory needs of our community; an occupational therapist highlighted in the March publication of Women’s Day magazine regarding repetitive stress injury; and the upcoming Occupational Therapy Global Day of Service.
Our profession is doing amazing things and the public is learning more about occupational therapy every day. If you have something you’d like me to highlight please send me a link or message at ajlambconsulting@gmail.com.
As I shared a few days ago, on February 1st I rolled out the 28 Occupational Therapy Professionals I'm Prepared to Represent as the Next Vice President of AOTA on Twitter. I've posted a new "group" each day and will continue to do so until the elections close on February 28th. Twitter was a new world for me and still is, however, I am so excited by the amazing things you see coming from occupational therapy out there. Social media helps us share and connect in ways that 10 years ago were not possible. It takes our professional networking to a whole new level. Every day, I'm discovering new things that occupational therapy professionals and students are doing and I'm more convinced than ever that the future for OT has never been brighter!
Below are my “tweets” to date:
Feb 1 - Prepared to represent low vision OT professionals advocating for Medicare to reimburse visual devices necessary for clients. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 2 - Prepared to represent FW educators seeking support and best practices in preparing our next generation of practitioners. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 3- Prepared to represent all practitioners, students, educators and researchers in the health care reform implementation process. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 4 – Prepared to represent acute care practitioners ready to show OT’s role in preventing hospital readmissions. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 5 - Prepared to represent next generation practitioner’s w/ideas to advance the profession & willingness to make their voice heard. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 6 – Prepared to represent school based pract seeking to be leaders on transition teams for high school student’s success in comm. Vote@AOTAInc
Feb 7 – Prepared to represent practitioners and students ready to promote OT in the mainstream media & help make OT widely recognized. Vote@AOTAInc
.....find out more on twitter @amylambVP2012.
Cast your vote and make your voice heard. It matters!
Today, I rolled out the 28 Occupational Therapy Professionals I’m Prepared to Represent as the Next Vice President of AOTA on the social media sites. There will be a new post each day leading up to the close of the AOTA elections on February 28th. Find out more on twitter @amylambVP2012. Cast your vote and make your voice heard. It matters!
Examples of the importance of timing are all around us.
Consumers, health care providers and members of all political parties knew for years that the system of health care service delivery was broken. The challenge had been an inability to come together and agree on a solution. The 2009 health reform agenda advanced in large part because of timing. Political analysts agree the timing had never been better to advance a health care reform initiative with a democratic White House, Senate and House of Representatives.
Several years ago, two therapists saw two distinct needs in practice: high numbers of job vacancies in rehabilitation and the desire of rehabilitation professionals to be able to have more flexibility and control of their schedules. They took a risk and a rehabilitation contract company serving the local area was born. The timing of the market and the workforce is why, today, they have more than tripled their contracts and staff of occupational therapy professionals, physical therapy professionals and speech language professionals. Again, the timing was right.
The timing is right for us to demonstrate to the community at large the significance of occupational therapy in the United States health system. How do we demonstrate this significance?
· Cost effectiveness – At a time when federal and state budget deficits are out of control, everyone is looking for ways to save money. Instinct tells people to make cuts but occupational therapy is a cost effective alternative. We help people regain/gain the skills they need to live at their highest level of independence which often equates to less costs and higher quality of life.
· Reducing Hospital Readmissions – The Affordable Care Act included provisions that will make changes to Medicare, one of which is to reduce hospital readmissions to avoid costly inpatient spending to the system. Soon, hospitals will receive reduced Medicare payments for readmissions. Occupational therapy professionals are frontline service providers that can save hospitals thousands of dollars each time we stop premature discharges. People should not be discharged because it is Friday afternoon but because they are medically and physically ready to move on to another facility or to home. We can show the value of occupational therapy by speaking up about why clients are not ready to discharge, our plan to get them ready, and present our position to doctors including the importance of readiness for discharge to avoid readmission penalties.
· Prevention and Wellness – Occupational Therapy has been working to secure our place in the emerging area of wellness and prevention for over ten years. The Affordable Care Act places emphasis on prevention and wellness. The National Prevention Strategy published by the Office of the Surgeon General outline priorities that occupational therapy can align with. These priorities combined with the knowledge and skill set of occupational therapy professionals makes the timing right for this area of practice to see significant growth over the next several years.
Now is the time that we as occupational therapy professionals and students need to be speaking up on these issues. The Centennial Vision has strategically positioned us to take advantage of these opportunities ahead and capitalize on this moment in time to advance occupational therapy.
What strikes me as I reflect on this past week is the power of collaboration. How the experience of one and the energy of another can serve as a catalyst.
As I talked with students this week about a variety of opportunities and connected them to practitioners who could serve as a resource to them or a possible partner on a project, it became increasing obvious about the power of connections. Experienced professionals in the field enjoy sharing their knowledge and to be a resource to those around them, our incoming generation is dynamic and ready to act with just a little direction and confidence.
Connections can occur in so many ways; with similar areas of interest, with complimentary interests, between professionals and the greater community at large. In this era of technology the possibilities to connect are limitless. As leaders of the profession we must place emphasis on drawing these connections. In these connections, we create avenues for progress. I view my role as a leader to be not one that sits at a table but one that is out meeting the professionals and students and making these connections to move occupational therapy forward to achieve the Centennial Vision and more.
Elections officially open today! This is your chance as an AOTA member to log in and make your voice heard. Today’s elections will determine the leadership team for AOTA that will lead us at this critical point on our path to the Centennial Vision and beyond. I ask you to join me in shaping the future of AOTA after considering my qualifications as laid out in my blog and while considering the following points necessary to put AOTA in a position of power.
Promotion
· Many of the challenges we face as a profession are due to lack of awareness. Lack of awareness about occupational therapy among policymakers, payers, other health care professionals, and consumers. Lack of awareness about the importance of membership in state and national professional associations. Lack of awareness about how policy drives practice, and lack of awareness about where to start to make a difference. This is where AOTA comes in! The first place to start as a practitioner, student or educator is by being a member in your state and national associations. Our associations provide us with the necessary resources and tools for promoting occupational therapy. Association membership also provides you with a network for support and can be a resource for developing the materials you need for your efforts. Professional associations are what we make them. Let’s make AOTA strong, vibrant, and powerful!
Advocacy
· We must expand our advocacy efforts. We have a fabulous team at AOTA working daily on our behalf and sharing the occupational therapy message on Capitol Hill. However, we have two lobbyists working to educate the over 500 United States Representatives and Senators and a countless number of committees and public agencies. AOTA cannot do this alone. We, as occupational therapy practitioners, students and educators must be a part of this process on a regular basis. We can start in our home district by developing the relationships needed with our elected officials and be a resource to them in making informed policy decisions. Our elected officials can only listen to those who are talking, so let’s make our voices heard. Our message needs to be clear occupational therapy is a cost-effective part of the health care solution.
Leadership
· Occupational therapy needs strong leadership to achieve our Centennial Vision. We need the leadership of AOTA to be out with practitioners, students and educators across the country to find out what we do well and what we can do better. I do not believe there is an obstacle facing occupational therapy that cannot be overcome. Reality is, in life we are either moving forward or we are moving backward. If elected as the next Vice President of AOTA, I am committed to bringing the membership of AOTA together and collaborating in developing the tools and resources needed to move occupational therapy forward to the Centennial Vision.
I am asking for your vote for Vice President of AOTA. However, regardless of whether I receive your vote I encourage you to make your voice heard as our next leaders of AOTA are selected. Thank you for exercising your right to vote and making your mark on the future of occupational therapy!
When I reflect on my career in relation to my qualifications to fulfill the role of Vice President of AOTA, I have had the opportunity to ruminate on the experiences that have made me into the professional I am today. Those who are close to me know I do not often talk about things I have done or accomplished but prefer to talk about how collectively we are working to advance the profession. What I hope you take away from this post is how I am qualified to lead occupational therapy during this critical time on our road to the Centennial Vision, to build upon the Centennial Vision foundation and cast our vision for 2017 and beyond, to develop the strategic relationships and avenues to make that vision a reality, and to serve the profession of occupational therapy.
I have a wide range of experience in clinical practice having worked in the school systems, skilled nursing facilities, assisted and independent living facilities, home health, acute hospitals, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. I purposely sought this variation in my clinical practice to gain a practical understanding of what opportunities and challenges clinicians face in the different areas and how policies impact practice in those areas. In many of these settings, I was able to identify opportunities and develop programs to move occupational therapy forward. In addition, I have been operating my consulting practice since 2000 serving as a clinician and as a strategic planning and health policy consultant.
In my academic experience, my strategic planning skills were quickly noticed and utilized to lead programs through accreditation, curriculum restructuring, and program evaluation. I just recently returned to academia after managing outpatient rehabilitation and home health service lines within assisted and independent living communities. What struck me was how challenging it was to manage my service with AOTPAC and maintain my clinical practice. This is also a message I hear from others in practice. If elected as your next Vice President, I am committed to working to establish pathways that make it easier for those in clinical practice to serve their profession if they have the desire to do so. What drew me to my current academic position was a contract that allowed flexibility for me to be able to practice clinically and continue my service to the profession as well as be able to play an active role in the preparation of our next generation of occupational therapy professionals.
Vision is essential for any organization. I view the role of the Vice President to be the link between the Centennial Vision and where we go next. AOTA’s Centennial Vision is serving as our current road map and I have been consistently promoting and sharing the Centennial message as I travelled around the country speaking to occupational therapy groups in my tenure as Chair of the American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC). There is a strong link between advocacy efforts of AOTA, its members and achieving the Centennial Vision. In my vision, occupational therapy is understood by all. Insurance companies are making reimbursement decisions based on clinical need not policy mandates. Occupational therapy professionals across the country are connected to policymakers at the state and federal levels. Occupational therapy practitioners are client centered in their treatments, engaging in research, and adequately reimbursed for services in all settings. We must critically examine where we are, where we want to be, what opportunities and challenges exist and what actions must be taken to achieve our vision. However, it is not the vision of a sole individual that will create the future of occupational therapy. The vision for the future of occupational therapy will require the engagement of the entire membership.
As Vice President, I will bring my skills of collaboration to the table. I am committed to bringing people together and working collaboratively to establish the next steps for occupational therapy. I have a long history of bringing people together for a common cause. I am in an optimal position to serve as a bridge between leadership and members, state associations and AOTA, experienced practitioners and the next generation, clinicians and academics, and grassroots advocates and policymakers. Over the past six years I have enjoyed being connected to occupational therapy professionals and students across the country and having the opportunities to interact with them when talking about AOTPAC, health care reform, membership in state and national associations, mentoring in the development of leaders and more. I have travelled to over 20 states and connect virtually with organizations on a regular basis across the country. I take comments, feedback and suggestions back to the AOTA Board of Directors and AOTA staff. Serving as Vice President, allows me to continue this outreach to occupational therapy professionals and students at the local level and affords me the opportunity to have a more direct impact.
I served the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association (NOTA) as their registered/paid lobbyist for eight years. I had a vision where an occupational therapy professional could serve in this capacity to advance and protect the profession. I took that vision and shared it with the leaders of NOTA. They supported and allowed me to serve in this capacity and to be the first occupational therapist serving as a paid/registered lobbyist for a state occupational therapy association. I worked strategically with the leaders of NOTA and its members to develop the relationships necessary for occupational therapy within the state legislature, state departments, and coalitions with other health professionals. In the time I served as the lobbyist we took the existing voluntary licensure to mandatory licensure, established continuing competency requirements, and defeated the physical therapy expansion of scope of practice legislation. This is a clear demonstration of a vision, and the strategic approach put in place to make the vision a reality. You will also notice I said we as it was by promoting advocacy and empowering the occupational therapy professionals in the state to make their voices heard that we together accomplished these things. When transitioning out of the position, I had the opportunity to mentor another occupational therapist to serve in this capacity and he continues on in that position today.
I am committed to developing others to use their strengths to serve the profession. Our “next generation” is a great mix of youth and experience. We have second career individuals bringing forth the knowledge and experience from other fields to occupational therapy. This has tremendous potential to transform occupational therapy in a multitude of ways. Our younger generation is about promotion, they are open to a variety of methods, and they are driven to take action. Raised in the era of technology, it is natural for our professions youth to share their message via a variety of sources. Those in leadership must open doors and provide avenues for them to fly. With mentorship our next generation of occupational therapy professionals will have the tools to make occupational therapy a “widely recognized” profession.
I have a record of leadership as the Chair of AOTPAC. In this position I set forth a vision to transform the board’s role to one of policy and advocacy education in addition to the fundraising role traditionally held by AOTPAC. I felt strongly, that linking grassroots advocacy efforts would increase membership involvement in AOTPAC and thereby also increase fundraising efforts. With the support of my AOTPAC Board of Directors I also launched a new initiative to set a conference fundraising goal for AOTPAC. In 2008, we set our first conference fundraising goal at $30,000. The goal was seen as lofty in comparison as it doubled previous conference fundraising efforts, we even got some laughs from others along the way. We not only achieved this goal, we surpassed it bringing in double at $60,000. As a result AOTPAC consistently sets conference fundraising goals at these higher levels and has achieved them annually. Another vision was to have 100% of the AOTA leadership supporting AOTPAC. We went into action networking with, presenting to and creating relationships between AOTPAC and AOTA’s other leadership groups. Since 2007, AOTPAC has received 100% participation in AOTPAC contributions from the AOTA Board of Directors and Assembly of Student Delegates by simply sharing the message of leading by example. AOTPAC has more than doubled the percentage of participation among other leadership groups including the Affiliated State Association Presidents, the Representative Assembly, and the academic program directors. The success of AOTPAC under my chairmanship is a result of setting forth a vision, establishing a strategic plan, and executing the plan to produce outcomes. It is also an example of the tireless commitment I have to promoting the profession of occupational therapy. That is what you can expect from me as your next Vice President.
Health care reform is here. Whether you were in support of its passage or not, it is the law of the land. I hope we can agree we must be prepared for its implementation. What will health care reform mean for occupational therapy moving forward? What can we do as practitioners to shape the role of occupational therapy in this era of restructuring? A large part of the implementation is being handed down to the states, which means our state occupational therapy associations will be front and center in the advocacy effort.
I hear the concerns from our state association presidents and leaders. Low membership numbers impact the financial viability of the association and limit the resources state associations are able to provide. A shortage of volunteers to do the necessary work for the profession at the state level leaves many state association leaders feeling overwhelmed. The keeping ahead of the many legislative and regulatory issues impacting occupational therapy requires daily attention yet we have a good number of state occupational therapy associations without lobbyists to assist in this endeavor or to help coordinate advocacy efforts.
As I indicated in my position statement, AOTA must invest resources in and support for our state affiliates. Specifically, as implementation of reform shifts to the states it is essential that each of our state affiliates and our members are prepared to take on the advocacy challenge. Decisions are being made daily regarding health care reform implementation in the states. AOTA recently shared with the state association and AOTA leadership the supports they are putting in place to equip our state affiliates to be prepared for these important discussions. As an organizational advisor to the AOTA Board, I was excited to see AOTA taking action to support the state affiliates. I was pleased to see an action plan for efforts over the next four months. I look forward to supporting AOTA and the state associations in securing our place at the table. However, I believe we need to do more.
As we do our strategic planning, we must take what we have today and look to the future. We have state occupational therapy associations struggling to stay operational and lacking the needed volunteers. We have the next generation of practitioners/leaders excited and eager to get involved. AOTA is the link. Increasing the health and stability of our state associations starts by investing resources and time today! AOTA has mentoring programs for emerging leaders and middle managers in place now. I would like to see a partnership between the state affiliates and AOTA for a state association leadership mentoring program. I have worked with several states individually to begin developing mentoring programs and believe the AOTA resources and insight would be of great value to all of our state affiliates.
Occupational therapy needs strong leadership at the state and national levels. We need to be proactive and be aggressive in ensuring the survival of our state occupational therapy associations. If elected the next Vice President of AOTA, I am committed to making this a priority and working to provide the supports necessary to grow and strengthen AOTA and our state affiliates.
Voting for the 2012 AOTA Elections will be open on January 17th...just two weeks away! I wanted to post my official position statement here and invite questions from the membership. I welcome dialogue and invite any questions you have for me. I am thankful the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with all of you and hope that we see record breaking voting records in this election cycle. Thanks for taking a minute to follow my blog...
Official Position Statement:
The reconstruction of our health care system presents a tremendous opportunity for AOTA. Health reform makes strategic planning critical as we position the profession for the future. We must confidently answer the question: where will occupational therapy go after 2017? To ensure the vitality of the profession, AOTA must increase its focus on federal, state and grassroots advocacy. As implementation of reform shifts to the states it is essential that our state affiliates and members are prepared to take on the advocacy challenge. AOTA must invest resources in and support for our affiliates and members; motivating and empowering them to forge an extraordinary future. In addition, streamlining volunteer opportunities for meaningful participation and making leadership realistic for all members will help drive increased membership and power for the association.
I am inspired by what the future could hold for occupational therapy. I have served AOTA members in a variety of volunteer capacities over the last decade, most recently as AOTPAC Chair. My organizational involvement, proven leadership, innovative problem solving and strategic planning skills position me well to serve as Vice President of AOTA. I am ready to lead AOTA into the bright future I see before us.
Amy
I have been honored to serve the profession of occupational therapy as a volunteer leader with AOTPAC for the past six years. As I conclude my second and final term as Chair of AOTPAC, I have been doing a lot of reflection on our successes, challenges and opportunities as a political action entity and our Association as a whole. Service has been a key theme in my career and I am grateful to good mentors who saw something in me before I knew it was there and invited me into networks, opened doors, and supported me along the way. I’m grateful that I am now at a point in my career where I can give back with my support and mentoring of our profession’s future leaders.
In the last year and a half, I’ve found my vision and ideas growing from its base in advocacy and political action to greater issues facing our Association. Looking at the opportunities to continue serving the profession I was drawn to the Vice President position in large part because of strategic planning. Strategic planning and implementation has been a theme in my professional career both in my employment and volunteer leadership positions. I have been fortunate to have a wide variety of experiences that have allowed me to use my strategic planning abilities ranging from the clinic to business ownership/development to academia, as well as state and national professional association leadership. I work diligently to identify alternatives to problems and believe the answers are waiting to be found we just need to keep looking and find them. I’ve also been privileged to serve as an organizational advisor to the AOTA Board of Directors since 2007. In this role, I had access and reviewed the Boards meeting materials and reports providing me a good organizational history to hit the ground running in the role of Vice President and begin to work with the membership to answer the real “What’s Next” question.
The next Vice President of AOTA must confidently lead the effort to answer the question: where will occupational therapy go after 2017? The Centennial Vision is not the end, but the beginning to AOTA’s next 100 years. What an amazing opportunity to serve the profession and ensure occupational therapy’s vitality for future generations.
I am honored to be on the slate for Vice President of AOTA in the 2012 Elections. I look forward sharing more with you about my experience, my ideas for the future, and I look forward to dialoguing with the membership about how AOTA can better serve you.