Page 37 - OPTA Access Spring 2020

COMMITTEE & SIG REPORTS
PTA Caucus Representative Report Tasha Konkle, PTA - Chair
Happy New Year to all of our PT, PTA, SPT, and SPTA members! I am looking forward to serving as your PTA Caucus Representative and hope to build on the success we have had in recent years . I would like to thank Sanaz Holcomb for her service as the PTA Caucus Representative and her commitment to the organization over the past several years . She has set the standard for this position high and I am grateful for her mentorship as I continue to grow into this position .
As we move forward into the New Year, it is important to look back and reflect on the growth and success we had in 2019 .
At the end of the summer, the OPTA rolled out its Early Professional SIG mentorship program, OPTA CONNECT . This program gives PTs and PTAs in the first 0-5 years of their career the opportunity to connect with a mentor of similar professional interests to help with development and growth . I encourage physical therapist assistants who are still early in their career to consider becoming part of the OPTA Connect program . Information can be found on the OPTA website under the “Resource” tab.
OPTA also rolled out its leadership development program, the L .I .F .E Series Leadership Academy, for PTs and PTAs who are wanting to develop new skills as well as understand and strengthen the skills they already possess . The information presented and skills that are developed throughout this program are invaluable for both the PT and PTA as they progress through their career while also enhancing how they interact
in their personal lives . My hope is that we see more PTAs enroll in the next cohort as I know we already have some great PTA leaders in Ohio!
The APTA and OPTA have been working hard to advocate for our profession in regards to the recent CMS policy and payment schedule changes that were released toward the end of 2019 . There are several educational modules and articles on the APTA website that help clarify these changes under the “Payment” tab for questions regarding the changes and how they affect PTAs in the upcoming years . I also encourage you to check out the “Advocacy” tab and download the APTA Action App to learn about how our leaders are working to ensure that our voices are heard .
Look for updates throughout the year on the OPTA and APTA social media pages . I challenge each PTA and student PTA to take advantage of all that our organization has to offer . There are several networking and educational opportunities available throughout the year such as PT/PTA Pub nights and our monthly Lunch & Learn Webinar Series presentations . These are also great opportunities for PTAs to share the knowledge they have as well . I hope to see you all at Transform 2020 this April! Please contact me with any questions you have and let's make this year great .
For more information, contact Tasha at:
tkonk5@gmail.com
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