Meanings of the Alphabet Soup after my name

OTR/L

"OTR" is a national certification obtained by passing an exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Most states in the U.S. also require local licensure or registration regardless of national registration. If an Occupational Therapist is represented by the initals "OT/L", that means s/he has chosen not to be registered with NBCOT, but is licensed to practice OT in at least one state.

Occupational Therapy is best known as a profession for helping people with medical problems achieve independence. However, because Occupational Therapists are, first and foremost, Change Agents, they are able to help people make or adjust to changes in order to maintain a healthy quality of life. Such changes can be voluntary, and such desires or needs for change do not have to be related to tragic or catastrophic events.

The word "occupation" in our profession refers not just to jobs and work, but to all of the functions that comprise our roles and relationships, and the ways in which we "occupy" ourselves in the course of living a purposeful and meaningful life. Occupational Therapists are trained to analyze the components of a person's various occupations, in order to help the person to identify the best means of changing for the better; and helping the person implement those methods.

"CDMS" is a national certification granted, through examination by a division of the Board for Rehabilitation Certification (BRC) , to rehabilitation practitioners who provide services within the mandates of insurance laws and statutes.

The Certified Disability Management Specialist Commission defines the Practice Characteristics of a CDMS as follows:

"Those who perform disability management must have specialized knowledge of medical, psychological and functional aspects of disability, specifics associated with applicable disablity compensation systems, vocational rehabilitation theory and practice, communication, economics, ethics, and law. Knowledge in these areas promotes quality services and consistency in practice."

"CDMS" has recently been changed from "CIRS" (Certified Insurance Rehabilitation Specialist) to reflect more accurately the fact that professionals with this type of certification are skilled in doing the "most he or she can for an injured worker within the limits of either private sector insurance coverage or the regulations that apply to public sector disability compensation programs" and that "the well-being of the disabled invidual is always [the professionals'] primary consideration."

"CCM" is also a national certification granted, by examination by the Commission for the Certification of Case Managers, which defines Case Management as:

A collaborative process which assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors, and evaluates options and services to meet an individual's health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality, cost effective outcomes.

"QRC" is a role defined by Minnesota's Workers' Compensation statutes . Professionals performing this role are regulated by Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry. All QRCs are responsible for providing vocational rehabilitation services to injured workers. All QRCs must have at least one of three national certifications, one of which is CDMS.

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Return to definition of CDMS

Return to definition of CCM

Return to definition of QRC

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