Employer Information

The following information is provided for employers and other individuals seeking additional resources regarding the hiring of “Certified” Recreation/Activity Professionals in healthcare and human services.

How Can Employers verify Certification At-A-Glance?

There are certain measures an employer can take to verify whether an employee or candidate for employment is certified by CTRAC.  Upon the aware of certification and renewal of certification, each “person” receives a certificate.  This official document contains the certificate’s name, certification level, certification expiration date, and certification number.

Qualified vs Certified

What do the certification credentials mean?  The credentials confirm or certify that the individual has met the standards for professional practice, as identified by CTRAC.  They also indicate the individual has been authorized (licensed) by the Consortium for Therapeutic Recreation/Activities Certification (“CTRAC”) to use these credentials.

The credential title “Qualified” is identified as having the appropriate qualification for an office, position, or task.  In the world of activities, a qualified person is someone who has completed and passed the basic or 90-96 hour course (differs in each state, some states only require 36 hours).  This means a person is “qualified” to work in a long term care facility.  The federal regulations state individuals MUST be qualified to work in LTC, therefore, you must meet this requirement.

A “Certified” individual is defined as guaranteed as meeting a standard or to issue a license or certificate to.  In the world of recreation/activities this means the individual has completed one of the following:

  • an Associate or higher degree in Therapeutic Recreation or in Recreation with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation, or
  • complete both 90-96 hour Activity Director Courses with an approved instructor and completed all that is required from CTRAC and have been certified.

We often see potentially confusing similar designations used by non-certified individuals who wish to imply that they are certified by CTRAC.  Agencies and employers should not be identifying job credentials as “CTRAC” certified if those individuals have not met the requirements of CTRAC.

If you have any questions about how to use your certification credential, please do not hesitate to contact CTRAC.