FROM THE NRRTS OFFICE

NRRTS — STARTING A NEW YEAR

Written by: CAREY BRITTON, ATP/SMS, CRTS®

As we begin a new year, many of us look back over the year to not only see the success but also what can be learned from the past year’s challenges. I believe we should also spend time thinking of what we are grateful for. In my professional life, I am grateful to be working with a company that still allows me to do what is right and necessary for the equipment user and the referral sources served. I am grateful to be able to work with many wonderfully talented doctors and therapists who have the same goals. I am grateful to have many amazing clients who trust me to provide equipment solutions for them and their families. I am grateful to NRRTS and their Registrants who have provided me resources to elevate my skills and capability to be a valued resource within the community that I call home.

While going through this process, I thought about how complex what we do is and that studying and passing the ATP exam is a start, but how much more is to learn to perform at the level necessary to be successful. NRRTS was the resource that provided me access to the registration and resources to guide me to become the professional I am today. When I was a business owner, I was invested and committed to making it work. I knew I could outwork others but needed access to mentors and education that could hasten my knowledge and growth to be the best I could be. Having access to some of the elite in our industry, the best CEU courses, and world class journals, and going to conferences and learning about the industry and advocacy were priceless.

Today NRRTS is more important than ever. The stakes are higher now, with insurance payments not keeping up with the costs to provide them. The pressure on the rehab technology supplier (RTS) on doing it right has never been greater. Making a mistake in a complicated process will be the difference between whether the company makes money or takes a loss.

I have been trying to understand why more ATPs are not NRRTS Registrants when NRRTS provides:

• Access to mentors within the Registry.

• Access to the only journal focused on what we do.

• Access to high quality CEU courses that fulfill the requirements of RESNA’s ATP and NRRTS’s Registration.

• Support of the only organization whose mission it is to improve the landscape for the RTS.

• Information on the direction of the industry and what can be done to make it better.

• Perspective from outside the organization.

• Recognition as a rehab professional who follows high standards of practice.

I am starting to believe it is the difference between the perception of a job versus a career. When we take on a career, we appreciate and value what we do. We know we are in it for the long game and commit resources and time necessary for success. We want to be recognized as the best at what we do.

It is up to us to thank our peers who continue to make a difference each day and make the time to educate those who have not yet seen the value in NRRTS. We need to let the companies we work for understand how valuable NRRTS is for their business. We need to educate the community so any time complex rehab is mentioned they appreciate and demand a NRRTS Registrant.

I hope you are as excited as I am with direction of NRRTS. Thank you to the visionaries and current supporters of NRRTS.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR

Carey may be reached at CAREY.BRITTON@NSM-SEATING.COM

Carey Britton, ATP/SMS, CRTS ® , is the branch manager and seating and mobility specialist for National Seating & Mobility in Pompano Beach, Florida. He has worked in the Complex Rehab Technology industry for 30 years and previously owned Active Mobility Center. A longtime NRRTS Registrant, Britton is the current president of the organization’s executive committee.