Making the Grade with Recreational Therapy Accreditation: Comparing the NCTRC Pass Rates of CAAHEP/CARTE Accredited Programs to National Averages

Abstract

Accreditation is a critical process in maintaining standards of consistency and excellence in the academic preparation of students for their chosen profession. While academic programs, professional associations, and credentialing organizations all recognize the importance of programmatic accreditation in recreational therapy professional preparation, there is no current analysis of the impact of accreditation on student professional outcomes. This study examined passing rates on the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) exam by comparing programs accredited by CAAHEP/CARTE to the national average. Results revealed that CAAHEP/CARTE accredited programs had higher passing rates in all years of the five-year examination period and accreditation had a significant impact (p<.001) in pass rate differences. Professional issues related to accreditation and both current and future preparation of recreational therapy students are further examined.

Keywords:

• Accreditation
• CARTE
• credentialing
• NCTRC
• recreational therapy

Disclosure statement

Drs. Loy, Nelson, and Allsop are all board members on the Committee for Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE), a CoA of the Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) and RT faculty within programs accredited by CAAHEP/CARTE. Dr. Johnston is a faculty member and quantitative methodologist at Kansas State University.