Can South African biokineticists function as recreational therapists: a review of the minimum training standards relevant to each profession?

ABSTRACT

In South Africa, the profession of Recreational Therapy is recognized by neither the Health Professions Council South Africa (HPCSA) nor the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA). However, the South African profession of biokinetics is an accredited HPCSA member, which shares a proximity of Recreational Therapy. The American National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) serves as the gold standard for the prescribed minimum training standards (MTS) of the profession of Recreational Therapy due to the absence of a national South African health statutory affiliation. This commentary reviews the MTS of biokinetics as compared to the NCTRC MTS, so as to ascertain whether biokineticists can function as recreational therapists. A literature search was conducted in Google Scholar, using the key-search terms “recreational therapist biokineticist.” Six hundred and fourteen records were uncovered, which were reduced to nine. The quality of each record was evaluated through the use of the modified Downs and Black Appraisal Scale. The literature analysis suggests that the MTS of the South African Biokinetic curriculum and those of the NCTRC share a number of common prerequisites, but are not wholly in accordance with each other. Biokineticists are therefore inequitable to American NCTRC trained recreational therapists.

OPSOMMING

In Suid Afrika word die professie Rekreasionele Terapie nie herken deur die Gesondheidsberoepe Raad van Suid Afika (GBRSA) of die Verwante Gesondheidsberoepe Raad van Suid Afrika (VGBRSA) nie. Die Suid Afikaanse professie Biokinetika is egter wel ‘n geakkrediteerde lid van die GBRSA, wat eenheid deel met Rekreasionele Terapie. Die Amerikaanse Nationale Raad vir Terapeutiese Rekreasie Sertifikaat (NRTRS) dien as die goue standaard vir die voorgeskrewe minimum standaarde vir opleiding (MSO) vir die professie van Rekreationele Terapie, as gevolg van die afwesigheid van ‘n wettige Nationale Suid Afrikaanse Gesondheidsaffiliasie. Hierdie skrywe hersien die MSO van Biokinetika in vergelyking met die NRTRS MSO, om vas te stel of biokinetikuste kan funksioneer as rekreationele terapuete. ‘n Literatuur soektog was gedoen in Google Scholar deur gebruik te maak van die sleutelterme “rekreationele terapie biokinetikus”. Ses honderd en veertien argiewe het opgeduik, wat verminder was na nege toe. Die kwaliteit van elke argief was ge-evalueer deur die gebruik van die gemodifiseerde “Downs and Black Appraisal Scale”. Die literatuur analise stel voor dat die MSO van die Suid Afrikaanse Biokinetika kurrikulum en dié van die NRTRS, deel ‘n paar algemene voor vereistes, maar is nie ten volle belyn met mekaar nie. Biokinetikuste is dus nie belyn met die Amerikaanse NRTRS gekwalifiseerde rekreationele terapeute nie.

KEYWORDS:

• Biokineticist
• recreational therapist
• recreation therapy
• therapeutic recreation

SLEUTELTERME:

• biokinetikus
• rekreationele terapeut
• rekreasie terapie
• terapeutiese rekreasie

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Mrs Cindy Kriel for her assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.