With all the nuances in terminology in our industry, it is hard to know the right way to say
things in order to market yourself appropriately. With more ways than ever to reach a growing audience, clinicians who utilize hippotherapy as a treatment tool in their practice need to be cognizant of not only their print marketing, but their digital and social marketing as well. It is often hard as professionals to find the right balance between using the appropriate words to describe our profession and the tools we use, and using words that laypeople understand and use in everyday language.

Unlicensed practice may be defined as a person claiming to perform activities of a licensed healthcare professional such as Physical Therapy, Speech Language Pathology, and/or Occupational Therapy. When you become aware of unlicensed practice in your state (or another) as a licensed healthcare professional you are ethically* required to report this activity. The best way is to contact that state’s Professional Licensing Board. The best process is to:

1. Look up the Professional Licensing Board website for the profession the person is claiming to perform.
2. Verify the licensure status of the individual you are researching.  Is the license current, expired, or unlicensed?
3. Next find the location on the site to “File a Complaint”.
4. Find the “Forms” section. You may need to print a form and mail it, or file electronically: this varies by state.
5. Complete the form using as much detail as possible. If the unlicensed practice has a website or Facebook page promoting the unlicensed activity, take a screenshot for your records. You may need to provide a copy to the Licensing Board, as well.
6. Most complaint forms may be completed anonymously, however, this makes the complaint hard to track.
7. The State may choose to investigate.

It is also recommended that you contact the applicable state’s professional therapy organization(s), as they may take immediate action. State OT/PT/SLP associations have been know to write a cease and desist letter regardless of involvement with the licensing board. A list of the state associations for AOTA, APTA and ASHA are found on the AHA, Inc. website under the Resources tab.

Are you  confused by terminology? Did you know that it can be really easy when we consider how we  practice with any tool we use in our therapy practice. Are you a swiss ball therapist or a PT, OT or  SLP? Are you a playground therapist, or  dressing therapist? Do you do sand box assisted therapy? Balance board assisted therapy ? Toy assisted therapy? …….I could go on and hopefully you answered “No, I  am a PT and the therapy is physical therapy or I am an OT and the therapy is occupational therapy or I am a SLP and the therapy is speech and language therapy.” 

Click Here to see a free webinar presentation on Terminology and its effects on research and reimbursement that was presented at the HETI 2018 Congress in Dublin Ireland.

FAIR WARNING: THIS IS A HOT TOPIC IN THE INDUSTRY, AND IT MIGHT RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS.

Our everyday practices are informed by our professional knowledge base and personal experiences. We blend this information to guide us and rationalize that our actions in practice are evidence-based. During our professional education, we learn that evidence-based practice (EBP) is “the integration of best research evidence (when available) with clinical expertise and patient values” (Sackett et al., 1996, p.312). In the absence of research evidence, we must rely on our clinical expertise and the values and preferences of our clients.

ETHICS:

1. A branch of philosophy dealing with values pertaining to human conduct, considering the rightness and wrongness of actions and the goodness or badness of the motives and ends of such actions.
2. Systematic rules or principles governing right conduct. Each practitioner, upon entering a profession, is invested with the responsibility to adhere to the standards of ethical practice and conduct set by the profession.

(Source: https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ethics)

“. . . when describing human-horse interactions in relation to human services. It is essential that terminology, as outlined, be used to promote clarity, consistency, and transparency in settings including marketing, research, and clinical documentation . . .

The following is an article written by our Research Committee Chair Ellen Erdman It covers details about the AHCB including it’s history and function. 

The American Hippotherapy Certification Board (AHCB), was created in 1998 to develop and maintain a method to validate the knowledge of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech/Language providers using hippotherapy in clinical practice.  This directly supports the AHA, Inc. mission “Improve lives by advancing education, best practices and resources for licensed healthcare professionals who incorporate horses in therapy”.  To provide evidence of advanced education and use of best practices, certification tests were developed.