Burn Therapist Certified (BT-C) Reviewer Portfolio & Resources

Each assigned reviewer will be sent the following information via email from ABA Staff:

1. Four EFs (in pdf format) that comprise the Portfolio Application and embedded links to supporting information.
2. A Formstack link to the Reviewer Evaluation Form and reminder of reviewer number.
3. Link to Reviewer Handbook including Appendix 4 with Practice Domain Standards and SPO grid.

Reviewers may print the Portfolio Application or choose to review it in electronic pdf format. In either case, carefully read through all of the EFs submitted as part of the Portfolio Application.

Review the Practice Domain Standard and associated SPO grid for the domains that were selected by the applicant for their EFs. The Evaluation, Treatment and Discharge Planning Domain is required. The applicant will have chosen a total of 3-4 domains. The SPO grid provides the criteria that you will be using to determine if the information provided meets the standard and the specific objectives. The SPO grid includes an SPO guide column which provided the applicant with information that should be addressed in the response to meet the SPO. An additional column with evaluation criteria is included which lists specific components for reviewers to use to determine if the SPO is met in the response provided. This information is available to the applicant as well to facilitate full transparency in the review process.

Use the SPO grid to evaluate whether or not the applicant’s response meets the defined SPOs for the chosen Practice Domain. A score should be provided for every SPO on all four of the EFs. The options for scoring of each SPO are:

0 – Applicant does NOT address the criteria in the information presented
1 – Applicant PARTIALLY addresses the criteria in the information presented
2 – Applicant SUFFICIENLTY addresses the criteria in the information presented

If you score the SPO as a 0 or 1, please add a comment as to why it does not sufficiently meet the SPO. If you score the SPO with a 2, you may also provide a response if you wish but it is not required.

At the end of each EF, you will be able to provide general comments about the strengths, weakness or areas that need further clarification/ description in the application. Please write them in a manner that is helpful and informative to the applicant. If the applicant decision is ‘No’ or’ Inconclusive’, the applicant will receive a copy of these comments.

After reviewing all of the EFs, you will be asked to make an overall recommendation regarding qualification for BT-C status. Your decision should be based on the Portfolio Application as a whole to determine if the information provided represents a burn therapist with advanced and specialized knowledge, skills and experience in burn rehabilitation. It is helpful to review the numeric score provided from a sum of all of the SPOs. Review this score and ensure that it reflects your overall impression of the application. Based on data from the BT-C alpha and beta tests a score below 60% does not qualify for certification and a score above 90% qualifies. Between 60-90%, the recommendation may vary depending on the application and reviewer’s evaluation. The options for BT-C recommendation are:

• “Qualified” – Applicant meets certification criteria
• “Inconclusive” – Applicant must resubmit application with additional information for consideration of certification status
• “Not qualified” – Applicant does NOT meet criteria for certification status

After you have completed all parts of the Reviewer Evaluation Form, submit the form to ABA. If at any time you need to leave the Reviewer Evaluation Form, it is important that you save your work online. Formstack will provide you with a link to re-access your Reviewer Evaluation Form and continue.

In some cases, the applicant will be asked to re-submit his/her application with additional information to be considered for BT-C status. In these cases, if you served as the original reviewer, you will be asked to provide additional review(s) of the re-submission(s). The applicant may re-submit up to two times after the initial submission. When reviewing a re-submission, you will reference the original Reviewer comments to determine if the SPOs are met with the additional information/ clarification provided. The scoring and recommendation will be done in the same manner as the original review.

The overall Portfolio Score, the recommendation for certification and comments provided by each reviewer will be used in making a final decision. In most cases, the Portfolio Application will have an odd number of reviewers. The number of reviewers who recommended Qualified, Inconclusive and Not Qualified will be tallied and the category with the largest number of votes will be the final determination.

Example

PCC Review – In cases where an odd number of reviewers were not achieved and there is a tie in the count of recommendation, the PCC chair will review the comments from the reviewers and if a determination for certification cannot be made, the Portfolio Application will be sent to an additional reviewer.

Options for a final BT-C status include:

• “Qualified” – Applicant meets certification criteria
• “Inconclusive” – Applicant must resubmit application with additional information for consideration of certification status
• “Not qualified” – Applicant does NOT meet criteria for certification status

Qualified

If an application holistically reflects a burn therapist with strong clinical knowledge, skills, experience in burn rehabilitation and the therapist sufficiently meets the Practice Domain Standard and associated SPOs in the responses, then the applicant is determined to be Qualified for BT-C status. The applicant will receive notification that they have achieved certification status. The certification is valid for 5 years. During the 5-year term, the BT-C qualified therapist will need to maintain an ABA membership and maintain minimum criteria eligibility in order to maintain BT-C status. If the BT-C therapist plans to re-certify at the end of the certification term, he/she will have to achieve the re-certification requirements during the 5-year term.

Inconclusive

If an application reflects a therapist with strong clinical knowledge, skill and experience but multiple SPOs are not met or only partially met in the responses provided, the recommendation will be “Inconclusive – resubmit with additional information.” The applicant will be sent the decision with the reviewers’ comments. The comments should guide the applicant on what additional information is needed for clarification or elaboration of responses in order to sufficiently meet the defined SPO criteria. Changes or additions to one or multiple EFs may be recommended. The applicant should read the review comments carefully and ensure that they are addressed in the resubmission. The applicant will have 3 months resubmit the application. Once the resubmission is received, it will be reviewed again using the same review procedure described above. The Portfolio Application will again be scored by reviewers and recommendations for BT-C status will be provided based on the modified submission. Applicants will have two opportunities (after initial submission) to resubmit with clarification or additional information. If not successful after the second resubmission, certification will be denied and the applicant will need to begin the process again after a minimum of 6 months.

Not Qualified

If an applicant insufficiently responds to multiple SPOs and is unable to demonstrate they have advanced and specialized knowledge, skill and experience in burn rehabilitation to the reviewers, the certification decision will be Not qualified. The applicant will be provided with the reviewers’ comments and feedback. The applicant may reapply for BT-C after 6 months. It is recommended that the applicant revise the Portfolio Application based on the feedback provided or select other Practice Domain Standards that may better represent burn rehabilitation expertise.