Your 2019 ASHT Membership

Posted by Linda Klein, OTR, CHT 10/16/2018

Greetings from the ASHT President!

I am so excited and honored to have stepped into the role of ASHT President. I would like to begin by answering a few frequently asked questions: Why is it important to be a member of ASHT? What does it do for me? The short answer is that for a $250 membership fee, members have access to an annual average of $850 of free CEUs from Journal Club chats, novice online study group and maximal mentorship involvement. Having volunteered with ASHT since 2008, I have seen member benefits expand by leaps and bounds, providing quality, affordable education and opportunity for professional growth for members.

Beyond that, it is impossible to put a price on the protection of our specialty and profession. ASHT has put into place the Legislative Action Center, which both lists issues and allows us to very quickly reach out to our legislators to affect pending legislation that would impact our profession. This year, ASHT has initiated the use of a legislative consultant to increase awareness of pending and current legislation, and help us efficiently and effectively form responses.

If you are a member of ASHT, please renew for 2019. If you are not a member of ASHT, please consider membership now, especially if you are a CHT. Did you know that without ASHT, we would not have the Hand Therapy Certification specialty designation? I think sometimes it is forgotten that ASHT established a certification committee in 1984, which later became the foundation for establishing HTCC.

The most common reason that I hear for not being a member of ASHT is cost; however, affordability of ASHT membership is remarkable considering its benefits, of which I have mentioned only a few. We can’t afford to NOT be a member of ASHT, both for affordable continuing education, professional development and the protection it affords our profession. To continue to grow our profession, we need to grow our membership. Please join ASHT or renew your membership today.