OOTA Awards

All professionals are invited to submit nominations for any of the OOTA Awards.  This is a great opportunity to recognize professionals in occupational therapy and also a great way to elevate your own involvement in the field!  

We are still seeking nominations for the following awards:

• Pioneer award
• Honorary membership
• Certification of appreciation

ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 21 JULY 2024!  

Summary of Awards for which we seek nominations:  

Don't miss this chance to celebrate those impacting occupational therapy in Ohio and who are shaping the future of our profession!

Award Descriptions

Award of Merit:  The highest honor of OOTA, Inc., for a member who has demonstrated outstanding qualities of leadership, academics, or clinical achievement in the initiation, development or perpetuation of occupational therapy in the state of Ohio.

Selection criteria: 
Nominee shall have demonstrated quality of leadership in development and perpetuation of occupational therapy in one of these areas: outstanding contributions made or the development of OT standards and facilities within the state of Ohio; personal interest and efforts of financial contributions made to promote the establishment of OT; guidance for the professional growth of OT and OOTA, Inc.; other contributions. One or two awards may be given annually. 

Continuing Education Award: An award given to recognize members who with their knowledge and expertise have made a significant contribution to the continuing education and professional development of members of OOTA. 

Selection criteria:
Nominees shall have demonstrated outstanding contributions to continuing education through shared skills and/or knowledge in research, therapeutic practice, education, or administration in workshops, lectures, seminars, and/or professional writings or publications. Nominee may also have demonstrated guidance for the professional growth of continuing education of occupational therapy and OOTA. More than one award may be given annually. 

Virginia Scardina Lectureship Award: An award given to honor a member who has contributed to the development of the body of knowledge of the profession through research, education, and/or clinical practice. 

Selection criteria:
Nominees shall have contributed to the development of the body of knowledge of the profession through research, education or clinical practice. Nominees shall be OTs or OTAs who will share their knowledge and expertise with the membership. Only one award will be given. The nominee will agree to present a talk or workshop at the next OOTA, Inc. meeting.

Pioneer Award: An award given to recognize an individual outside of the profession as a pioneer of OT who has contributed to the establishment and/or development of a specific phase of the profession of OT and has demonstrated continued interest in OT and its effective promotion. 

Selection criteria:
Nominees shall be seen to have demonstrated a continual interest in occupational therapy and its effective promotion. Nominees shall be seen as leaders in one or more of the following: Development of Standards - a professional who has represented occupational therapy to their associates, or physicians and others who have counseled and assisted occupational therapy in the development of standards; Development of Occupational Therapy - individuals who have fostered occupational therapy within the state of Ohio where it was previously unknown or who have sustained this interest for an appropriate length of time; Professional Development - persons who have been influential in the professional development of occupational therapy practice and/or the OOTA. Up to two awards may be given annually. 

Jane Case Smith Outstanding OT Student Award: An award given to acknowledge OT student members of OOTA who participate in activities to promote occupational therapy in their community and who contribute to the professional growth of occupational therapy by participation in leadership roles in their district, state, and/or national associations. 

Selection criteria: 
Nominees shall have demonstrated one or more of the following: served on committees, boards or clubs; mentored; been the recipient of awards of recognition; authored or published articles for AOTA, OOTA, OT Practice; been a presenter at state or national conference; have advocated/promoted occupational therapy; attended/participated in inservices, conferences or district meetings; served as AOTA state delegate. Nominee must have a GPA of 2.5 or better. Two awards may be given annually to OT students.

Sharon K. Ashworth Outstanding OTA Student  Award: An award given to acknowledge OTA student members of OOTA who participate in activities to promote occupational therapy in their community and who contribute to the professional growth of occupational therapy by participation in leadership roles in their district, state, and/or national associations. 

Selection criteria: 
Nominees shall have demonstrated one or more of the following: served on committees, boards or clubs; mentored; been the recipient of awards of recognition; authored or published articles for AOTA, OOTA, OT Practice; been a presenter at state or national conference; have advocated/promoted occupational therapy; attended/participated in inservices, conferences or district meetings; served as AOTA state delegate. Nominee must have a GPA of 2.5 or better. Two awards may be given annually to OTA students.

Certificate of Appreciation: An award given to express the appreciation of the Ohio Occupational Therapy Association for extraordinary contributions to the advancement of occupational therapy in the state of Ohio. 

Selection criteria:
Nominees for this award shall be individuals or groups of individuals whose services and contributions are clearly beyond those of normal professional duties or responsibilities. Nominees who are non-members must show a service or contribution that has markedly benefited occupational therapy. Nominees may be members or non-members. There is no limit to the number of certificates that may be awarded.

Honorary Membership: An award to be conferred for distinguished service in the field of occupational therapy or to a nominee who, by the virtue of professional or community status, has related occupational therapy to the public need. 

Selection criteria:
The nominee need not be a member of OOTA. The nominee shall be recognized by peers as having performed distinguished service in the field of occupational therapy. The nominee shall have professional or community status that relates occupational therapy to the public need. There is no limit to the number of awards that may be presented. 

Legislator Award: An award given to honor a political figure for support and commitment to the advancement of the profession of occupational therapy in the political arena. 

Selection criteria:
The nominee will have demonstrated advocacy for the promotion of OT through legislative means. There shall be no limit of awards given in this category. 

Model Practice Award:  An award given to recognize members for outstanding achievement in the practice of occupational therapy in the state of Ohio. 

Selection criteria:
Nominees for this award may be individual members or a group of members at one facility. Nominees shall have made significant professional contributions in demonstration of innovative and progressive state of the art treatment and or development of assessment tools. Nominees may also have demonstrated guidance in the professional growth of occupational therapy through clinical education, continual quality improvement, client satisfaction and/or demonstration of significant research activities. One award will be given for each individual practice area. There is no limit to the number of awards given annually. Nominees will be asked to submit a proposal for consideration to present a workshop at the next annual OOTA conference. 

Service Award: An award given to recognize individual members of OOTA who have provided services to the association and/or profession through time or task limited activities at a state level, or to recognize individual members who have served in state offices. 

Selection Criteria:
The Nominee shall have provided sustained service to a working body of the OOTA at a state level. Services shall have benefited the profession and the Association. There is no limit to the number of recipients or the number of times an individual may receive this award.

Outstanding Fieldwork Site:

To recognize a fieldwork site that has contributed highly to the profession of occupational therapy, supported occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students, and that demonstrates the following criteria:

Selection criteria:

• Majority occupational therapy staff has AOTA and/or OOTA membership
• Inclusion of the fieldwork educator role as a job expectation and performance standards for advancement include effective functioning as fieldwork educator
• An exemplary fieldwork manual for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants with an ongoing review process
• Quality assurance monitoring on some aspect of providing fieldwork education
• A reputation for exceptional occupational therapy practice in their practice area
• The delivery of ethical, evidence-based, and occupation-centered practice
• Staff with working knowledge and use of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF)
• A 5-year history of providing consistent fieldwork education to occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students
• Good collaboration with academic institutions (e.g., site visits, participation in fieldwork-related educational activities at the academic institution, and so on.)
• Staff development in the areas of teaching, assessment of learning, and supervisory skills
• Commitment to manage and adapt to challenging student placements (i.e., find alternative supervisor, assignments)
• Acceptance of both occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students in Level I and Level II placements
• Consistent positive evaluations from Level I and Level II students
• Institutional commitment to the occupational therapy fieldwork program and meeting students’ needs for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Creative and innovative supervision models

Number awards given: More than one award may be given annually.

Outstanding Fieldwork Educator

The following criteria are designed for recognition of current practice as well as preparing fieldwork for the future. An exemplar of an excellent fieldwork educator demonstrates:

• Ohio Occupational Therapy State Association (OOTA) membership
• Participation in continuing education related to supervision, teaching, and evaluation of learning or mentoring
• Active engagement in ethical, evidence-based, and occupation-centered practice
• Positive evaluations from students who completed their fieldwork experiences with this fieldwork educator
• A 5-year history of providing consistent fieldwork education to students
• Proactive collaboration with other professionals, serving as a team member role model
• Skills at the master clinician level and presents them as a model for students
• Recognition of the uniqueness of each student and adapts his or her supervisory style accordingly
• Active engagement in evaluation of his or her own effectiveness as a supervisor in addition to the fieldwork program
• Contributions to occupational therapy education beyond the fieldwork site (i.e., provides in-services, is a guest lecturer at a college, speaks at a community center, assists with admission interviews at local occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant education program, serves on committees at local OT/OTA education program, and so on)
• Leadership within a professional association that promotes the values of the profession