Prior to the 2016 AGM, the OATA will be hosting a Knowledge Café for all interested Candidates and/or Certified Members. This is the perfect opportunity for those who are still AT students and Certified ATs themselves to learn all about the business of being an Athletic Therapist. Participants will engage in a series of round table discussions with industry professionals on various topics designed to educate and prepare OATA Members for the business world. The association is hoping to help Members improve their competencies as they enter practice whether they become an employee, contract worker or entrepreneur. Sessions will cover business related topics such as starting a small business or sole proprietorship, marketing yourself, tax issues and facilitating interdisciplinary partnerships. All this in addition to CATA exam prep and postcertification mentorship rounds out an impressive day. HOW IT WORKS A Knowledge café is a fairly established event format for sharing as much information as possible in a very interactive way. The format provides a unique, interactive exchange for participants and gives them the opportunity to pick what they want more info/knowledge on as opposed to being stuck in a room being talked at. Participants pick and choose what they want information on and can sit out to network. Interested Members must register for a minimum of 3 sessions, but should select as many as 5 to get the most out of the afternoon. Registrants will be divided into groups and rotated through the topics every 30 minutes. Each session will be comprised of a 15 minute presentation with 10 minutes devoted to Q&A. Valuable handouts will also be provided to registrants from each presenter. All of this is being offered for just $10.00 for any Member who wishes to attend. Coffee and treats will be served. There will be time set aside before the end of the Café for last minute questions and answers with all instructors.
YOUR INSTRUCTORS Starting a Small Business/Sole Proprietorship with Amy Husar CAT(C), RMT This successful Athletic Therapy business owner will share her story and provide insight on how newly certified ATs can begin to build their own successful business. The session will focus on various strategies such as networking and marketing. About Amy: Amy started her AT career working two consecutive seasons in the CFL and at the National Ballet of Canada. She now operates a successful AT/RMT business out of a clinic in Georgetown, ON. Using valuable networking skills along with her passion for exercise education Amy continues to grow a business where she utilizes her manual therapy and exercise coaching skills. She continues to be an occasional therapist at the National Ballet of Canada and balances treating professional, amateur and non-athletes on a regular basis. Amy also works as a lab technician in the Kinesiology program at McMaster University teaching "Sports Injuries" and "Functional Rehabilitation" to third and fourth year students. Post-Certification Mentorship with Chris Kelly B.a. Kin, CAT(C) This presentation will discuss Post-Certification Mentorship, focusing on the current Certification Candidate who is preparing to complete the CATA Certification Exam and recently Certified Athletic Therapists. We will explore how to seek out mentors that can offer guidance and advice at the beginning of your career, methods and strategies for maintaining current contacts, as well as creating new professional relationships with both Athletic Therapists and other professionals. The selection of continuing education courses and other professional development will be explored in terms of how they influence you as a therapist and your developing career. This will be followed with an interactive question and answer period. About Chris: Chris Kelly is a Certified Athletic Therapist whose career includes time spent as the Head Therapist for the York University Varsity Football Team as well as being Outdoor Sports/ Stadium Clinic Supervisor. He also spent two years working at George Brown College in
Toronto including a stint as the Athletic Therapy Coordinator, and previously worked as a Sport Conditioning Coach at Twist Sport Conditioning in Burlington, Ontario. Currently he is the Head Therapist for the Ontario Blues Senior Men s Rugby Team. Chris completed his Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and Health Sciences along with the Athletic Therapy Certification Program at York University. Chris specializes in contact sport coverage and his main areas of clinical focus are Manual Therapy and Exercise based rehab and training. Tax Issues Khalid Usman FCPA, FCA As a health care practitioner you may be practicing as a contract worker, solo entrepreneur or may be considering incorporation. Regardless, there are tax implications to your choices. Come get a quick overview of how to keep more of the money you earn. About Khalid: Khalid Usman, by profession, is a chartered accountant with over 40 years of business experience. He served as a Municipal Councillor in the Town of Markham for nine years (1997-2006). He has also served on the Board of Markham District Energy Inc. from 2000 to date during which time significant planning and building of the system was being undertaken in conjunction with the growth of Markham Centre. Khalid sits on many corporate as well as non-profit boards in various capacities, as the Chair of Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation, Member of the board of Unionville Home Society Foundation, Director and Treasurer, The Frank Scarpitti Charitable Foundation. Member of Capital Campaign committee of Markham Stouffville Hospital, and Chair of the Committee of Adjustment, Town of Markham. Post-Certification Mentorship with Chris Dezorzi, CAT(C) The CATA National Board Exam can be very stressful and overwhelming for certification candidates. This presentation aims to provide clarity and reduce uncertainties as candidates attempt the CATA National exam by examining the following: - a brief overview of the overall process - expectations on the CATA National exam - exam-day protocols and procedures - a breakdown of the various components of the exam
The focus will then shift to recipes for success. By recognizing historical areas of strength and weakness of past candidates, we will discuss a variety of study tips, strategies and guidelines aimed at matching individuals learning styles to the structure of the exam, including a brief discussion of the Candidate Certification Program provided by the OATA. The goal is to help create good study habits with organized objectives that will ultimately lead to successful results. Students will have the opportunity throughout the seminar to ask questions. About Chris: Chris has been a Certified Athletic Therapist since 2013. After graduating from Queen s University, he attained his Master s in Kinesiology and Athletic Therapy Certificate from York University where he worked with the York men s soccer & volleyball teams, University of Toronto football, and with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Since being certified, Chris has worked at Humber College and Core Solutions Physiotherapy clinic. Currently, Chris is an Athletic Therapist with George Brown Huskies and with the Canadian Women s U20 Soccer team, and is also a course instructor at a private college in Toronto teaching Diet and Nutrition, Gross Anatomy, and Pathophysiology. Chris is a member of the OATA as the Vice-President of Academic and Student Liaison Committee, and the Program Director of the OATA Certification Candidate Program. Facilitating Interdisciplinary Partnerships Curtis Wilson, H.BKin, CSCS, CAT(C) This presentation will discuss the operations and relationships needed for a multi-disciplinary facility to operate smoothly, maximizing the most appropriate care for clients seeking help with their dysfunctions. Specifically we will discuss the relationships and operations when combining the Strength & Conditioning realm with Athletic Therapy. Assessment, identification, correction, and training By following this protocol, one has the ability to adequately assess an individuals movement competency and capacity, and establish appropriate corrective exercises/drills to help re-set an individuals dysfunction. When in-conjunction with an appropriate Strength & Conditioning program, resolving these issues is accelerated and permanent. Discussion on creating partnership and blending multiple disciplines such as Physiotherapy, Chiropractic and Massage Therapy, under one-roof will also take place. Establishing relationships with other practitioners is an integral part of building ones professional career and future clinic/facility. Post presentation, all of these topics will be open for discussion in an interactive question and answer period after. About Curtis: Curtis is Co-Owner and Operator of 'PEAKS - Training & Therapy', located in Mississauga, ON. While being a Certified Athletic Therapist, he is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. At PEAKS, a different approach is taken to achieving results from their
clients; by combining their unique movement and competency assessment protocol, they are able to prescribe corrective exercise, in-conjunction with traditional strength & conditioning, to seek specific adaptations needed by the individual; the overall focus always being on Quality Movement no matter the age or skill. With over 10+ years of working with youth athletes, and adults of all ages and abilities, Curtis experiences have allowed him to truly combine the Therapy and Training realms into one profession! Marketing Yourself David Quenneville, MBA, CTP Founder, CEO new clients. The FHMatch presentation will discuss how to market and brand yourself or your company. We will discuss what you will need to do to ensure that you are marketing yourself correctly and how to do that. We will provide you with a basic skills and methodology regarding digital and social media marketing. How that awareness of social and digital marketing will help to increase your brand awareness and find About David: As a past collegiate competitor an active participant in rugby, soccer and mountain bike racing, I am very passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and helping consumers find the right fit in professional health and wellness services. In my experience, finding credible services from professionals that fit my needs was a frustrating and timeconsuming exercise, with no central place to search, select and connect. There had to be an easier way. We all know where to go to find recommendations and ratings for restaurants and travel accommodations, why couldn t we have this for fitness, health and wellness professionals? In Early 2014, after fourteen months of research and development, we founded a central website focused on customer engagement and showcasing professional profiles. We felt it would be important to be as easy to use and as robust as the current social media platforms out there today. We required the website to be open, accessible, free, and ultimately optimized. The resulting effort is FHMatch. In my professional background, my career has focused in customer benefit to value and strategic mapping. With 20 years of experience in senior portfolio management, across several verticals in relationship management. My tenure is well versed in strategic management with global accountability in international and domestic markets in B2B management. Over the last several years my roles in global leadership has centered on managing relationships for IT and operations in banking & financial services, including markets in North America, Europe and Asia.
With a strong and consistent methodical approach, as a dynamic leader, I focus on consistently executing strategic positions on targets and benchmarks, by advising global banks in the digital age. Marketing Yourself Adam Arifi, Co-Founder, EVP About Adam: When I was first approached about my thoughts on FHMatch, I immediately valued the idea of a web-platform that would concentrate on customer engagement and client access, while showcasing professionals involved in the health and wellness industry. I have led a very active lifestyle, over the years I have been plagued with numerous reoccurring injuries. As a result, I understand the struggle and difficulty involved in locating a reliable knowledgeable professional to treat my chronic aches and pains. Trying to locate a professional has been a painful and time consuming process which has led me to realize the importance that FHMatch.com is a much need solution in the market place. I bring my unique background as an entrepreneur, small business owner, with an abundance of determination and life-skills to help build FHMatch success. The knowledge cafe was initiated to provide information to bridge the gap when transitioning from Student Athletic Therapist to Certified Athletic Therapist entering the workforce. As a recent grad myself, I understand the challenges new therapists face and how difficult it can be to find full-time work with adequate compensation. The knowledge cafe was designed to equip students and newly certified ATs with the knowledge and skill-set they need to be competitive and successful as they enter the professional world. Jessica Patterson, CAT(C) Academic & Student Liaison Committee Chair Contact Jessica Patterson for more information at jessicapatterson.jp@gmail.com