Page 25 - Mobility Management, March 2020

The Top 3 Qualities
We then added a skill — the ability to troubleshoot during the equipment procurement process — and asked respondents to choose the three most important ATP skills or qualities, regard- less of whether that ATP was working as a clinician or a supplier. Survey participants gave each quality a score of 1 (for the most important), 2 (second-most important), 3 (third-most important), or “Not among the top 3 most important.”
We then weighted the scores to come up with the top three:
#1: Clinical knowledge of seating/wheeled mobility and func- tion edged out the second-place finisher by just 4 points.
#2: On-the-job knowledge gained by personal experience finished second, but actually received the highest number of first- place votes of any skill/quality listed.
#3: Knowledge of current seating and mobility equipment choices, because this is the other half of the “know-your-client equation.
Honorable mentions: Emotional intelligence was #4, and Knowledge of funding and documentation requirements was #5. After that, there was a big gap, statistically speaking, between the top five and the last five.
What Else Is Important?
To keep the survey user friendly, we pre-populated ATP qualities we thought were important. But in the final part of the survey, respondents were asked to expand on the abilities and qualities they feel are necessary for an ATP to be successful.
“I have always strongly believed that there needs to be some ‘formal’ education to be an ATP supplier,” said one clinician. “There is no other field that allows no formal education, and then allows direct contact with and decisions about clients. That, in combination with therapists who ‘don’t feel like’ doing seating evals or documentation makes me worry
“You need to be a kind and intelligent person who listens to the customer’s needs and tries to incorporate them into the clinical outcome with any equipment,” a respondent said. “People need to know that they have been listened to, and if you are unable to give them what they want, then it needs to be explained to them in a kind way and all of their questions answered, no matter how unimportant to you that may be.”
“Willingness to advocate for the client’s needs and provide equipment that is the most appropriate, with profit margins as a secondary concern,” said a respondent.
On the business side, respondents emphasized profession- alism and organizational skills. “Timeliness, attention to detail, excellent communication skills, both written and verbal,” one said. “Time management with appointments and order process,” said a second. “Follow-through,” said a third, in capital letters. “Clear conversations with teammates regarding assistance and a responsiveness to team.”
In fact, teamwork was another popular theme. “Respect for their staff and fellow employees” was one comment. Another said, “Belief in team approach, willingness to learn, willingness to go the extra mile for the patient, an expert in teaching.” A pediatric specialist said, “Willingness to collaborate between therapists/engineers and non-degree ATPs. Collaboration for the pediatric population is also difficult between clinical settings and school or private therapists who do not work in seating clinics.
It remains essential that the team knows the equipment user, as well as the equipment itself.”
A commenter brought up the importance of professionalism to the future of CRT: “Commitment to the viability of the industry. Not taking every available dollar off of the table, but being prudent with prescription and insurance funds available to patients. Being a community advocate and not inflating the
about our clients. I know this is a negative view, but a huge concern.”
“PATIENCE [AND] THOROUGHNESS AS FAR AS ASKING AS MANY QUESTIONS DURING THE EVAL PROCESS SO YOU CAN PROPERLY EVALUATE EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS GET TO KNOW YOUR PATIENT,” SAID ONE COMMENT
industry by selling the kitchen sink to every patient.”
And there was plenty of input that referred to intangibles.
“Creativity and perseverance,” said one comment. “The ATP should be excited about their role, which allows a much more involved provider,” said a second.
“Patience [and] thoroughness as far as asking as many questions during the eval process so you can properly evaluate equip- ment, as well as get to know your patient,” said another. “What are their goals, fears and objectives? What obstacles will they
Keeping the client at the center of
the process, from assessment through
fitting and equipment procurement, was
a recurring theme. “Probably comes into
emotional intelligence,” said one partici-
pant, “but the ability to listen and respond
to the priorities of each individual is very
important. That sense of working with a
client jointly towards a common goal is
so important. The ability to set clear goals
and judge the success of outcomes via
these goals is also the key to dissecting what needs to change or improve for current and future clients, to improve outcomes, or more importantly, the perceived success of outcomes, which are not always the same thing!”
face day to day?”
“Pay special attention to your client and their caregiver’s capa-
bilities, desires and concerns,” a respondent advised.
“The ability to understand things from a client’s perspective,”
said a participant, “and make suggestions on how to improve function and support to achieve greater independence.”
And one participant simply said, “Empathy.” m
MOBILITY MANAGEMENT | MARCH 2020 23
“The organization I work for has a policy of communication with clients every 10 days by the ATP,” said a commenter. “This policy includes repair clients as well as new rehab orders.”
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