The BTER Foundation is Committed to Quality Health Care

In addition to making sure that clinicians and patients have access to the biotherapeutic “tools” they need, the BTER Foundation all it can to ensure the optimal quality of those tools, along with the practitioners who use them. To that end, the BTER Foundation established the Biotherapy Competency Initiative in 2004, and held its first therapist training workshop in 2005.

 

The BTER Foundation is Committed to Quality Health Care

In addition to making sure that clinicians and patients have access to the biotherapeutic “tools” they need, the BTER Foundation is doing all it can to ensure the optimal quality of those tools, along with the practitioners who use them. To that end, the BTER Foundation established the Biotherapy Competency Initiative in 2004, and held its first therapist training workshop in 2005. Now, in 2014, we are updating our Core Competency Initiative for maggot therapy to ensure that those who complete the program will be ready to provide the best patient care possible.

On this page you can find out how we are advancing this initiative, with progress reports from our Maggot Therapy Competency Committee, plans for a Leech Therapy Competency Committee, and referrals to agencies better equipped to address competency in some of the other biotherapies.

Page Contents:

Maggot Therapy Clinical Competency Project

The MDT Core Curriculum and Certification program committee is collaborating on a thorough range of topics that are necessary knowledge for any practicing maggot therapist. Our long-term goals are to establish this core curriculum and then recommend the methods and procedures for determining competency among therapists who desire certification. Esteemed figures in wound care and maggot therapy comprise our committee of Core Curriculum developers. Through their expertise, the program curriculum is being developed into a comprehensive scope of wound care and MDT knowledge. Committee Members and Qualifications:   

David Armstrong, MD, DPM, PhD, Patricia Ann Bingham, RN, BSN, CWOCN, Robyn Bjork, RN, Jose Contreras-Ruiz, MD, Alicia Fonseca-Munoz, BS, MS, Sharon Mendez, RN, CWS, Kosta Mumcuoglu, PhD, Randall Sullivan, RN, Tarek Tantawi, PhD, Aletha Tippett, MD, MChem

Leech Therapy Clinical Competency Project

We are currently recruiting committee members to recommend a core curriculum of knowledge and skills that should be required for hirudotherapists claiming competency. This curriculum will be useful to all those who are training hirudotherapists, as well as all those hirudotherapists in training themselves. If you have knowledge or experience in this area, or would simply like to help work on this project, please contact us here at the BTER Foundation.

Bee Venom Therapy Clinical Competency

The BTER Foundation does not currently plan to create a curriculum nor a certification program for bee venom therapy. The American Apitherapy Society already has a successful program that educates bee venom therapists. If you are interested in enrolling in one of these training courses, please contact the American Apitherapy Society for more information.