Become a Lab Assistant
People lab assist for a variety of reasons like, continuing education hours, preparation for exams, theory and practical hours for the NAIOMT Fellowship Program. Here are the lab assistant requirements:
- Apply and register with NAIOMT as a lab assistant including accepting the agreement below.
- Hold a current PT license.
- Successfully complete the course and exam above the level of the desired course and have maintained currency in the material
- Carry and maintain personal malpractice insurance with a consulting services rider* and provide a copy to cr***********@na****.com
- Obtain permission from the site coordinator and lead faculty
- Pay a one time $55 processing fee
Application
After reading the guidelines below CLICK HERE to Apply.
NAIOMT Registered Lab Assistant Guidelines
As a NAIOMT-registered lab assistant, you will be required to agree to comply with ALL of the following points:
- Maintain a current physical therapy license, and submit a current copy to the Site coordinator when required.
- Maintain current personal malpractice insurance with a consulting services rider and submit a current copy to NAIOMT at cr***********@na****.com.*
- Seek permission of the site coordinator and the lead instructor in a timely fashion.
- Complete a course registration and release of liability for every course at which you function as a lab assistant.
- Request written or verbal feedback from the lead instructor or from other more experienced lab assistants.
- Be prepared to perform in the lab assistant function by reviewing the course, course notes and theory for the course level on which you will assist.
- Come prepared to actively assist the students and the Instructor; passive auditing of the entire class by the lab assistant is not permitted.
- Come prepared to be a model and have techniques demonstrated on you and inform the Instructor(s) of any physical limitations or precautions prior to being a demonstration model.
- Provide assistance to students during lab time (i.e. moving among the tables, checking hand placements, body mechanics or technique, answering student questions regarding theory, technique and clinical reasoning, etc).
- Refer questions to the instructor if unaware of proper technique or correct answer.
- Yield the front lecture tables and front lab rows to students and allow students the opportunity to answer questions posed by the Instructor.
- Pose only legitimate or useful questions during class in an effort to help the students’ understanding or to elucidate a point being made.
- In the lab sessions or breaks, refer ONLY to theory or techniques that have been introduced and taught during the course, unless specifically requested to demonstrate a technique variation by the Instructor. (Despite your expertise, this is not the place to demonstrate your variation of a technique, nor treat a course participant.)
- Treatment of course participant’s pain or dysfunctions during the course or during the breaks is NOT permitted. If the student has a problem or develops a problem during the class, the course Instructor must be informed and will manage the situation.
- Approach each student as one would a patient/client by seeking permission to touch and perform techniques of assessment or treatment.
- Approach each student as one would a patient/client and be alert for contraindications to techniques as well as increasing sensitivity of areas to repeated assessment or treatment.
- Assess the students’ difficulties with comprehension or psychomotor skills and endeavor to facilitate the learning.
- Maintain confidentiality of the course participants’ personal and health information (per HIPAA guidelines).
- If necessary, be prepared to reimburse the site coordinator to cover the course expenses of an “extra person.”
- Assist in room set up and break down, setting out break snacks and clean up and other lab assistant duties as needed or requested by the site coordinator or Instructor.
- Agree to permit NAIOMT to use your e-mail address for internal NAIOMT surveys and communications, including submitting the address to site coordinators and faculty.
Malpractice Insurance
NAIOMT requires lab assistants NAIOMT-sponsored courses to have a malpractice insurance policy to cover them for activities outside of their place of employment.
Obtain and provide to NAIOMT:
- Current malpractice insurance to cover you outside of their place of work or employment. The Malpractice Insurance should also carry a Consulting Services Liability Endorsement Rider or equivalent.
- The Malpractice Insurance Policy must:
- Be in the individual’s name, OR
- Be accompanied by a letter from their employer’s Insurance Company to state that the named individual is all of the following:
- Is an employee or owner of the company whose name appears on the Insurance
- Is covered to perform consulting services outside of their primary place of business
- AND, carry a rider that covers the individual for consultant services (For example, HPSO/CNA Consulting Services Liability Endorsement GSL-5587)