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Home News Pendergast Earns Highest Certification for Hand Therapy

Pendergast Earns Highest Certification for Hand Therapy

Published: Sunday, January 21, 2007

Carolyn Pendergast, an Occupational Therapist at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, recently achieved the distinguished designation as a Certified Hand Therapist from the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTTC).

“Becoming a Certified Hand Therapist is a rigorous process, and we are extremely proud of Carolyn’s accomplishment,” said Brian Wood, Director of Rehabilitation Services at UT Medical Center. “This certification is the highest mark of achievement a therapist can earn in the treatment of hand injuries. Carolyn’s expertise and level of knowledge in this area of treatment are of tremendous benefit to her patients.”

Pendergast, one of just six local therapists to earn this credential, completed a series of challenging examinations and clinical studies in order to earn certification from HTTC, the only organization that grants hand therapy certification in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Requirements to qualify for certification include at least five years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, a minimum of 4,000 hours of direct hand practice in hand therapy and successful completion of a comprehensive examination of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper quarter rehabilitation.

“Even the slightest loss of function in your hands can be devastating,” Pendergast said. “It is just so rewarding to work with a patient who has suffered loss of function through either injury or disease and help them regain that function.”

Pendergast lives in Powell with her husband, Brent, a Physical Therapist and Outpatient Clinical Manager of Rehabilitation Services at UT Medical Center, and their children, Audrey and Sydney. The family attends Bearden United Methodist Church.

Pendergast, an Occupational Therapist at UT Medical Center for seven years, holds a bachelor of science from the University of Tennessee and a master’s in occupational therapy from Texas Woman’s University.

For additional information about hand and upper extremity therapy services, contact Rehabilitation Services at The University of Tennessee Medical Center at 865.544.6630.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.