Mary Jane Damme, an occupational therapist at Wamego Health Center’s Heartland Rehabilitation, earned her Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) credential. The CHT credential is the highest recognition of competency in upper limb rehabilitation.

Damme, who grew up in Blaine, has been an occupational therapist at Wamego Health Center for 7 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of North Dakota and a master’s degree from North Dakota State University.

Damme said she began preparing for the certification in January 2018 and after her May 2020 exam was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, she took her exam in November.

“Mary Jane has been committed to patient care and quality for the entirety of her career,” said Steve Land, a physical therapist and administrator of Wamego Health Center. “Her willingness to expand on her education and therefore expand on the services provided to our community is greatly appreciated. The opportunity to offer a Certified Hand Therapist to the Wamego community is a specialty area that should be celebrated.”

In order to receive the certification, therapists must have at least three years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, a minimum of 4,000 hours in direct practice in hand therapy, and successful completion of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper limb rehabilitation. There are approximately 6,200 individuals worldwide hold this marked designation. 

With Damme’s certification, she can now provide advanced therapy care to patients with injuries, work-related conditions, inflammation disorders, nerve injuries and compressions, tendon injuries/repairs, disorders and more. 

For more information about Heartland Rehabilitation, call 785-458-7211.