COTBC News Archive January to December 2011

Volunteers Needed for Standards Committee

September 30, 2011

New members are needed for the Standards Committee. Please complete an Expression of Interest form and return it to the College. Although the College is only seeking volunteers for the Standards Committee at this time, your completed form is kept on file and as vacancies occur, the registrar will be in touch.

Updated Guideline Now Posted

September 30, 2011

The 2nd edition of the practice guideline: Supervising Support Personnelwill replace the original document, Assigning of Service Components to Unregulated Support Personnel (March 2004). This new guideline was updated by the Standards Committee to increase clarity and reflect changes in practice. You will find updated resources and references throughout the document as well as an expanded definition and supervision section and a revised decision making tool. Based on positive feedback from other guidelines a practice expectations checklist has been added and is found at the back of the document.

Mark Your Calendars

September 30, 2011

Occupational therapists and the public are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, October 29 from 11:45 am – 1:00 pm at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel at 1180 West Hastings Street in Vancouver.

Registration begins at 9:00 am, followed by the Pre-AGM Session:

Professional Boundaries – is there an “app” for that?

 

Keynote Speaker

Elinor Larney, Deputy Registrar,
College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario

Maintaining professional boundaries is critical because setting limits clearly defines a safe therapeutic relationship between occupational therapists and their clients. Crossing these boundaries is a slippery slope that can lead to an uncomfortable situation at best…or in a worst-case scenario to an event that harms the client.

As times change we need to make sure we are cognisant of any new challenges on our horizon. With rapid developments in technology and the prevalence of social media (e.g., Facebook) we may be faced with unfamiliar situations that challenge our professional boundaries.

This interactive session will provide you with information about professional boundaries as well as an opportunity to explore how to apply some strategies for managing these unfamiliar situations.

About the presenter:
Elinor Larney is an occupational therapist with over five years of experience in professional self-regulation and a strong background in health administration. In her role as Deputy Registrar at the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) her responsibilities have included Registration, Quality Assurance, Patient Relations and Practice. In the course of her work at COTO Elinor has directed the development and dissemination of a series of practice standards for occupational therapists in Ontario and has overseen the evaluation and redevelopment of the quality assurance processes.

Elinor is a career health executive with 19 years experience in management of health services. She holds a Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation (OT) from the University of Manitoba and an M.H.Sc. (Health Administration) from the University of Toronto. Elinor has spent much of her career with Grandview Children’s Centre in Oshawa as a Clinical Program Manager. In addition, she has had experience with health facility accreditation and was the institutional coordinator of the Canadian Council on Health Accreditation (CCHSA) program at Grandview, to implement continuous quality improvement. She was also the chief staff support for the Professional Services Committee of the Board of Trustees.

COTBC and COTO have a strong history of collaboration and this Pre-AGM session is yet another example of such an endeavour.

Click here for the AGM registration and proxy form or find it with the other AGM materials under Quick Links on the home page.

Registration is requested by October 27 to help us estimate numbers for the complimentary breakfast and pre-AGM session. We hope to see you there but the presentations will be audio recorded and posted on the COTBC website for those unable to attend.

Serve on a College Committee

September 30, 2011

Opportunities are available on both the Standards and Registration Committees. Please complete an Expression of Interest form and return it to the College. These forms are kept on file and as vacancies occur, the registrar will be in touch. Read more about the College committees here.

 

Changes to Health Care (Consent) and Care Facility (Admissions) Act formalize Advance Directives (Sept. 1, 2011)

August 23, 2011

The Ministry of Health has provided several resources which are posted in our Legislation Updates section to assist occupational therapists in learning about the changes to health care consent and advance care planning in B.C.

The changes include the formalization of Advance Directives as a binding legal document that allows a capable adult to provide consent or refusal to health care in advance of a time when the care may be needed. The new laws also allow capable adults to appoint a representative using an optional form without having to visit a lawyer or a notary public.

The Health Providers Guide to Consent to Health Care has been updated to reflect the addition of advance directive and will help OTs to understand the legal requirements for securing valid consent or refusal for health care for an adult.

If you have any questions, contact the Registrar Kathy Corbett.

Continuing Competence Examination Delayed

August 23, 2011

At the June COTBC Board meeting, the recommendation to delay the launch of the Continuing Competence Examination by one year from 2013 to 2014 was approved. The delay was proposed to allow time for a review of the present program’s Competence Maintenance component that consists of the Self-Assessment and Professional Development Plan.

Most Frequently Asked Questions About the Exam
Do I have to answer questions about areas of practice I have never worked in or not in some time?
You are not required to answer questions on all areas of practice. You may choose from one of the following four areas of practice.
1.    Adult Mental Health
2.    Child and Youth Health
3.    Adult Physical Health
4.    Adult Neurological Health

In my work role, I don’t see clients. Do I have to write the exam?
Occupational therapists without any direct contact with and/or responsibilities to a client are exempt from writing the Continuing Competence Exam. The newly released Third Edition of the Essential Competencies includes a definition of nonclinical work.

For more facts on the exam, download the Fact Sheet.

Third Edition of Essential Competencies Now Available

August 23, 2011

These competencies are the standard for developing entry to practice requirements and continuing competency requirements and were recently revised by the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO). For more information, refer to the article in the Summer 2011 edition of InStep. Download the new edition now.

COTBC Clarification of Possible Resolution

BCSOT sent an email out on April 7, 2011 asking BC occupational therapists to support a resolution that would require all occupational therapists in the province of British Columbia to hold membership in the BCSOT as a condition for COTBC registration.

This is not an initiative of COTBC. However, the College Board respects this process and in preparation is reviewing its current Bylaws and procedures. If a resolution is delivered to the College for placement on the agenda at a general meeting, registrants will be well informed of the details of the meeting, the proposed resolution, voting procedures and the College’s position.
In the meantime, registrants are asked to continue to check the College’s website for updates, and to contact the College registrar or email info@cotbc.org with any questions or concerns.

2011 COTBC Board
Angenita Gerbracht from Prince Rupert, Darlene Russell from Penticton and Andrea Bowden from Victoria who were elected in November became official members of the COTBC Board on February 1, 2011. They join present members: Naz Chow and Helen Turner, and public members: Sherry Baker, Vila Nova Carvalho and Carol Williams. Carol is serving her second year as Chair of the Board. Many thanks to those occupational therapists who have served long and well on the board: Jeff Boniface, Tanya Boudier and Heather Gillespie.

COTBC Board Election Results

We are pleased to announce that the following registrants were elected to the COTBC Board. Their term begins February 1, 2011.

Angenita Gerbracht from Prince Rupert
Darlene Russell from Penticton
Andrea Bowden from Victoria
Many thanks to all the candidates for putting their names forward. The College is grateful for the strong leadership and support provided by the volunteers who serve on the Board, committees and other projects.

ACOTRO Receives Funding to Develop Common Assessment Approach

The Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO) has secured over $2 M from the Government of Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition program. The generous funding will allow ACOTRO to continue its collaborative efforts and complete the final Phase of a Pan-Canadian initiative aimed at implementing a common assessment approach for the qualification recognition and competence based assessment of IEOTs. Download news release

ACOTRO is seeking a Project Manager. Click here for more information.

Help GPs refer to OT — Participate in CHARD

CHARD stands for Community Healthcare and Resource Directory and it’s a new way for GPs to refer to occupational therapy services. Launched in April 2010, this secure, web-based tool will help GPs find resources for their patients.
In December 2010, registrants will receive a mailing from the College which will include further information and a registration form to be sent back to CHARD in the envelope provided. The information on this form will help GPs to find occupational therapists in their area.

New Advisory Statement Released November 17, 2010
Remedying a Breach of Security: COTBC Reporting Requirements

Download Statement
This advisory statement focuses on what information a registrant must provide COTBC when there has been a breach of security.
Advisory Statements are published by the College to increase registrants’ awareness of important issues relevant to the practice of occupational therapy and/or critical issues that have the potential to affect, or have a direct impact on, occupational therapy practice.

Inform the College’s Next Strategic Plan

CEO and Registrar Jan Robinson, College of Physiotherapists of Ontario was the guest speaker at this year’s pre-AGM session. The session was taped and is now available. Please take time to listen to it and the audience’s participation and complete a form to help inform future directions for the College. (Click here for lecture and feedback form.)

Latest issue of the College’s newsletter

Read about concerns re: self-assessments, how to protect privacy when using email, and much more. Download the complete issue.

Veterans Affairs Canada

Needs mental health occupational therapy services in Northern BC and the Yukon.

Public Notice of Inquiry and Discipline Decisions

At their June, 2010 meeting, the COTBC Board approved a policy on public notification effective this Fall. The College’s website will include a page that is easily located by the public for accessing the public notifications, and organized by type of action and date of resolution. Public notifications will be accessible in an archive pending removal (or preservation) by a motion of the Board. Discipline decisions will remain in an accessible archive for ten years. These decisions were made by learning from the practices of other colleges such as nursing, physicians and surgeons, psychology and pharmacy that are already publishing decisions.

What will the notice look like? The College public notification will include the registrant’s name and registration number (or case file number if directed by the relevant committee to withhold the name) and a summary that provides a description of and reasons for the actions taken. Information about the section of the Health Professions Act that guided publication will also be referenced.

The College will be monitoring and refining its policy in the context of how other Colleges are implementing the public notification requirements, particularly with respect to inquiry committee decisions. Public notification is a demonstration of the occupational therapy profession’s commitment to responsible profession-based regulation.

For further information, read the full story on page 14 in the Summer 2010 newsletter.

Note: This post was published prior to October 2017 when new COTBC Bylaws came into effect.