COTBC News Archive January to December 2013

VOTE NOW! BALLOTS DUE NOV. 29

Four occupational therapists are running for three positions on the COTBC Board of Directors: Tanya Boudier from Prince Rupert, Naz Chow from Richmond, Diane Graham from Kelowna, and Brian Hall from Kelowna.

Four occupational therapists are running for three positions on the COTBC Board of Directors: Tanya Boudier from Prince Rupert, Naz Chow from Richmond, Diane Graham from Kelowna, and Brian Hall from Kelowna. On October 21st, registrants were sent information, by mail, on these candidates and ballots. Completed ballots must REACH the COTBC Office by 4:00 pm on Friday November 29, 2013. Ballots received after November 29 will not be counted. If you cannot find your election package, please email Darlene Hay or call 1 (866) 386-6822.

From Yuck to Muck to Pluck

Pre-AGM workshop on November 2 with keynote speaker Kevin Reel – an ethicist and occupational therapist to focus on navigating the ethical dimensions of practice. Read more…

Attend this year’s Pre-AGM Workshop for an ethical ride with Kevin Reel as he explores the links between ethics and occupational therapy values. Participants will also have an opportunity to work through the ‘yuck’ and ‘muck’ of ethical issues in their everyday practice to find the required pluck to feel good about their work.

For more details about this workshop and the other day’s events, download the AGM Day Information package.

If you are attending the COTBC AGM, you may also wish to download the Annual Report and AGM agenda, last year’s minutes and the proxy form (for those unable to attend).

Fees Increase to Cover Growing College Responsibilities

Since the changes to the Health Professions Act were enacted, the responsibilities of the College have increased dramatically. The requirements for quality assurance programs and the complaints (Inquiry) process, in particular the Health Professions Review Board empowered to review the decisions of the College’s Inquiry Committee, are two such examples.

Putting the right systems and people in place necessitated this responsible Board decision. Cost sharing and collaborative initiatives with other Colleges will continue but are not sufficient to manage growing costs. While nobody likes to hear about increased fees, registrants can be assured the money is being used to fund critical initiatives in an increasingly challenging regulatory environment.

If you would like to read more about where your fees have gone and the growing demands, please review the College’s annual reports. You may also wish to contact the Registrar Kathy Corbett at 1 (866) 386-6822 or email kcorbett@cotbc.org.

Announcing the Annual Competence Review

The plan was approved by the COTBC Board last November and will be ready for registrants this coming April. Occupational therapists must complete the Annual Competence Review to be eligible to renew their registration in 2013. After two years of development the committee is very pleased and excited about its launch.

The purpose of the Annual Competence Review (ACR) is to support registrants’ continued competence. It’s designed to help registrants identify gaps in knowledge and risks to client safety and, in turn, link with regulatory standards and resources to assist them in delivering safe, ethical and quality occupational therapy services.

More specifically the tool will guide registrants to:

  • review their practice hours, current and possible career changes, and supports to competence,
  • complete a knowledge quiz using a case/question format similar to that which will be used in the Continuing Competence Exam, and
  • practice using a risk management tool designed to anticipate and therefore prevent risks to patient safety.

After completing the required activities, occupational therapists will receive an individualized, feedback report with the results of the knowledge quiz and links to resources for information on regulatory standards and competence supports.

Completing one online learning module will also be required but not until 2014 although the first module should be available in the Fall of 2013. Eventually a bank of learning modules will be available each covering a regulatory topic. Based on the results of their knowledge quiz a specific learning module may be recommended.

Individual results from the Annual Competence Review are not available to the College. The College will only know which registrants completed the ACR and can therefore renew their registration. The confidentiality of these results is ensured by directing registrants to a secure, password-protected website that is not accessible to the College. COTBC can request anonymized aggregate data to inform development of additional College resources and continuing professional opportunities for occupational therapists but they do not have access to individual records.

To prepare for the Annual Competence Review, occupational therapists should ensure that their current email address is the one on record at the College.

Members of the Continuing Competence Committee include:

Donna Drynan (Chair)

Jennifer Glasgow (Vice-Chair)

Naz Chow

Teresa Green

Hilary MacInnis

New Name and New Approach to Support Continued Competence

Approved by the Board last Fall, the name change was necessary for consistency with the Health Professions Act which requires the College to have a Quality Assurance Program to promote high practice standards.

“It prevents ongoing explanation to the public and government that we have a program but it’s called something else,” explains Registrar Kathy Corbett. “Our challenge now is to make sure our registrants are aware of the name change and what is required.”

The overall purpose of the program remains the same which is to support, monitor, and enforce the continued safe, ethical, and effective practice of occupational therapists in British Columbia. It will continue to have three elements:

(1) Competence Maintenance (Annual Competence Review)

(2) Competence Assessment (Continuing Competence Exam) and

(3) Competence Improvement.

The name change comes at a time when the Continuing Competence Committee chaired by Donna Drynan is ready to launch the new Annual Competence Review (ACR). The ACR replaces the original Competence Maintenance activities, i.e., the bi-annual self-assessment and professional development plan which were discontinued in 2012.

Three Perspectives on Helping IEOTs

Exploring the integration of internationally educated occupational therapists into the workforce, will be released this month in the February issue of the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy.

The results suggest that although hiring IEOTS can bring benefits to the workplace, changes made along the continuum would facilitate integration and benefit all stakeholders.  “Stumbling blocks” and “ingredients for success” are also described.

Paper authors include: Susan Mulholland, Tracy Dietrich, Sandra Bressler and Kathy Corbett.

This project was sponsored by the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia, which received funding from the Government of Canada, under the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, in partnership with the British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Innovation.