Health Regulatory Colleges Release Joint Apology and Commitment to Action Report

Nine BC health profession regulatory colleges, including COTBC, have jointly released a comprehensive progress report outlining Indigenous cultural safety, humility, and anti-racism activities in the two years since signing a Statement of Apology and Commitment to Action.

The release of this Joint Apology and Commitment to Action 2021-2023 Report (PDF) coincides with and recognizes Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, both on September 30, 2023. This day also marks the one-year anniversary of the ceremony held with 11 BC health profession regulatory colleges to launch the Indigenous Cultural Safety, Humility, and Anti-Racism Standard of Practice.

In the report’s summary, the colleges recognize “that we are at the beginning of a lifelong journey that is personal and professional, individual and collective…. We remain committed to this work, recognizing that we must be persistent in acknowledging and dismantling historic and ongoing Indigenous-specific racism everywhere that it exists.”

Notice of Bylaw Amendment, College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia

The College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) is proposing an amendment to its bylaws (Part 1, section 7) in response to July 7, 2023, changes to the Health Professions Designation and Amalgamation Regulation, which will amalgamate COTBC with several other health professions regulatory colleges into a single college on June 28, 2024. A copy of that Order in Council can be found at Order in Council 421/2023 (gov.bc.ca).

The proposed bylaw amendment is subject to the notice requirement described in section 19(6.2) of the Health Professions Act. Accordingly, notice of the amendment is hereby provided to the public, the Ministry of Health, and other interested stakeholders.

The proposed amendment extends the term of office of the elected COTBC Board member for one year. This will provide for those elected board members whose terms would have expired on January 31, 2023, to continue to serve on the COTBC Board for the limited time remaining until amalgamation, when the terms of all COTBC board members will expire under section 25.05 of the Health Professions Act. Keeping these elected members on the COTBC Board in the lead up to amalgamation will allow for ongoing experience and informed governance in the final meetings of the Board. The proposed amendments are like those previously enacted by other health professions colleges as they prepared for amalgamation under the HPA.

The amendment includes the following change:

Part 1, Section 7 is repealed and replaced by the following:

Terms of office

7. (1) The term of office for an elected board member is three (3) years, beginning on February 1 of each year.

(2) An elected board member may serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms.

(3) A board member may resign at any time by delivering a notice in writing to the registrar and the resignation is effective upon receipt by the registrar.

(4) Despite subsection (1), the term of office for every elected board member who holds office on the date this subsection comes into force is extended by one year.

COTBC is requesting a shortened notice period from the Minister of Health. Therefore, COTBC is asking that any comments concerning the proposed amendments be sent to COTBC and the Ministry of Health no later than 4:30 pm on August 21, 2023.

View Proposed Amendments Bylaws (PDF)

View Resolution of the Board (PDF)

Comments can be sent to:

COTBC

Email: info@cotbc.org

Fax: 250-386-6824

Mail:

Carin Plischke, Registrar
College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia
402 – 3795 Carey Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 6T8

Ministry of Health

Email: PROREGADMIN@gov.bc.ca

Mail:

Director of Regulatory Initiatives Professional
Regulation Oversight Branch; Ministry of Health
515 Blanchard Street, Victoria, BC V8W 9P4

Career Opportunity: Manager, Quality Assurance Program (QAP) and Practice Advisor

We’re recruiting a dynamic individual to join our engaged team. In this role, you’ll manage and implement the Quality Assurance Program in a fun and progressive work environment. This is an ideal opportunity for someone passionate about the future of health regulation in BC!

This role is responsible for ensuring the College meets its mandate as outlined in the BC Health Professions Act for registering Occupational Therapists in BC and delivering the Quality Assurance Program that supports and monitors the competence of BC Occupational Therapists as part of protecting the public.

If you want to learn more about this exciting opportunity, including responsibilities, required qualifications and how to apply, download the Manager, Quality Assurance Program (QAP) and Practice Advisor Position Summary (PDF).

Registrar’s February Monthly: Bill 36, Projects, New Position

From the desk of Carin Plischke, COTBC’s Registrar

In this news post, we share highlights of the College’s work, including the most recent updates on Bill 36, the Health Professions and Occupations Act (which has received Royal Assent) and recruitment efforts for the newly created position of Manager, Projects.

Bill 36 – Health Professions and Occupations Act

The BC Government has yet to release an implementation schedule or an in-force date for the Health Professions and Occupations Act. While BC health regulatory colleges, including COTBC, continue to operate under the Health Professions Act until there is an in-force date for the new legislation, a fair amount of prep work is being done offstage. We meet regularly with the Ministry of Health and our peers in other colleges. See FAQs About Professional Regulation and New HPOA.

We will continue communicating with registrants, the public, and other stakeholders as more information is confirmed about implementing the Health Professions and Occupations Act.

COTBC Initiatives

We’re off to an active start this year with several key projects underway or about to begin. They include the following:

  • National Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada
  • Indigenous Cultural, Safety and Anti-racism, including a survey to all registrants
  • Continuing Competency of Occupational Therapists in BC (pilot)
  • Online registration for all new applications
  • IT infrastructure
  • Amalgamation activities

New Staff Position

As the list of our initiatives shows, it is a busy time at the College. With that in mind, we are recruiting for the Manager, Projects (MP) position. This position is based in the Victoria, BC region, and there will be some consideration for a hybrid work schedule for the right person.

Reporting to the Registrar, this is a key role within the organization. This role implements and manages various large and small projects while guiding the COTBC team to strengthen its project management muscle.

The MP works closely with College team members, stakeholders, and contractors to build project implementation plans and charters, engage stakeholders, and implement, track and evaluate initiatives. This is an ideal role for a skilled mid-senior career professional with program management experience in sectors that require excellent staff and stakeholder relations.

If you are interested in this role, please contact allan@esgc.ca.

Look for monthly updates on our projects, the amalgamation and other College news on our website.

COTBC Launches Indigenous Anti-Racism, Cultural Safety, & Humility Section on Website

In 2022, 11 BC health profession regulatory colleges, including the College of Occupational Therapists of BC, adopted an Indigenous cultural safety, humility, and anti-racism standard of practice. The standard sets clear expectations for how registrants of each college are to provide culturally safer and anti-racist care for Indigenous clients and patients.

The College’s purpose is to ensure the public receives safe, ethical, and effective occupational therapy services in British Columbia, as mandated by the Health Professions Act of BC. This includes occupational therapy services provided to Indigenous clients, who are disproportionately subjected to stereotyping, racism, discrimination, and prejudice which is unsafe.

As part of our ongoing efforts to live up to this new standard, the College has launched a new Cultural Safety & Humility section on its website. This section represents our ongoing efforts to share the truth, provide a deeper understanding of what cultural humility and safety is, and to provide supportive learning resources to occupational therapists and the public.

The new Cultural Safety & Humility section includes content for those who want to gain more insight into the College’s commitment to cultural safety and humility, learn more about the history of colonialism and its ongoing impact on Indigenous health and wellness, explore resources to further build their understanding, or review initiatives the College is taking to embed cultural safety and humility throughout our culture, governance, and daily operations.

Meet Carin Plischke, COTBC’s New Registrar

In October 2022, Carin Plischke joined the COTBC team after more than six years on the Board, most recently as Board Chair. She recently worked with Registrar & CEO Kathy Corbett during the transition – as Kathy prepared to leave the College at the end of December. Carin has now fully stepped into the leadership role. This role has been redefined to better meet the needs of the College during the expected amalgamation of health-related regulatory bodies in the province.

We caught up with Carin to ask her a few questions about her decision to take on this important leadership role in a time of transition in the sector, on her experience and expertise in the field, and a few other things.

Q: What inspired you to take on the Registrar & Chief Executive Officer role at the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC)?

CP: I have been involved with COTBC as a committee member and Board member for several years. Through these experiences, I developed a strong commitment to COTBC, public safety and regulation. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences at the College, including working with the staff and team over the years. The opportunity to work with a fun, professional and dedicated team that is committed to public safety made this an easy decision. 

I am excited about the future of health regulation in British Columbia. The planned updates to the Health Professions Act, the amalgamation of health care regulators/colleges, and the modernization of the regulatory framework – while challenging – will also provide new opportunities. I am inspired to be a part of and influence the vision of regulation ahead of us. It is rewarding to create something new and serve in the best interest of public confidence.

Like many organizations, we see this as a time to reflect on how the pandemic dramatically and quickly required us to shift our work priorities to support COVID-19 activities. As we have moved out of a pandemic and are in the next stage of COVID-19, where we are working to stay protected from it, it is energizing to re-initiate activities that we had to slow down or pause as COTBC supported registrants, the public and stakeholders on key pandemic activities. 

I have to say that I am incredibly thankful to the COTBC staff for their work and quick adaptability throughout the pandemic keeping the mission of the organization at the forefront.

We are starting to re-prioritize activities and because we are still in the process of refocusing our attention in many important areas, there may be shifts in previous planning & timelines as we get our planning in place for the year ahead.  We appreciate the patience and kindness that registrants have shown through this transition and want to ask for a bit more patience as we review, revise and update plans.

Q: What do you feel that you bring this to this role?

CP: My clinical and leadership experiences in the public, private, not-for-profit and government sectors have provided me with a breadth of experiences that have shaped my ability to think strategically and systematically through a broad lens. In addition, as an occupational therapist, I have worked in various clinical roles (acute care, plastic/burns, primary care, home care, long-term care, orthopedics, etc.). This has given me a deep understating of this role. I have been an occupational therapist and registrant of the College for many years, and I believe that this is beneficial because I can relate to our registrants and have a good understanding of the profession from several perspectives.

As a health care leader, I have led large transformational projects in several organizations, including the repatriation/amalgamation of home support services into the public sector. I have had the humbling experience of working as the Chief Operations Officer with the BC Ministry of Health, with the Office of the Seniors Advocate. This experience taught me how important it is to have public representation and voices in our organizations. Collectively, my clinical and leadership experiences provide me with the ability to lead transformational change as the government is making the most significant changes to the oversight of regulated health professions in our history. 

Q: There was a transition time, with the Registrar & Chief Executive Officer Kathy Corbett staying on until the end of December 2022. What benefits do you feel that this overlap between you and Kathy provides to the College, your registrants and the people of British Columbia?

CP: I am extremely grateful for my time with Kathy; her mentorship is setting the stage for success for the College and our public protection mandate. Kathy has been with COTBC for more than 20 years; her knowledge, experience and network is expansive. 

The transition time with Kathy is providing me with a significant amount of organization-specific operational information. I am leaning into Kathy’s network, meeting colleagues and stakeholders – which is assisting me in developing and sustaining a foundation of knowledge that will support the organization going forward. Both Kathy and I are intentional in our time together to set COTBC up for the growth and changes ahead of the College – while sustaining our history. I want to thank Kathy for her kindness and generosity in sharing her knowledge.

Q: You were a Board member (and Board Chair) for quite some time. How will your experience on the Board help you in your new role?

CP: My experience on the Board provided me with the knowledge and skills to work in a regulatory environment. Being a member of the Board, which is responsible for good governance, has embedded the mandate of the College – public safety – in me. I have a context of our operations including registration, practice support, complaints and standards – in addition to our governance activities. 

I feel confident in my ability to step into the leadership of COTBC and am thankful that I am not starting from “ground zero,” particularly with the changes that are actively occurring around us with the introduction of new health legislation and the future amalgamation.

My experience as a Board member that I most appreciate as I transition into my new role is my existing relationship with the COTBC staff. I am thankful that we know each other and enjoy working together. I want to thank the COTBC team for the warm welcome. We have already hit the ground running. 

Q: What do you wish that registration or the people of British Columbia knew about the College that they may not know?

CP: While there is a dedicated – small and mighty – team of staff at the College, there are countless people who participate in supporting our mandate – they include occupational therapists, the public and other stakeholders – all that contribute their time, expertise and skills to the work of the College. Their work assists in shaping the work and operations of the College, which translates into safe occupational therapy practice and public safety. I thank past, current and future partners and participants for their contributions.   

Q: Is there anything else you want to share with us?

CP: The College has always been a place where registrants and the public can and do call – and feel encouraged to call. I want to continue our safe and open culture moving forward. I look forward to connecting with all stakeholders that have an interest, a question or a concern. I am here to listen, respond and help COTBC move forward in continued success.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband. You can find me hiking, kayaking, reading or in my greenhouse.