The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
Newsletter | May 2022
In this issue…

  • Now Open: Standards for Practice Consultation
  • Exciting Practice Changes Ahead
  • COVID-19 Updates
  • Monkeypox Information
  • Opportunity at the College: QA Competency Assessment Lead
  • Reminders: Annual Renewal and Quality Assurance
  • Case of the Month: Managing Team Disagreements
  • Refugee HealthLine Information
  • Culture, Equity, and Justice Webinar and Q & A
  • Feedback: Culture, Equity, and Justice Survey
  • May Poll and April Poll Results
Important News
Updates and Opportunities
Now Open: Standards for Practice Consultation
Submit your feedback by June 30, 2022
The College’s Practice Team has updated and streamlined the Standards for Practice. After working together with committees and subject matter panels, the new draft Standards for Practice are ready for review.

Your feedback is vital to this project! The new Standards for Practice will impact every occupational therapist in Ontario, regardless of practice area.

See the consultation: research.net/r/PTCQK2L
Please complete the survey by June 30, 2022!

Tips for Providing Feedback
  1. Review the proposed Standards for Practice.
  2. Set aside 15-30 minutes to complete the survey. 
  3. Complete the survey all at once, or you can stop and resume later by using the same survey link and same device you used the first time (computer, tablet, or smartphone)!

Exciting Practice Changes Ahead
There have been many changes to practice over the past few years and we appreciate the dedication of all registrants. The pandemic continues to be a challenge and we are mindful of introducing new elements.

We hope that the release of new resources will be well received.

As always, the goal is to provide current material that supports the delivery of safe effective occupational therapy services.

The Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada. ACOTRO, ACOTUP & CAOT (2021) were released in December 2021 after an extensive national development and validation process. They replace four previous competency documents and represent unified competencies for the occupational therapy profession across Canada. The College has adopted these Competencies, which will be fully in effect as of November 1, 2022. 

As we move towards November, we encourage you to:
  • review the new Competencies,
  • reflect on the content and
  • plan your next steps for becoming familiar with the information.
Resources to support the new Competencies will continue to roll out over the coming months. Here’s a timeline of what’s available and coming soon.

April 2022
Culture, Equity, and Justice
  • Resources developed to introduce new area of focus in the Competencies
  • Dedicated website section at coto.org
  • College webinar and related Q & A

May 2022
Standards for Practice Consultation
  • Draft Standards reflect the new Competencies and are available for review and comment until June 30
  • Feedback will inform revisions for Board review
  • Consultation provides an opportunity to provide feedback and see how the new Competencies are integrated in the Standards for Practice

June 2022
PREP
  • This year’s PREP will be a national eLearning module to educate all occupational therapists in Canada about the new Competencies
  • Available as French and English online modules
  • October 31 deadline to ensure completion prior to launch of new Competencies

November 2022
New Competencies in Effect
  • Competencies reflect the broad range of skills and abilities required of all occupational therapists in Canada at every stage of their career
  • All registrants will be held accountable to the new Competencies as of November 1, 2022

Coming in 2023
  • Release of updated Self-Assessment and Professional Development Plan reflecting the new Competencies
 
The College team is available to address any questions. Please reach out to practice@coto.org or qaprogram@coto.org at any time.
COVID-19 Updates
Community Emergency Evacuations
On May 16, 2022, the Ministry of Health released an updated version of COVID-19 Guidance: Community Emergency Evacuations.

The Guidance is now available in English and French and has been posted on the Ministry’s website. Please continue to check the College and Ministry of Health websites for the latest updates.

If you have any questions, please contact our Practice Resource Service at 1.800.890.6570 ext. 240 or practice@coto.org.
Monkeypox Information
Updates and resources for occupational therapists
Effective May 20, 2022, the Chief Medical Officer of Ontario issued order 77.6 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act.

  • The order outlines the case definition of monkeypox.
  • It requires physicians, nurses under the extended class, and Medical Officers of Health who operate a group practice, and regulated health professionals who work within the meaning of the Public Hospitals Act, to provide information related to monkeypox to Public Health Ontario.

Impact on occupational therapists:

Occupational therapists who work in the above practice settings must participate in the reporting processes by providing information on any individual that meets the "case definition of monkeypox".

OTs are encouraged to discuss with their employers how to meet their reporting obligation as outlined in the order.

Infection, Prevention and Control: 

Opportunity at the College
Quality Assurance Competency Assessment Lead
The College is seeking an occupational therapist to join the College as the Quality Assurance Competency Assessment Lead

The Lead will coordinate the QA peer assessor process. We are looking for an occupational therapist with exceptional interpersonal, communication, and organization skills in this role.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 27, 2022.
Mark Your Calendar
Upcoming Events and Dates to Remember
Annual Renewal
Renew your registration by May 31, 2022
Reminder: Occupational therapists are required to renew by May 31, 2022.

  • If you do not renew or resign your registration by the May 31, 2022 deadline, you will receive notice that your registration will be suspended for non-payment of fees, if fees are not paid within 30 days.


Quality Assurance Updates
PD Plan Deadline and Next Steps
  • The Professional Development Plan for all registrants is due May 31, 2022.


  • The PREP will launch in June and is due October 31, 2022.


Contact qaprogram@coto.org with any questions.
You and Your Practice
Cases & Resources
Case of the Month
Managing Team Disagreements
Dayne is an OT on an acute general medicine unit who will be going on vacation for a week. He reviews his caseload with Aspen, the program case manager. They discuss Mr. Raymond, a recent admission, who lives alone and wants to return home independently. Dayne strongly recommends discharge to a short-term rehabilitation facility to build Mr. Raymond’s strength, gain independence with bed transfers, and using his walker without assistance.
 
When Dayne returns from vacation, he is surprised to hear Aspen report in team rounds that Mr. Raymond is going home later that day. Dayne reads the client's clinical notes and sees that Aspen has documented that Mr. Raymond does not need rehab and can go directly home with community supports.
 
Dayne believes if Mr. Raymond goes home, he will be at considerable risk for falls...
Refugee HealthLine Information
Request for Health Care Providers to Provide Transitional Care
Refugee HealthLine is a toll-free, multilingual service that connects refugees and people arriving through other exceptional humanitarian authorizations with health care providers.

The service connects refugees with health care providers who deliver transitional health care and services. Transitional care includes initial assessments, care, and/or referrals to other health services.

All health care providers interested in participating should contact the Refugee HealthLine at 1-866-286-4770 to register.
Culture, Equity, & Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice
Webinar and Q&A now available
On Tuesday, April 12th the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario held a live webinar to discuss our new "Culture, Equity, & Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice" resource.

The webinar is now available on our YouTube channel.

Answers to submitted webinar questions are also available on our website. Not all questions were addressed during the live webinar due to time restrictions.

Reminder: After you have reviewed the Culture, Equity, and Justice resource, please complete our survey! It's important to us to continue to revise, update, and improve this resource.
College Governance
Decisions, Directions, and Outcomes
Upcoming Board Meeting
The next Board meeting will be held on June 23, 2022 from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

Board meeting materials are posted on our website in advance of each meeting. Highlights are posted after each meeting. Minutes are posted once approved by the Board.
Have Your Say
Share Your Feedback and Get Involved
May Poll & April Poll Results
The new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada. ACOTRO, ACOTUP & CAOT (2021) are coming into effect on November 1, 2022. The College is releasing resources to support registrant understanding and we welcome your feedback.
How are you preparing for the new Competencies?
Reading the PDF copy on the website.
Watching the CEJ webinar
Participating in the Standards for Practice consultation
Waiting for the new PREP
A combination of the above
All of the above
Have not started yet!
Thank you for participating in our poll! We encourage you to take some time to review the new documents and contact the College at practice@coto.org with any questions.

We appreciate your feedback and welcome comments at any time.
Last month we asked you: How many of you had read the new Culture, Equity, and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice resource and the new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada?

We received 102 responses! Here's how you voted:

8.8% said "Yes, I have read Culture, Equity, and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice."

22.5% said "Yes, I have read the new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada."

27.5% said "Yes, I have read both."

and 41.2% of respondents said "No, I haven’t read them yet."
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20 Bay Street, Suite 900, Toronto, ON · 416.214.1177 1.800.890.6570 · www.coto.org · info@coto.org