The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
Newsletter | March 2024
In this issue…

  • Now open: Annual renewal
  • Reminder: Set up your COTO Portal account
  • Tax receipts available online
  • Quality Assurance update
  • Case of the Month: Should OTs transport clients in personal vehicles?
  • Board of Directors elections outcome
  • April Board Meeting
  • March Poll and February results
Important News
Information and Updates
COTO Portal and Annual Renewal
Get ready for annual renewal: Set up your COTO Portal account
Annual renewal is now open. Follow these tips to get ready for renewal.
 
  • Beginning February 2024, the COTO Portal is the central location to access all your College activities, including:
  • Annual renewal
  • Tax receipts
  • Profile updates including contact information, employment, and insurance
  • Quality Assurance Program activities (coming soon)
 
  • To renew, if you have not already, you must first set up your COTO account in our new Portal system. All registrants have been sent an email with instructions on how to set up their new COTO Portal account.

  • You will need to create a new username and password to access the COTO Portal. Make sure your email address in your College profile is up-to-date prior to completing your annual renewal.

  • Save your newly created username and password for your COTO Portal account. This is the only username and password you need to access all COTO services.
 
If you have questions, we are happy to help.
 
Contact registration@coto.org or 1-800-890-6570 x230 for assistance or check the COTO Portal Frequently Asked Questions.
Tax Receipts
Reminder: Tax receipts are now available in the COTO Portal
Tax receipts for the year 2023 are now available in the COTO Portal.
 
Log in to the COTO Portal. Select "Print Receipt" to access your receipts.
 
If you have any questions about receipts, contact registration@coto.org or 416-214-1177 ext. 230.
Mark Your Calendar
Reminders and Dates to Remember
Quality Assurance Update
Annual Learning Plan and Annual eLearning Module
Annual Learning Plan: Coming Spring 2024
Watch for an email indicating when the 2024 Annual Learning Plan becomes available.
 
Annual eLearning Module: Coming June 2024
You and Your Practice
Information and Resources
Case of the Month
Should OTs transport clients in personal vehicles?
Luna is an occupational therapist working with Rumel, a client trying to return to work after a traumatic incident. Rumel witnessed a pedestrian struck by the bus he was riding in. Rumel is now uncomfortable travelling by bus.

He is working with Luna to manage his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and has agreed to participate in exposure therapy. Rumel asks Luna if he can meet her at the clinic and drive to the location together. Luna is determining if she can use her vehicle to transport clients to a place for therapy purposes and reaches out to the College.
Looking for the Standards of Practice and other resources?

Resources are available here: Standards and Practice Resources

Tip: 📑 Bookmark the page for future reference!
College Governance
Election Results
Districts 2 and 3 Updates
College Board elections for District 3 Central East have now concluded.

Tina Siemens was elected with 36.82% of the vote. Tina, along with Julie Reinhart from District 2, will begin their terms on the Board in April 2024. Julie was acclaimed to the College Board of Directors in February.
 
The Board sets the strategy for the College and makes decisions to ensure the public receives ethical, competent services from occupational therapists in Ontario.

Thank you to everyone who participated.
April Board Meeting
The College's Board of Directors is meeting April 4, 2024.
Want to learn more about decisions that affect the profession and the public we serve? The next College Board meeting will be held on Thursday, April 4th, 2024.

Meetings are open to the public. Meeting dates and materials are posted online.
Connect with Us
Take the latest poll
March Poll & February Results
What types of investigations would you like more information about?
Complaints from members of the public (usually clients or their families)
Reports from other sources (usually employers or other occupational therapists)
Both
In case you missed it, we provided an overview of June–December 2023 concerns and outcomes. These concerns are connected to the relevant occupational therapy competency. Understanding the types of concerns the College receives and investigates is of interest to both registrants and the public.
In February we asked you: What term best describes your online occupational therapy services?

We received 104 votes and here are the results:

  • 17.3% voted virtual care (18 votes)
  • 19.2% voted virtual service (20 votes)
  • 2.9% voted remote practice (3 votes)
  • 1% voted remote service (1 vote)
  • 59.6% voted I don't provide service this way (62 votes)
Thank you for participating in our poll!

The responses indicate that those who provide this type of service use the terms virtual service or virtual care. This assists us in using consistent language when explaining this type of service to the public.

Do you know someone who would like to be added to our mailing list?
They can sign up here. Have additional comments or suggestions for the College email news? Send your thoughts to communications@coto.org.
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DO NOT UNSUBSCRIBE IF YOU ARE A REGISTRANT OF THE COLLEGE.

If registrants unsubscribe, they will be contacted to re-subscribe. The College communicates to occupational therapists by email regarding changes to standards, mandatory registration requirements, public consultations and more. We strive to keep communication relevant and to a minimum.

20 Bay Street, Suite 900, Toronto, ON · 416-214-1177 · 1-800-890-6570 · coto.org · info@coto.org