Professional development during the pandemic and beyond |
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As the government of Ontario continues to lift public health measures and restrictions, kinesiologists are also returning to more in-person treatment and services. This provides an opportunity for you to reflect on any new skills you have acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You may also want to consider opportunities for continuing professional development. While the COVID-19 pandemic led to a range of new options for online professional development, the lifting of public health restrictions may also see a return to safe and responsible in-person continuing education and professional networking.
In line with its mandate to protect the public, the College promotes evidence-based best practice by providing kinesiologists with two tools to facilitate continuing professional development:
- Regularly review and update your Self-Assessment.
- Find information on continuing professional development in the Continuing Professional Development Directory. While the College provides this list to facilitate professional development, it does not endorse any of the resources.
Ask yourself the following questions when you’re evaluating professional development opportunities:
- Is the organization offering the training well-recognized in the professional community?
- Is the education or training opportunity evidence-based?
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Do the training leaders and/or facilitators have appropriate credentials, experience, and expertise?
- Does the subject matter or content of the training address gaps in your knowledge or skills?
- Does the training provide information that further develops your knowledge or skill level?
- How will your understanding and ability to correctly apply the content be evaluated?
If you have a continuing professional development opportunity that you want to share with the College, please email us at practiceadvice@coko.ca
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Report on commitment to public safety
College Performance Measurement Framework
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On March 31, the College released its second annual College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF), which provides updates on the College’s performance improvement commitments in seven different areas: governance; resources; system partner; information management; regulatory policies; suitability to practice; and measurement, reporting and improvement.
The first CPMF published by the College provided baseline information on the College’s activities and processes against best practices. It also outlined the College’s performance improvement commitments. This year’s report focuses on how well the College has met the set of standards related to its statutory functions.
Key report highlights include the College placing a greater emphasis on monitoring and evaluation related to a registrant’s suitability to practice. Additionally, proposed changes would see an improved alignment with “right-touch regulation” practices and developing consistent criteria for disclosing concerns about a registrant.
The College has also enhanced the orientation and training of Council and committee members and, in collaboration with other health regulatory colleges, is working on an online orientation module. Work is also ongoing to develop a schedule for the review of policies, standards and guidelines that support the College’s regulatory policies.
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Reminder: Tax receipts available on My Account |
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In an email to all registrants at the end of February, we let you know that your official tax receipts were available to download from the My Account member portal. To access your receipt, please login to My Account and click on “Tax Receipts.” You’ll be able to access this year’s tax receipts, as well as those from previous years.
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Case of the month: Retention of patient records
Scenario
A kinesiologist is employed in a health care setting and is discussing retention (and eventual disposal and destruction) of patient records. As a regulated health care professional, the kinesiologist is asked for their input regarding record retention timelines.
Question
What should the kinesiologist recommend be done with a patient’s record?
Options
- Records must be retained for at least 10 years after the date of discharge or death of the patient.
- Records must be retained for at least 10 years after the patient’s eighteenth birthday (for patients less than 18 years old).
- Records must be retained for at least six years following the patient’s last visit.
- Records must be retained for at least 10 years after the resident is discharged from the home.
Correct response
In fact, all these options are correct, depending on the practice environment. The first two options apply to public hospitals in Ontario (governed by the Public Hospitals Act). The third option applies to records of patients who were treated at independent health facilities in Ontario (governed by the Independent Health Facilities Act) and the fourth option applies to records of residents in long-term care homes in Ontario ( Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007).
It's important for kinesiologists who work with multi-disciplinary collaborative health care teams to have good documentation and record-keeping practices, including record retention and disposal.
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Details
On October 21, 2021, a five-member panel of the Discipline Committee held a contested hearing involving registrant, QG. It is alleged that on March 23, 2020, the registrant sent unsolicited emails to a physician and 113 health professionals with the subject line: COVID-19 – Suggestions/Strategies for Prevention & Treatment. It is alleged that the unsolicited emails contained misleading, unverifiable, and/or inaccurate information about COVID-19. It is also alleged that the registrant failed to advise the College on their annual renewal that they had been found guilty of professional misconduct by the Ontario College of Teachers Discipline Committee on November 15, 2019.
QG had prior history with the College on two separate cases in 2016 and 2017, where they had sent unsolicited emails to numerous health professionals. At that time, they received an oral caution and a remedial program ordered by a panel of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee.
Penalty
The panel found the registrant guilty of professional misconduct and on March 10, 2022. They were issued the following penalty by the panel:
- Suspension of the Registrant’s Certificate of Registration for four months
- Requirement that the Registrant pay the College costs in the amount of $4,000
- Requirement that the Registrant successfully complete an individualized training session with the practice advisor in the areas of ethics, communication, and College
- Requirement that the Registrant successfully complete a reflective essay of at least 1,500 words within one month of completion of the training with the practice advisor.
Key learnings
- Professional communication must not be unsolicited (e.g., spam).
- Your marketing materials must be accurate and verifiable.
- You must declare discipline decisions from other regulatory bodies and jurisdictions.
- You must report criminal charges or convictions of any kind to the College within 30 days.
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Entry-to-Practice exam deadlines |
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To become a registered kinesiologist, you must pass the College’s entry-to-practice exam. The exam is offered twice per year, once in the spring and once in the fall. This year’s spring exam date is April 27, 2022, and it is being offered online.
The deadline for withdrawals and deferrals from the 2022 spring exam is April 12, 2022 by 3 p.m. EST.
Withdrawals
You can withdraw from writing the exam if you do not want to defer to the next available exam date. If you withdraw, you’ll receive a 50 per cent refund of the exam fee if the withdrawal occurs at least 15 calendar days before the exam date. If the withdrawal occurs within 15 calendar days of the exam date, you will not be refunded any amount. A partial refund may be issued to applicants who withdraw within 15 calendar days of the exam date with a documented illness or on compassionate grounds. View the Fee Refund Policy.
Deferrals
You can defer writing the exam to the next available exam date for any reason, including not being ready to write. Requests for deferral must be emailed to the College at least 10 business days before the exam. The exam fee will be credited in full toward the next exam sitting for deferral requests received by the deadline. Applicants who request a deferral after the deadline will be required to pay the full cost of the exam even though they will not be writing.
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Do you have new contact information? |
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Did you know that you must notify the College of any changes to your employment information, address or contact details within 30 days of the change? This includes changes to your primary email address on file, since email is the College’s main method of contacting registrants.
It’s important to keep the register up to date because it promotes trust in the profession and helps the public know that they’re being treated by a regulated professional.
To check the information we have on file for you, go to the Public Register
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Please do not unsubscribe if you are registered with the College. If you do unsubscribe, you will be contacted by staff to re-subscribe as the College primarily communicates to registrants via email. We strive to keep communications relevant and to a minimum. Information regarding registration matters (annual renewal deadline, quality assurance requirements, etc.), and important news and updates are sent via email. The College works on the assumption that all registrants receive all of our emails.
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