The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
Newsletter | September 2021
In this issue…
  • College Statement on Vaccination
  • COVID-19 Updates: School Guidance for 2021-2022
  • Reminder: Professional Liability Insurance
  • Survey Results: Standards for Psychotherapy
  • Case Study: What Should I do When a Client Discloses Domestic Abuse?
  • Practice Q&A: Frequency of Documentation in the Client Record
  • Competency Assessment Update: New Pilot Underway
  • Reminder: 2021 Annual QA Requirements
  • September Poll: COVID-19 Guidance
College Statement on Vaccination
In light of recent protests that are increasingly taking place outside locations like hospitals, where many occupational therapists are employed, the College has released the following Statement on Vaccination:
The College supports the Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Health’s efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, which includes vaccination. Throughout the pandemic, the College has made information regarding COVID-19 vaccines available through communications to registrants and stakeholders and posted information on our website. 
 
The College will not be mandating vaccination as a condition of registration. We recognize that employers and government have the rights, roles, and responsibilities to act as required to ensure the safety of those they service. We expect occupational therapists to work with their employers on the practice changes that are ongoing, and to problem-solve through service challenges. Recently, the Ontario government issued a directive that affects COVID-19 vaccination workplace policies for those employed in hospitals, community, home care settings and ambulance services. Occupational therapists should refer to their employer policies to understand how these changes might affect them.
 
The College is aware of the recent and upcoming planned demonstrations taking place outside hospitals. As a health profession regulator, we have no role in encroaching on the right to peacefully protest. We expect occupational therapists to not publicly spread misinformation about COVID-19, vaccinations, or the public health measures currently in place. Occupational therapists, and all other all regulated health professionals, hold a unique position of trust with the public.  
 
Comments or actions that do not align with the information coming from public health or government may result in public harm. Any concern brought to the attention of the College regarding a registrant’s violation of public health measures or publicly spreading misinformation that rejects the available scientific evidence will be investigated by the College.
 
We understand most registrants have acted, and continue to act, in alignment with public health directives. The continued commitment to the delivery of safe, effective occupational therapy services is greatly appreciated by all.
COVID-19 Updates
Occupational Therapy & School Guidance 2021-2022
In case you missed it, the College recently updated its COVID-19 Occupational Therapy & School Guidance for 2021-2022.

The guidance is available in French and English on our website.
Reminder: For up-to-date information about vaccinations and clinics in your region, visit the “Vaccine Information” section of our COVID-19 page to find your Public Health Unit.
Links to COVID-19 information and resources are in the College's dedicated COVID-19 section of the website. The latest updates are noted at the top of the page.

Please continue to check the College and government websites for the latest updates. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Avoid missing important updates from the College by logging in to your member profile to update your contact information.
Professional Liability Insurance
Update your information with the College
OTs, your professional liability insurance may be expiring soon.

Carrying professional liability insurance is a requirement of registration. If you do not update your insurance policy information online within 30 days of its expiry date you may be subject to an administration fee.

To update your insurance, follow these steps:

  1. Renew your insurance with your provider prior to the policy expiration date.
  2. Log in to the College website.
  3. Select ‘Update Profile’
  4. Select the ‘Insurance’ tab and follow the instructions

You are not required to send us a copy of your insurance certificate unless the College contacts you directly to request documentation.

If you have questions or you are having difficulty updating your information, please contact registration@coto.org or reach us by phone at 1.800.890.6570/416.214.1177
Standards for Psychotherapy
Survey Results
Thank you to the almost 300 occupational therapists who participated in our psychotherapy survey from June 2– July 5, 2021. The survey captured feedback from occupational therapists with a wide range of understanding and experience in the field of mental health. View our findings and learn about next steps.
Case Study
What should I do when a client discloses domestic abuse?
Joleen is an occupational therapist in a leadership role for a home and community agency. Joleen has noticed an increase in calls from occupational therapists (OTs) seeking support in managing situations where clients are reporting domestic abuse in the home.

Is there a duty to report situations when a client has been the recipient of domestic abuse?
Practice Q&A
Frequency of documentation in the clinical record
Question: How often should an occupational therapist be documenting in the clinical record?
Competency Assessment Update
Screening step pilot now underway
The College has begun piloting Step 2 of the new Competency Assessment process – the screening step.

In August, a sample of registrants were notified of their participation in Competency Assessment. Selected registrants are required to complete their screening tool by September 30th. This screening tool involves answering short-answer questions related to various practice scenarios. The questions are designed to identify how registrants manage common root causes of competency and practice concerns to indicate if further assessment may be required.

Every selected registrant will also participate in a peer and practice assessment to help the College validate this process. If additional registrants are required to participate, they will be notified of their selection by the end of September.

The Competency Assessment process is one important way the College provides meaningful feedback and tools to help registrants make practice improvements. In the coming months we will be updating our website with more information about these steps.
Annual QA Requirements
Reminder: 2021 PREP and SA are due October 31, 2021
A reminder that the 2021 Prescribed Regulatory Education Program (PREP): Ethics and Professionalism is available in MyQA. Registrant feedback so far indicates this is a useful resource that provides relevant examples of the challenges related to making ethical decisions in practice.

To access the PREP and to complete your Self-Assessment (if yours is due this year), login to MyQA and mark both of these “complete” by October 31. While in MyQA update any progress towards your 2021 Professional Development Plan too!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact qaprogram@coto.org. 
Poll: COVID-19 Guidance
September Poll
How do you receive updates on COVID-19 guidance?
I check the College COVID-19 web page.
I read the College email updates.
My employer lets me know.
I check government and public health resources.
All of the above.
Thank you for participating.
We appreciate your feedback and welcome comments at any time.
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 communicatons@coto.org.
Any changes to your profile information in the last 30 days? Make sure you update your profile.
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 · www.coto.org · info@coto.org