Re-entry to Practice FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The supervisor shares accountability for the applicant’s practice during the supervised practice period.

The supervisor helps determine:

  • the applicant’s current level of competence with the client population, and
  • the level of independence that can safely be facilitated.

The College determines the required number of supervision hours for each applicant. It ranges from 150 to 600 hours and is based on the policy Currency Requirement for Applicants. The supervisor should agree upon the number of hours they are willing to supervise prior to beginning the re-entry supervised practice period.

No. The College does not arrange supervisors or practice settings. The applicant is responsible for finding an employer who has a registered occupational therapist willing to be the supervisor for the supervised practice period.

The College approves the supervisor before the supervised practice period begins.

Temporary and provisional registrants may change supervisors in rare circumstances. Registrants contact the registration team to discuss options by sending an email to registration@coto.org.

If the practice supervisor changes during the supervision period, the College expects the new supervisor to sign a new supervision agreement form and continue to work on the approved learning contract.

In some cases, it may be beneficial to both parties to re-develop the learning contract. These changes need to be discussed with the College prior to renegotiating the contract.

Choosing the right practice supervisor is a crucial element of the supervised practice period. The applicant’s working relationship with the practice supervisor will have an impact on their ability to complete the learning contract successfully.

The College must approve the supervisor before the actual supervised practice period can start. Registrants should consider the following key questions, along with their own specific needs:

  • Does the potential practice supervisor meet the criteria established by the College?
  • What are the key components of the learning contract and will the potential practice supervisor be able to assist with them?
  • Does the potential practice supervisor have enough time to devote to their role in the program?
  • Is the potential practice supervisor supportive of continuing education and professional development?
  • Can this supervisory relationship help achieve success in meeting contract goals?

Consider contacting:

The professional associations are available as a resource only. It is up to the applicant to find an occupational therapist to act as a supervisor.

Applicants can also search for occupational therapists by location, language, client age range, and practice setting using our Public Register: Find an Occupational Therapist.

The organization where the supervisor works must agree to facilitate the supervised practice period.

The College does not require detailed notes of everything that occurs during the supervised practice period.

The registrant and supervisor may wish to keep a note of the dates that they met and anything that occurred which was “unusual”. This approach (charting by exception) will allow both parties to recall situations or events should they be asked to speak to the incidents later.

The College will:

  • Determine the number of practice hours to be completed.
  • Approve the supervisor before the supervised practice period can begin. This is done through the Supervision Agreement Form.
  • Approve the learning contract, which must be submitted within one week of starting the supervised practice period.
  • Confirm the registrant has successfully completed the Re-entry to Practice program.

Once the supervised practice period and learning contract are approved, it is expected that the registrant will make every attempt to meet the requirements of the contract.

If the registrant is unable to meet the requirements of the contract, their ability to register beyond the temporary or provisional period with the College may be impacted. Contact the College to discuss this matter further.

The College is a resource for both the registrant re-entering practice and the supervisor during the re-entry process. Questions or concerns that arise during the supervised practice period can be directed to the Manager, Registration at registration@coto.org.

You can submit a written request to extend the timeframe to complete the required hours. Each request will be determined on its own merits. Be sure to provide:

  •  the reason(s) for your request, and
  •  the estimated additional time that you require.

If the registrant is not able to meet objectives set out in the learning contract, the supervisor should:

  • Identify the goals and objectives that are not being met and provide examples of the activities, or
  • Plans that were put in place to meet them;
  • Indicate what they feel the registrant needs to do to meet the goals and objectives;
  • If appropriate, try to develop additional learning strategies with the registrant to assist them in meeting their goals and objectives.

If the supervisor believes there are other factors which are preventing the registrant from meeting the goals and objectives, it is necessary to review the learning contract and/or role in the supervision program. In this case, the supervisor should contact the College to discuss the matter further.

Supervisors may need to have other individuals assist during the re-entry process. The supervisor should discuss this with the registrant prior to discussing it with the other individuals.

Although other individuals may assist during the re-entry process, the supervisor is accountable to the College and must be able to speak to the learning contract and the registrant’s progress.