The College’s Quality Assurance program supports occupational therapists (OTs) in the delivery of safe, effective, ethical care.
The QA program ensures continuing competence and quality care by requiring occupational therapists to:
The College is responsible for monitoring registrant compliance with the QA program and to follow-up with occupational therapists who require support. The focus of the QA program is to ensure the delivery of quality occupational therapy services through education, continuous quality improvement and remediation.
Why does the College have a QA program?
The
Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 requires the College to have a Quality Assurance program to support its
mandate to protect the public. The program measures knowledge and performance to ensure occupational therapists are meeting the
Essential Competencies and the
Standards of Practice.
Taking part in the QA program gives occupational therapists a chance to reflect on their practice. It helps them to focus on where they need to learn more to ensure they can provide safe, effective, ethical care.
The QA program supports occupational therapists with tools and feedback so that they can keep improving their skills.
Do occupational therapists have to take part in the QA program?
Yes. The law requires occupational therapists to take part in the College’s Quality Assurance (QA) program.
Occupational therapists must complete a QA declaration when they first register with the College and each year when they renew. The declaration means they understand and agree to comply with the QA program requirements.
What happens if occupational therapists do not meet the annual QA requirements?
When occupational therapists do not meet a due date for a single requirement of the QA program, the College will send them a letter informing them that they did not meet a mandatory requirement of the QA program. In this letter they will receive a warning that if this happens again, they will be referred to the Quality Assurance Committee.
Referral to the Quality Assurance Committee
Occupational therapists may be referred to the Quality Assurance Committee if:
- They fail to complete one QA requirement in consecutive years
- They fail to complete two or more QA requirements in one year
- They do not complete a requirement in a satisfactory way in any given year
- They have requested an extension or exemption again in following years after already receiving one
What the Quality Assurance Committee can decide
The committee makes its decisions based on the particular facts in each case. When an occupational therapist has failed to comply with an element of the QA program, the Committee may take any of the following actions, depending on how serious the case is:
- Take no action
- Grant or deny a request for an extension or exemption
- Provide a written notice, which is a letter stating the occupational therapist is required to complete the outstanding requirement(s) by a new due date
- Require the occupational therapist to take part in the Competency Assessment process
- Ask the occupational therapist to sign a legal agreement to comply with their QA requirements
- Require the occupational therapist to take part in a Peer and Practice Assessment
- Refer the matter to the College’s Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee
For more information view the
Compliance with Quality Assurance Program Requirements policy.
What does the QA program involve?
The QA program has three parts:
- Competency Enhancement (annual QA requirements)
- Competency Assessment
- Competency Improvement
Competency is a measurable pattern of knowledge, skills, judgement, and behaviour that an OT requires to perform their work successfully. Continuing competency is the process of refining one’s skills and knowledge through ongoing professional development.
Do you have more questions?
Contact us:
qaprogram@coto.org
Confidential Fax Number:
416.214.0851
Click here for COTO staff directory.
QA Program Resources for Registrants: