Welcome
Quality matters. The Quality Assurance (QA) program is designed to help occupational therapists reflect on their roles and responsibilities, and identify new learning to ensure they are practicing competently. We do this by having occupational therapists participate in continuous quality improvement activities that reflect evolving practice and the expectations for safe, effective and ethical services.
This is fostered through activities that enable ongoing professional learning such as:
- self-reflection,
- online education, and
- competency assessment.
Quality Assurance activities are designed by occupational therapists and are founded on core resources such as the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada, the Code of Ethics, and Standards of Practice. Insights from research and data also help to shape the activities. Each has the goal of helping to identify strengths and areas for development in occupational therapy practice.
The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 requires the College to have a Quality Assurance program to support the mandate to protect the public and requires all occupational therapists to participate. A declaration is made at registration and each year during annual renewal.
Program Components
There are two main parts to the Quality Assurance (QA) program:
Annual Requirements
All occupational therapists complete two annual activities:
- Annual Learning Plan
- Annual eLearning Module
For more information about these activities, please see: Quality Assurance Requirements
Competency Assessment
Occupational therapists are selected to take part in an assessment of their competence. Groups of registrants are selected to participate on an ongoing basis throughout the year.
For more information on the competency assessment, please see: Competency Assessment.
Quality Assurance Principles
How we approach improvement and assessment
The approach to Quality Assurance is just as important as the processes and activities that are used. The QA program aspires to these principles to achieve the goal to advance quality practice in a manner which is competent, safe, effective, and accountable.
| Quality Practice |
| Promote professional growth and continuing competence |
| Fair |
| Create processes that are objective and effective |
| Transparent |
| Communicate expectations in ways that are easily understood |
| Just Right |
| Make decisions that match the level of risk |
| Responsive |
| Listen and adapt to changing environments |
| Reciprocal |
| Share insights so we learn and grow together |
| Respectful |
| Approaches that are collegial, timely, and sensitive |
These principles align with COTO’s Leadership Outcomes.