Reviews of CCP Submissions Completed
The Review and Evaluation of the 10% of randomly selected 2020-21 Continuing Competence Program (CCP) Learning Plans is complete. A big thank-you to the ten members of ACOT’s Competence Committee who acted as Reviewers this year.
We are pleased to say that 180 (or 79%) of registrants whose CCPs were reviewed this year had submissions rated as Acceptable where the person’s commitment to reflective practice and continuous learning was evident from the content included in their Learning Plan. The 49 (or 21 %) of registrants whose CCPs did not include sufficient evidence of reflective practice and continuous learning received ratings of Conditional or Not Acceptable.
Everyone whose CCP was selected for Review has been notified of their rating. Login to the ACOT online platform to view your Review (Audit) feedback from the My Documents tab – check out the Guide to Interpreting Your CCP Learning Plan Review for more details. Those with Not Acceptable ratings will also be contacted directly by ACOT staff and provided with further direction.
Tracking your continuous learning activities and reflections on how those activities have impacted practice via your CCP Learning Plan is one of the ways ACOT meets its mandate of ensuring the public receives competent and ethical OT services. For more information on ACOT’s CCP including information on how to ensure your CCP Learning Plan submission accurately captures your reflections on the continuous learning activities you undertake each year, check out the various written and video materials accessed from the CCP Resources page. We appreciate your efforts in completing your CCP Learning Plan submission to an acceptable level each year.
Making it Through Wave 4
ACOT staff would first like to acknowledge how challenging this pandemic continues to be for you and your colleagues. From increased workloads and redeployment, to working with unvaccinated clients & colleagues, or not being able to work due to the risks to your own health or that of your family – we can only begin to imagine how stressful trying to provide safe and ethical OT services to your clients must be.
Our direction to you through these challenging times is:
- Hold the course – continue to follow the guidance in the August 16, 2021 version of ACOT’s Pandemic Guideline when your employer’s guidance does not at least meet or exceed what ACOT has directed. Bring the guideline to your employer and if you are facing any issues in implementing the recommended guidance in your workplace contact ACOT for support and guidance.
- Remember to continue screening clients for symptoms and offer infection prevention and control measures such as deferral of OT services (if deferral will not cause harm) or offering services virtually (when possible/appropriate).
- When proceeding with in-person service delivery, you are to implement as many workplace controls as you deem necessary, per your risk assessment, for your safety and that of any staff you employ or support personnel you supervise.
- See Appendices A and B of ACOT’s Pandemic Guideline for guidance on which workplace controls to use/which PPE to wear and when.
- Note: you and any support personnel you supervise/staff you employ are still required to wear a medical grade mask whenever 2m distance cannot be maintained between clients and/or co-workers for the duration of a client visit/work shift (either indoors or outdoors).
Regarding Covid 19 Vaccination:
ACOT supports immunization against communicable diseases for which vaccines exist and thus strongly encourages all OTs to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
ACOT has been fielding concerns from OTs whose employers have not yet mandated employee vaccination against COVID-19 (as AHS has done) as well as OTs requesting guidance on how to deal with clients who are vaccine hesitant. In these situations, we offer the following guidance:
- You are not expected to provide advice regarding vaccination as vaccination is not considered part of OT practice.
- However, if a client or your employer asks for your advice or opinion on COVID-19 immunization or any medical or health concern related to COVID-19, we expect you to point them to advice that is in line with provincial public health guidance and grounded in science and best practices.
- You can refer your employer/clients, with vaccine specific inquires or concerns, to credible sources of information and/or an appropriate regulated health professional who is authorized to have a supportive conversation about vaccination (e.g., their pharmacist or primary care provider).
Remember that regardless of your vaccination status or that of your clients, colleagues or staff – masking and use of any other workplace controls/PPE you deem necessary for safety is still required.
In closing, ACOT staff and Council wish to express our sincere gratitude for your hard work and dedication throughout this challenging and exhausting pandemic.
Two-factor Authentication – It’s On!
ACOT is requiring all registered OTs to use two-factor authentication when using our online registration and continuing competence program system. This update is implemented to further protect your online personal information.
When you login to your profile the system will automatically send you an email with a confirmation code. Check your email and if not found, check your junk mail for info@acot.ca. You have 30 minutes to enter the confirmation code. If the time expires, you can try again. We encourage you to login before the 2022 renewal.