Mandatory Liability Insurance
Starting in 2022, ACOT will require all registering OTs to personally hold a minimum of $5 million in professional liability insurance – employer’s insurance coverage will not be sufficient. Most employer-based insurance does not cover the OT for activities outside of work, or for complaints that come straight to ACOT rather than through the employer. This can leave the public and OTs without the benefits that personally held professional liability insurance is intended to provide.
Personally held professional liability insurance for OTs can be purchased through the Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists (SAOT), the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT), or through an independent insurance broker.
Top Causes of Unprofessional Conduct and Tips to Avoid It
Over the next editions of eNews, ACOT will provide the top ten most common causes of unprofessional conduct across all health professions that can give rise to a complaint. Each edition will also provide tips on how to prevent a finding of unprofessional conduct.
Personality conflicts escalate to unprofessional conduct.
It is not unusual for the roots of unprofessional l conduct to be in a personality conflict between a professional and a colleague, between a professional and his or her supervisor, or between a professional and a patient. A serious personality conflict can cause a professional to lose their objectivity and a minor dispute which should have been resolvable may escalate to a major confrontation.
What you can do:
- Understand that there will always be colleagues, supervisors, and patients with whom it is difficult to get along. However, this does not alleviate you of the central obligation of maintaining a professional demeanour and professional interactions. If you are experiencing a personality conflict, ask yourself honestly whether it is affecting the quality of your work. Are your interactions still meeting professional standards?
- If you are experiencing a personality colleague with a colleague, deal with the issue privately and not in the presence of patients.
- If there is a serious personality conflict with a patient, consider arranging for the patient’s care to be provided by a different person. If you have been assigned to provide exclusive care to the patient, then you should obtain the patient’s consent to the transfer.
James T. Casey, Q.C. Field Law
Content from this article has been published with the permission of Field Law, and may be republished only with the consent of Field Law. “Field Law” is a registered trademark of Field LLP.
Two-factor Authentication – Coming Your Way
In fall of 2021, ACOT will be requiring all registered OTs to use two-factor authentication when using our online registration and continuing competence program system. This update is being implemented to further protect your online personal information. More information about this change will be provided in the coming weeks.