Changes in Registration Requirements for Out of Province OTs Practicing Virtually in Alberta
As per the June 10, 2021 eNews, Regulators of OTs across Canada have been in discussions regarding a Virtual Practice Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Although the MOU has not yet been signed by all provinces yet, ACOT Council has granted approval for ACOT to adopt the MOU in principle as of October 1, 2021. Please note:
- ACOT’s adoption of the MOU principles has implications only for OTs who are:
- registered in good standing another Canadian province; and,
- providing non-restricted activities to clients physically situated in Alberta.
- Internationally registered OTs providing services virtually to Albertans must still be registered to practice in Alberta.
- If you are an OT who is already registered in Alberta and wish to provide services to clients physically situated in another jurisdiction (i.e., another Canadian province or another state/country), you are still responsible to investigate whether registration is required in that other jurisdiction.
ACOT has created a Practice Across Jurisdictions FAQ to assist OTs within and beyond the borders of Alberta in determining the registration requirements in other jurisdictions when providing OT services virtually. ACOT’s Virtual Practice Guideline has also been updated to reflect this change. Both of these guidance documents can be accessed from the Practice Resources page of the ACOT website. A link to these guidance documents has also been created from the Registration Page of the ACOT website – see the Practice Across Jurisdictions tab.
Clarification on Proper Use and Representation of Protected Title
In preparing for the Virtual Practice MOU and in response to questions fielded from registrants, ACOT has prepared two guidance documents relating to the use of protected title. You can access the Practice Guideline: Use of Protected Title and the Practice FAQs: Representing Title and Credentials from the Practice Resources page of the ACOT website – scroll to the Practice Guidance section, both of these documents are flagged as NEW.
Did you know:
Protected OT title and OT credentials are not the same?
The use of the (C) after your OT title is not required?
You can now add AB or Alberta after your title? e.g., Register Occupational Therapist (AB) or Reg. OT (AB)?
See the explanations to these and other frequently asked questions about protected title in the Practice FAQs: Representing Title and Credentials.
Continuing Competence Program (CCP) Survey 2021 – We want your feedback!
We can hardly believe it has been almost two years since ACOT “went live” with the new version of the online platform and updated format of the Continuing Competence Program (CCP) Self-Assessment and Learning Plan! We are long overdue in getting feedback from ACOT registrants about your experience with the new system and CCP.
ACOT is committed to ongoing evaluation of our CCP to ensure it achieves its purpose of capturing your commitment to reflective practice and continuous learning. The research to date demonstrates that a reflective practice approach to continuing competence, similar to what ACOT has adopted, is more closely correlated to competent and ethical practice than other approaches such as a continuing education credit programs.
Please take ~10minutes to complete the CCP Review 2021 Survey by October 15. Your feedback will guide the CCP Resources ACOT develops and possibly changes to the CCP itself.