Completion of the 2019 College–Selected Activity is required of all members on the General Register for the 2018/19 registration year (October 1, 2018 until September 30, 2019). This expectation holds true for both physiotherapists who will be renewing their practice permit as well as physiotherapists who plan to cancel their registration when it expires at the end of September.
For physiotherapists who plan to renew their practice permit, the College-Selected Activity must be completed before they renew, because at renewal they are required to make declarations respecting participation in the 2019 College-Selected Activity and meeting its learning objectives.
For physiotherapists who plan to cancel their registration, the College-Selected Activity must be completed by September 30, 2019 the last day of the registration year. When they reinstate, they are accountable for reporting on the 2019 College-Selected Activity.
Bottom line: If you are on the General Register now, you must complete the 2019 College-Selected Activity.
The DO.LEARN.GROW. 2019 College-Selected Activity provides a structured format on what physiotherapists can DO to help LEARN about and apply the Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct practice standard and education guides to their practice. We don’t know how long it takes to complete the 2019 College-Selected Activity but …. the bottom line is you need to understand the following learning objectives:
- “Who is a patient” as defined by the Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct Standard of Practice.
- Why and how the Standard of Practice and guides for protecting patients from sexual abuse or misconduct are relevant to your practice.
What can you DO to achieve the learning objectives? Review the following resources:
- Standard of Practice Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct
- Guide for Physiotherapists. Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse or Misconduct - Expectations for Physiotherapists
- Guide for Patients. Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse or Misconduct - What Can Patients Expect from Their Physiotherapist?
- Recorded webinar Understanding Bill 21, An Act to Protect Patients – conducted by Leanne Monsma, Lawyer at Field Law
Then to help with GROWth and applying the information in the Standard and the Guides to your practice, take time to consider, either on your own or with co-workers, the following guiding questions.
Standard of Practice: Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct
- Do you understand when an individual you have treated would be considered to still be your patient, even though you have not seen them for treatment recently?
- Are there situations where you encounter patients, as defined by the Standard, in social situations? What steps might you take to mitigate any risks that such encounters may pose to you?
Guide for Physiotherapists. Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse or Misconduct: expectations for physiotherapists
- Were you surprised by the reported prevalence of sexual abuse in Canada? How will this knowledge affect how you interact with patients or others in the clinical environment?
- Looking back on past patient interactions, can you think of a time when a patient did not react as expected to something you said or did in the context of physiotherapy care? Could a patient history of sexual abuse explain the patient’s reactions? What would you do differently if faced with the situation again?
- Are there activities you engage in in your clinical practice which could re-traumatize a patient who is a survivor of sexual abuse? With this realization, how will you modify your approach to avoid re-traumatizing your future patients?
Guide for Patients. Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse or Misconduct: what can patients expect from their physiotherapist
- What factors in your practice contribute to the power imbalance between you and your patients? What do you do to try to minimize the imbalance?
- What strategies could you implement to make your patients feel less vulnerable, and thereby minimize the power imbalance between patient and physiotherapist?
- Are there clinical practices that you engage in that could be misinterpreted by a patient? What steps have you taken to ensure that the physiotherapy purpose of these activities is clear to the patient and that you have the patient’s consent to engage in the activity?
Webinar. College-Selected Activity: Understanding Bill 21, An Act to Protect Patients
- What can you learn from lawyer Leanne Monsma’s tips to avoid complaints related to sexual abuse or sexual misconduct?
Questions about with the College-Selected Activity? Contact Audrey Lowe, Manager Continuing Competence Program competence@cpta.ab.ca or 780.702.5349, 1.800.291.2782
