In June, Council approved the Restricted Activity Standard of Practice after considering feedback from the Minister of Health and external stakeholders. The Restricted Activity Standard of Practice will be in effect October 1, 2021.
All regulated members of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta are advised to review the Standard in full, and to consider its implications for their individual practice.
What does this mean for physiotherapists who provide pelvic health services?
The 2021 Performance of Restricted Activities Standard establishes the requirement that a physiotherapist wishing to perform the restricted activity must:
- Complete a program of study in the performance of the restricted activity that includes as part of the curriculum: theory, practice, safety instruction, and final (summative) evaluation conducted by the course instructor which resulted in a passing grade prior to seeking authorization to perform the restricted activity.
- Submit evidence to the Registrar of having the competencies required to perform the restricted activity.
- Receive notification from the Registrar that the authorization is indicated on their practice permit prior to performing the restricted activity independently.
Effective October 1, 2021, all physiotherapists providing pelvic health physiotherapy services must have received individual authorization from the Registrar of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta to perform pelvic health internal examinations.
We advise all regulated members who perform this restricted activity and wish to continue to do so to submit their documents as soon as possible.
We anticipate a high volume of applications over the next two months. Early submission of documents will enable physiotherapists to continue to provide pelvic health internal examinations without any lapses in their authorization.
