News
A Message from COTM Executive Director July 2021 - What Will the Summer Bring?
Daily news offers the increasing rate of vaccinations in the Province of Manitoba and in Canada with the hope that this trajectory will result in more freedoms and fewer public health restrictions.
COTM continues to field questions from COTM members who want to participate in the vaccine response. If you are keen to take part in these efforts you need to ensure that you are engaging through an approved pandemic response provider and have received approved training to work as a vaccinator. You are encouraged to carefully review the orders under The Regulated Health Professions Act if you are asked to work as a vaccinator, Manitoba Laws (Orders) (gov.mb.ca) And feel free to send your questions my way.
As we enter the second summer living with and responding to the pandemic, COTM is undertaking to modify the generic telepractice guideline. With the potential help of some of the Master of Occupational Therapy II university students and coordination of the COTM Practice Issues Committee, we are aiming to modify guidance and practice expectations to enhance its relevance to occupational therapy practice.
And on the topic of virtual practice – COTM has been responding to questions from many sectors regarding the decision of the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) to no longer require any form of registration by occupational therapists outside of Ontario who are providing services to Ontario citizens through virtual means. COTM has been exploring the area of virtual practice and its registration requirements through the collective work of the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO). Like the other regulators, COTM has facilitated Temporary Practice registration for any Canadian OT providing virtual services to Manitobans during the pandemic. A post pandemic approach will soon be communicated. In the coming months COTM will provide resources for COTM members and clients who are contemplating engaging in this form of therapy. If you are providing virtual services COTM members are urged to consider the following: ensure your professional liability insurance covers virtual services, acknowledge that complaints from those outside your jurisdiction of registration can file a complaint with COTM, that you are required to know about the client’s context and the applicable provincial laws even if you are not registered in the client’s home province. I welcome your questions on this topic.