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Released at the end of 2021, the new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (COTC) aim to provide a single set of competencies for regulation, education, exams, and accreditation. The aims of this Professional Issue Forum (PIF) at CAOT Hybrid 2022 were to (1) provide background information on development of the competencies, (2) share common problems and solutions in implementation of the competencies, (3) outline next steps, and (4) address any unmet needs for discussion.
Panel presentation summary Alison Douglas opened the panel with background information about the development of the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (COTC) and key messages. A steering committee comprised of members from CAOT, ACOTUP and ACOTRO, with funding from the Government of Canada Foreign Credential Recognition Program, oversaw the development of the COTC (2021). The project occurred over several years, with the final document distributed in fall 2021. The document describes six Domains with 22 Competencies. Key messages accompanied the release, including:
* The competencies may look familiar, as many previous competencies continue to be relevant.
* A new domain acknowledges the presence and impact of systemic racism in Canada. The competencies promote anti-racist, anti-ableist, antioppressive behaviour and are a critical step toward dismantling the structures that privilege some people over others.
The three organizations-CAOT, ACOTUP and ACOTRO-committed to implementing the new competencies over the next few years. A new "OT Competency Coordination Committee (OTCCC)" was formed to coordinate, facilitate connections, and to communicate to interested parties' implementation plans, progress, and outcomes regularly. Members are from regulatory bodies, ACOTUP curriculum committee, ACOTUP fieldwork committee, OT national exam, OT accreditation, and OTA accreditation. All the PIF panelists were members of the OT Competency Coordinating Committee. Although the panelists did not present on OTA accreditation in particular, attendees were invited to send inquiries to the CAOT Director of Standards.
Next, Marianne Baird provided information on work in process with regulators across Canada. Occupational therapy is legislated provincially, with 10 provincial OT Regulators, which are all part of the ACOTRO. Considerations for coordination in ACOTRO include timing and resources to incorporate the new Competencies into processes for internationally educated occupational therapists, and how this will be timed with changes to the national exam. Individual Regulators are working on the required approvals by...