In Ontario, you have the right to receive safe, competent and ethical care from an occupational therapist (OT).
You can be confident in that right because the government has laws and rules in place and the College holds occupational therapists accountable for meeting professional standards.
Occupational therapists are accountable for the quality of care they provide. Here are a few examples of how the College ensures that accountability.
Registration
The College is responsible for ensuring that individuals have met the strict educational requirements and standards to be registered to practice occupational therapy in Ontario.
Learn more about registration requirements.
Public Register: Find an Occupational Therapist
Online Directory of Occupational Therapists
Only people registered with the College (initially and each year through registration renewal) can practice occupational therapy in Ontario and use the title of occupational therapist or OT. These individuals are listed on the online directory Find an Occupational Therapist. It is important to know who is delivering your care. Checking Find an Occupational Therapist will confirm that the individual listed is qualified to deliver safe, ethical, and competent care.
Video: How to Use the Public Register: Find an OT
Watch the video below to learn how to access current reliable information about health professionals in Ontario and look up a professional at Find an Occupational Therapist.
Professional Practice
The College develops and enforces standards of practice, policies, guidelines and the code of ethics to which all occupational therapists must adhere.
Learn more about professional practice expectations and how the College supports occupational therapists in the continued delivery of safe, effective, ethical care.
Quality Assurance
This College program promotes continuing competence and quality improvement for occupational therapists. As practice environments and standards evolve, quality assurance helps occupational therapists to maintain or enhance their knowledge and skills.
Learn about the profession's commitment to continuous improvement.
Complaints
People have a formal process to complain about occupational therapists registered with the College, or about people who aren’t registered but who present themselves as occupational therapists. It’s the College’s job to investigate all complaints, from anyone.
Learn more about concerns and complaints.
Mandatory Reports
Occupational therapists and their employers must make mandatory reports to the College for incidents relating to: abuse of clients; employment terminations due to professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity; offenses; negligence; malpractice; and child abuse.
Read more about the legal obligation to file a mandatory report.
Patient Relations Committee
This Committee has oversight for concerns relating to the occupational therapist-client relationship. A focus is preventing all forms of abuse. The College maintains a zero tolerance policy for sexual abuse.
Read about Sexual Abuse Prevention at the College and learn about College Committees.
Discipline
Through a transparent and fair process, the College deals with any registered occupational therapist who has fallen below the standards of practice or committed an act of professional misconduct.
Learn about the steps involved in discipline hearings and view public summaries of discipline hearings.