There have been many changes to practice over the past few years and we appreciate the dedication of all registrants. The pandemic continues to be a challenge and we are mindful of introducing new elements.
We hope that the release of new resources will be well received.
As always, the goal is to provide current material that supports the delivery of safe effective occupational therapy services.
The Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada. ACOTRO, ACOTUP & CAOT (2021) were released in December 2021 after an extensive national development and validation process. They replace four previous competency documents and represent unified competencies for the occupational therapy profession across Canada. The College has adopted these Competencies, which will be fully in effect as of November 1, 2022.
As we move towards November, we encourage you to:
- review the new Competencies,
- reflect on the content and
- plan your next steps for becoming familiar with the information.
Resources to support the new Competencies will continue to roll out over the coming months.
Here’s a timeline of what’s available and coming soon.
April 2022
Culture, Equity, & Justice
- Resources developed to introduce new area of focus in the Competencies.
- Dedicated website section at coto.org
- College webinar and related Q & A
May 2022
Standards of Practice Consultation
- Draft Standards reflect the new Competencies and are available for review and comment until June 30
- Feedback will inform revisions for Board review
- Consultation provides an opportunity to provide feedback and see how the new Competencies are integrated in the Standards of Practice
June 2022
PREP
- This year’s PREP will be a national eLearning module to educate all occupational therapists in Canada about the new Competencies.
- Available as French and English online modules
- October 31 deadline to ensure completion prior to launch of new Competencies
November 2022
New Competencies in Effect
- Competencies reflect the broad range of skills and abilities required of all occupational therapists in Canada at every stage of their career.
- All registrants will be held accountable to the new Competencies as of November 1, 2022
Coming in 2023
- Release of updated Self-Assessment and Professional Development Plan reflecting the new Competencies
The College team is available to address any questions. Please reach out to [email protected] or [email protected] at any time.