Question: What is the purpose of the College’s public register? 

Answer:  The Ontario government requires all regulatory colleges in the province to maintain a public register. The College’s public register is designed to keep the public up to date on who is qualified and able to practice to occupational therapy in Ontario. Anyone with the status of “registered” has met the requirements to practice.

What the public sees

It is the College’s duty to be transparent with the public about the occupational therapists it licenses in the interest of public safety. This means publishing specific information such as:

• your full name,
• former names,
• and date of registration with the College.

Also available to the public are details of concerns about your practice, such as:

• disciplinary information,
• criminal charges and convictions,
• terms, conditions and limitations on your certificate of registration,
• and certain outcomes of investigations by the Inquiries, Complaints & Reports Committee (ICRC).

Anyone is free to go to the College’s “Find an Occupational Therapist" and view these details.

If a registrant has concerns or conditions on their practice, a red “!” will appear on their profile next to the “Concerns and/or Conditions” tab. This directs people to click on this section and read the details.

The public register is a tool for the public

Remember that transparency and accountability are key aspects of professional regulation. The goal of publishing information is not to shame occupational therapists who have encountered concerns with their practice, but to provide the public with easily accessible information that helps clients make informed choices about their health care.

The College encourages clients and employers to use the public register to verify information about the occupational therapist they are working with. By using this tool, clients can make sure a person providing occupational therapy services in Ontario is registered with the College. 

Read more about the public register and the information published about your practice.

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