Listen to the podcast: Mapping a Path to Success: Goal Setting Made Simple
Unlocking your potential
As part of their Quality Assurance requirements, every year registrants must complete a learning plan and set goals focused on professional growth and the impact of new learning.
Goal setting is more than just a professional requirement—it’s the key to unlocking your potential as an occupational therapist (OT) by:
- Naming your strengths and areas for development
- Keeping you on track to reach your target
- Helping to make practical changes to your practice
- Enhancing client outcomes and experiences
Occupational therapists told us
OTs achieved incredible goals in 2024! For their learning plan, occupational therapists must set goals related to the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada.
Here are the top 5 competencies selected by OTs when setting their goals:
- Culture, equity and justice: Promote culturally safer, anti-oppressive and inclusive practice
- Record keeping: Maintain professional documentation
- Contribute: Contribute to the learning of OTs and others
- Learn: Ongoing learning and professional development
- Leadership: Show leadership in the workplace
Getting started
Starting with a meaningful goal is key. Occupational therapists can use questions like these to guide the development of their goals:
- What are the new or emerging needs in my practice?
- What knowledge and skills would help to address these emerging needs?
- What have I seen from others that I would like to incorporate into my practice?
- Is there feedback from clients, colleagues, or supervisors that can inform my goals?
Great goal statements
Clinical Practice
“To expand my skill set, in the next 6 months, I will complete 5 Initial Neurology Assessments with clients that have experienced work-related concussions. I will assess my progress by meeting with my supervisor to review my documentation and receive feedback for future assessments.”
Non-Clinical Practice
“I will learn two new frameworks, strategies or perspectives pertaining to Indigenous peoples in Ontario that I can utilize towards supporting culturally safer practice in the clinic in the upcoming year. I will share this information with the team during our weekly huddle meeting by October.”
Great impact
These are the top 5 impacts that goals had on occupational therapy practice:
- Better client outcomes
- Improved client safety
- More collaboration
- Enhanced therapeutic rapport
- Increased evidence-based practice
Setting SMART goals
Ready? Set. Go!
Try using the SMART structure worksheet to complete your annual learning plan!
- Ideas for goals: Use it to capture ideas as you begin to think about goals for the year, or
- Writing goal statements: Use it while completing the annual learning plan
Want help? Contact the Quality Assurance team at qaprogram@coto.org