Competence Maintenance

The Competence Maintenance component consists of DIFFERENT ELEMENTS:

1.  Declaration of Currency - MANDATORY

Currency refers to the required practice hours in a given period of time and is considered one indicatory of an occupational therapist's continued competence.

Currency hours are reported at initial registration and at annual license renewal.  Registrants are required to meet our currency requirements in order to obtain a license to practice.

2.  Assessment & Professional Development

The purpose of this section is to provide registrants with the structure and tools to assess their current practice and identify areas of practice that need improvement. The section also assists registrants in designing their professional development plan to ensure they continue to maintain their knowledge and skills in order to meet the established competencies of occupational therapists.  There are both recommended and mandatory elements in this section.  Registrants are expected to complete these requirements on the indicated timeline and retain documents for 10 years.  PDF document templates are provided. (Click on the document to access relevant templates)

UPDATE

To help registrants manage their annual continuing competence requirements, the College will utilize the COTNS online portal to collect program information.

The College will transition from paper-based Professional Development Plan and Professional Development Log forms to electronic versions available on the COTNS online portal.

The annual self-assessment will also transition from a paper-based form to an electronic version on the portal in 2025.

Detailed information and instructions on this transition will be available late 2024.

3.  Practice Education Modules (PEM) "eLearning" - MANDATORY when available

When available, registrants will be required to complete the required online Practice Education Modules "eLearning" when requested.  These modules are developed to support registrants in meeting the standards of the College.

The College may require a specific eLearning module(s) to be completed at any time during the registration year including renewal.  Registrants will be notified of the timeline for the completion of required eLearning modules.

On completion of an eLearning module, registrants will be required to provide confirmation of completion, such as a Certificate or Learning Transcript.

Important note:

 All College documents are currently mapped to the Essential Competencies of Practice for Occupational Therapists in Canada, 3rd Edition.  The documents will be remapped and have language revised to the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada, 2022, by the end of 2024.