What is Competence Review?
The Competence Review component assesses therapists' skills, knowledge, and judgement required to provide safe, effective, and ethical services and to identify those registrants who may require improvements in their practice.
This virtual peer behaviour-based assessment takes a detailed look at a registrant’s practice to ensure that they are meeting the expectations for competent practice, as described in the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada. It is designed to be specific to the registrants practice and assesses clinical interactions as well as regulatory responsibilities, such as participation in the Competence Maintenance component.
The peer-assessment will be completed by a licensed occupational therapist with multiple years of experience in the field and training in conducting peer assessments.
Why Have Competence Review?
The annual Competence Maintenance requirements support registrants in engaging with and maintaining continued competence. Competence Review is the process for confirming the continued competence of registrants.
The mandate of the NSOTR is public protection. The Regulated Health Professions Act, 2024 requires each healthcare professional regulator to conduct competency assessments as part of their Continuing Competence Program. The Regulator is required by law to engage registrants in this in-depth assessment.
How are Registrants Selected?
Registrants are identified using a risk-based selection (RBSA), which allows the Regulator to focus resources on those registrants with more risk indicators in their practice. While registrants with more indicators are more likely be selected for Competence Review, registrants with none or few indicators may also be selected. The Regulator will select registrants twice yearly to participate in Competence Review, and only those registrants selected and notified by the Regulator will have to participate. Risk indicators come from registrant profiles and regulatory history, and may include factors such as:
- High risk practice areas
- Virtual practice
- Solo practice or self-employment
- Temporary or casual employment
- 3+ employers
- Low weekly clinical hours
- Working with multiple age ranges
- 1-3 or 25+ years of practice
- Professional conduct history and CCP completion history
- Regulatory history with the College
These indicators come from evidence in academic literature on health professions, and will be evolving based on evaluation of the Competence Review component, partnership with other OT regulators in Canada, and support from data specialists including a psychometrician to ensure appropriate validation of the selected indicators. No single indicator will be used to select registrants for Competence Review; instead, an overall sum will be used to determine those registrants through the RBSA.
Competing the Competence Review is a regulatory requirement for those registrants selected.
Volunteer to Participate in Competence Review Assessment
Registrants can put their name forward to take part in the Competence Review assessment. This is a way for registrants to engage in reflective practice and speak with a knowledgeable peer-assessor to help identify their areas of strength and areas for improvement. This can be especially helpful for sole practitioners who do not regularly interact with other occupational therapists, as well as experienced occupational therapists who want a knowledgeable outside perspective on their practice.
If you would like to volunteer to participate in Competence Review, please contact us at admin@cotns.ca.
Accommodations and Deferrals
If you have been selected for Competence Review and would like to request accommodations or deferral, please submit a completed Form A.
A deferral is when the original deadline for Competence Review is delayed for a specific period of time, such as 30 days. The Competence Review component cannot be exempted.
Occupational therapists may request an accommodation to allow for equitable and accessible participation in Competence Review.
Please note that the Regulator may request additional documentation to support your request.