The CPTA's College Conversations

Note: Due to changes to legislation this content is no longer up to date. Please refer to "Episode 86: Four Actions you Can Take Now to Improve Client Privacy in Your Practice Setting" for updated privacy information.

One of the most common topics of the questions brought to the College is that of privacy and the legislative and regulatory requirements that physiotherapists must meet in relation to patient privacy. With physiotherapists subject to as many as four different pieces of privacy legislation depending on their area of practice and patient population, it's easy to understand why.

In this episode of College Conversations, Sean and Leanne complete a brief review of privacy legislation in Alberta, the core principles that they share, and the differences between different pieces of legislation. In the second half of the episode, they answer some frequently asked and recent challenging questions that the College has received.

Leanne and Sean also highlight the many resources available, both through the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta and from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, to help physiotherapists navigate the complicated world of privacy in physiotherapy practice.

Resources:

• Privacy Standard
• Privacy Guide
• Leaving a Practice Guide
• OPIC Video Surveillance in the Private Sector
• OPIC Bring Your Own Device Resources

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Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Sean FitzGerald

Physiotherapist support workers are an essential element to a functioning health system. In this episode, Leanne and Sean discuss the range of backgrounds, educations and experiences people working as physiotherapist support workers may possess and the implications of physiotherapist support workers being unregulated health providers.

They review the performance expectations that physiotherapists must adhere to when supervising physiotherapist support workers and the importance of understanding the skills and knowledge of the physiotherapist support workers you work with.

Toward the end of the episode, they discuss the College's perspective on the importance of establishing when a supervision relationship exists between a physiotherapist and an unregulated health provider and touch on the different methods of supervision physiotherapists can employ when supervising physiotherapist support workers.

Resources:

· Supervision Standard of Practice

· Supervision Guide for Alberta Physiotherapists

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Speakers: Jody Prohar and Leanne Loranger

Over the last few months, there has been a near constant stream of media coverage related to health workforce labour shortages and actions taken by governments, regulators, and other organizations to address the issue.

In this episode, Jody and Leanne discuss actions taken by the provincial governments in Ontario and Nova Scotia and recent changes to Alberta legislation that are all intended to attract health professionals to the respective provinces.

They provide an overview of the Fair Registration Practices Act and the Labour Mobility Act - two pieces of legislation which apply to the physiotherapy workforce. These pieces of legislation establish specific timelines and responsibilities for the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta related to registering physiotherapists who are moving to Alberta from other jurisdictions – both from within Canada and from other countries.

What does it all mean for Alberta physiotherapists? Listen to the episode to find out more.

Resources:

· Government of Alberta. Fair Registration Practices Code.

· Government of Alberta. Labour Mobility Within Canada.

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Speakers: Jody Prohar and Leanne Loranger

The College of Physiotherapists of Alberta has had provision of professional services rules in place for several years. The rules stem from the College's legislated authority to "approve practice settings where physiotherapists provide services." In this episode, Jody and Leanne discuss the rationale behind the rules, policy updates that were implemented in 2023, and what those updates mean for physiotherapists and business owners.

Do you have questions about:

· The role of the designated owner of a practice setting?

· The mandatory learning modules in place for Most Responsible Physiotherapists (MRPTs) and some business owners?

· The agreement that MRPTs enter into with the College?

· The transition to online applications?

If so, this is the episode for you!

Resources:

• Episode 37: Thinking About Opening a Physiotherapy Business? Start Here!
• College of Physiotherapists of Alberta. Provision of Professional Services.

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Physiotherapists have fundamental obligations to provide safe, competent, effective care to their clients, and to provide for continuity of care whenever a therapeutic relationship has been established. The concept of a duty of care underlies long standing professional norms and expectations.

In this episode we discuss recurring challenges that physiotherapists may encounter related to the duty of care that they have towards their clients, including:

· The physiotherapist's responsibility to maintain the therapeutic relationship and take responsibility for conflict resolution.

· Challenges related to discharging patients who still require treatment, but with whom the physiotherapist is unable to maintain a therapeutic relationship, and the physiotherapist's responsibility to arrange for continuity of care.

· Expectations related to informed consent and shared decision making such as the requirements of avoiding providing inappropriate or ineffective treatment and respecting the patient's right to make decisions about their own care. We also discuss how to navigate the challenging situations that can arise when a patient declines or refuses treatment and the physiotherapist thinks the patient's choice of action is unsafe.

The Standards of Practice and Code of Ethical Conduct set out the expectations for physiotherapists related to duty of care. In this episode we elaborate on those expectations and discuss real world scenarios that physiotherapists may encounter from time to time.

Resources:

• Code of Ethical Conduct https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/regulatory-expectations/code-of-ethics/
• Standards of Practice https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/regulatory-expectations/standards-of-practice/

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Speakers: Jody Prohar, Joyce Vogelgesang, and Leanne Loranger

To be eligible to renew their College of Physiotherapists of Alberta practice permit each year, physiotherapists are required to meet currency of practice requirements. The most common way to meet these requirements is to have engaged in the practice of physiotherapy for at least 1200 hours in the 5 registration years immediately preceding the application for permit renewal. Each year the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta receives many questions from regulated physiotherapists regarding practice hours and currency of practice requirements.

Have you ever wondered

· How many hours a registrant must work to meet the currency of practice requirements?

· What types of hours count towards meeting the currency requirements?

· Whether a physiotherapist is required to count their hours of practice?

· When to report physiotherapy practice hours and what information to include? And

· What happens if the physiotherapist does not meet the currency requirement?

If so, this episode is for you!

Resources:

• Practice Permit Renewal. https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/registration-information/practice-permit-renewal/

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Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Jody Prohar

In recent years, the Government of Alberta has passed legislative changes intended to modernize health profession regulation in Alberta and ensure that health regulators focus solely on serving the public interest.

Historically, physiotherapists selected to serve on Council were elected through the annual Council election process that many Alberta physiotherapists will be familiar with. However, Council election processes can send a contradictory message to regulated members, Council members, and the public, creating the perception that Council is elected to serve the interests of physiotherapists.

Beginning in 2023, the College will be moving to a competency-based appointment process for new physiotherapist members of Council. Listen to this episode to find out more about the change and how physiotherapists can become involved.

Resources:

• Changing the Council Selection Process. https://www.cpta.ab.ca/news-and-updates/news/changing-the-council-selection-process/

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Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Jody Prohar

Do you know the rules related to advertising the physiotherapy services you provide? Each month the College receives several calls and emails from physiotherapists and patients alike asking if offers of free services, use of comparative statements, or other common marketing practices are permitted by the College.

In 2023, the College is instituting a proactive approach to enforce the Advertising Standard of Practice, implementing a tool to monitor the websites and social media profiles of physiotherapists. If the tool identifies an issue, the College will contact the registrant about the issue and advise them of the necessary changes. If an issue is not addressed, or reoccurs, it may result in a fine or conduct process, as it may be viewed as disregard for the Standards of Practice.

The College's ultimate goal is to scan physiotherapy websites and social media accounts and find no issues. The hope is that through this process people will understand the seriousness of the matter and will take the necessary corrective actions.

Resources:

• Standards of Practice for Alberta Physiotherapists. https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/regulatory-expectations/standards-of-practice/

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Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Jody Prohar

The Standards of Practice for Physiotherapists in Alberta are being revised, with updated Standards intended to be adopted in 2023. In this episode, Jody and Leanne talk about the core documents of the profession, the legislation governing practice, Bylaws, Code of Ethical Conduct, and the Standards as well as the purpose of each of these documents. The process the College used for revising the Standards and the data considered when making the proposed changes is described in detail.

Each regulated physiotherapist is responsible for their conduct and for meeting the expectations articulated in the Standards and other foundational documents. Defenses like "I didn't know the rules," "my colleague said it was OK," or "those were the rules when I graduated" are not acceptable, so take the time to get to know the Standards and watch for changes in the future.

Resources:

• Standards of Practice for Alberta Physiotherapists. https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/regulatory-expectations/standards-of-practice/
• Governing Legislation. https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/regulatory-expectations/governing-legislation/
• Code of Ethical Conduct. https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-physiotherapists/regulatory-expectations/code-of-ethics/

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Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Jody Prohar

Nearly a year after formally ceasing association functions, Jody and Leanne discuss the respective roles of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta and the newly formed Alberta Association of Physiotherapy. The College regularly hears from physiotherapists who are unsure which organization can help them with the questions or concerns they have.

In this episode we answer some of the most common questions received over the last several months. Who do you talk to about registering and getting a practice permit? When starting a new business? Or when looking for a physiotherapist to treat a specific condition or one that's authorized to perform a restricted activity? Jody and Leanne cover these topics and more in this episode.

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