Quality Assurance Program Professional Development Guide (Updated Draft) March 2016 Quality Assurance Program Professional Development Table of Contents Quality Assurance Program Overview .......................................................................................................... 3 Professional Development Tools .................................................................................................................. 4 The Role of Quality Assurance in Self‐Regulation ..................................................................................... 4 Self‐Assessment Tool ................................................................................................................................ 5 Learning Plan ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Record of Continuing Professional Development ..................................................................................... 5 Participation Schedule, Requirements, Submission & Review Process ........................................................ 6 Participation Schedule .............................................................................................................................. 6 Your first year of registration ................................................................................................................ 6 Ongoing participation ........................................................................................................................... 7 Changes to your practice ...................................................................................................................... 7 Requirements ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Submission ................................................................................................................................................ 9 Review Process .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Review Outcomes ................................................................................................................................... 10 Limitations to Confidentiality, Accommodation & Extensions ................................................................... 11 Limitations to Confidentiality.................................................................................................................. 11 Accommodation & Deadline Extension .................................................................................................. 11 Frequently Asked Questions ....................................................................................................................... 12 Professional Development Guide 2 Quality Assurance Program Professional Development Quality Assurance Program Overview As with all regulated health professions, CRPO is required to establish and maintain a Quality Assurance Program. The broad parameters of this mandatory program are set out in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, and each health regulatory college must establish requirements for Member participation in continuing professional development and/or continuing education, as well as self, peer, and practice assessment. Colleges must also have in place a mechanism to monitor Member participation. CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program includes three components: 1. Professional Development, which requires the ongoing participation of every Member; 2. Peer & Practice Review, which includes participation of Members who are randomly selected; and 3. Professional Improvement, which includes participation in a remediation program. The goals of the Professional Development component are to support ongoing self‐reflection and continuing competence. In addition to completing tools to self‐assess competence, Members are expected to engage in and track their learning activities. Members are encouraged to review and update their tools regularly, and are required to submit them every two years. The Peer & Practice Review mainly involves a collegial, structured dialogue about a Member’s practice with a collaborative peer assessor who has been trained for this role. This two‐step Review process is educational and supportive, and will occur either by distance, or in the Member’s practice setting. In addition, through a review of the Member’s client records and, possibly, a visit to the practice setting, the Member’s ability to meet the Standards of Practice and work within relevant laws/legislation may be explored. Each year, the CRPO will randomly select Members to participate in this component of the program. Finally, the Professional Improvement component engages Members who, as determined by the QA Committee, require additional support to address identified learning needs. Only those Members who have been identified in the Peer & Practice Review to require directed remediation will engage in Professional Improvement activities. Members will manage many aspects of their participation in the Quality Assurance Program via their CRPO account. By navigating to the QA tab, Members will find information, instructions, tools and an “Upload QA Document” function that enables uploading of completed tools and other documents. Professional Development Guide 3 Quality Assurance Program Professional Development Professional Development Tools The Role of Quality Assurance in Self‐Regulation As a Member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario you are a member of a self‐
regulated profession. Along with the privilege of professional self‐regulation comes responsibility – namely that you practise safely, effectively and competently. You demonstrate safe, effective, competent practice by consistently meeting the standards of the profession and upholding the laws and regulations that apply to your practice context. The public shares similar expectations regarding your responsibilities: that you demonstrate professionalism and accountability and that you provide competent care. While the College recognizes that the vast majority of Registered Psychotherapists are safe, effective, competent practitioners, both you and the College share a mutual obligation to assure the public that you possess these qualities. One of the ways this is accomplished is through your engagement in the Quality Assurance Program. An important element of self‐regulation is your ability to recognize your strengths and shortcomings. This is done by reflecting on your practice and engaging in an internal process to explore the personal and professional self. As a result of this process, you will acquire self‐knowledge. “Self knowledge refers to the understanding that we have acquired about ourselves over the years. It is dependent on our capacity to tell ourselves the truth in ways that acknowledge our strengths and qualities, whilst at the same time recognizing our personal shortcomings and limitations.”1 Another important part of self‐regulation is identifying the things that you don’t know and using this information to determine how you will enhance your knowledge, skill and judgment. As you uncover your own gaps in awareness, and use this information to build awareness, you experience a transition from an “unconsciously incompetent” practitioner to one who is “consciously competent.” The Professional Development tools are founded on the key principles of conscious competence and safe and effective use of self. They are designed to assist your exploration and identification processes, and to support your transition from less awareness to improved awareness and enhanced competence. As you will see, this process mainly involves reflecting, but it also involves planning, learning, applying and re‐evaluating. The three tools, named below, work together synergistically: 1. Self‐Assessment; 2. Learning Plan; and 3. Record of Continuing Professional Development. The Self‐Assessment and Learning Plan, work together to help you reflect on your practice, increase self‐
awareness, identify your strengths and shortcomings, and plan accordingly. Collectively, the tools enable you and the College to meet your shared Quality Assurance obligations under the RHPA. 1
Forming and maintaining relationships with service, users, careers, professionals and others: Self knowledge/professional use of self; Social Care Institute for Excellence; retrieved Dec 2015; http://www.scie.org.uk/assets/elearning/communicationskills/cs02/resource/html/object2/object2_3.htm Professional Development Guide 4 Self‐Assessment Tool The Self‐Assessment tool contains three sections: 1. General Professional Obligations Inventory – This is a selected list of the knowledge, skill, and judgment that all Members are expected to possess. It incorporates CRPO’s Professional Practice Standards, and addresses changes in your practice environment and advances in technology. You are asked to note where you fall on a range from “well developed” to “needs development.” 2. Reflection – These open‐ended questions are designed to help you reflect on the more interpersonal aspects of your practice, such as your professional relationships, support systems, and safe and effective use of self. 3. Contemplation – These questions provide an opportunity for further thought. You needn’t document your responses; rather, you are invited to engage in a more personal exploration of the professional self. These questions relate to matters such as internal bias, judgement, social location, personal/professional limitations and boundaries. Learning Plan The Learning Plan asks you to think ahead and plan your learning goal(s) for the next two years. There are many ways to create a Learning Plan – you may wish to establish a single comprehensive goal, or you may prefer to identify a series of smaller goals. Completing the Learning Plan worksheet involves three essential steps: 1. Consider your Self‐Assessment responses, reflect broadly on your practice and identify ways that you can enhance your professional practice. 2. Document your learning goals and describe how you will achieve them. 3. Review regularly, make adjustments, and reflect on how your goals have impacted your practice. Record of Continuing Professional Development Engaging in learning activities is an important part of maintaining competence and keeps you abreast of current practices, issues, trends and new techniques. It also helps you maintain and enhance your knowledge, skill and judgment with respect to the Professional Practice Standards and relevant legislation and regulations. By participating in and tracking your learning activities using the Record of Continuing Professional Development, you demonstrate that you take your continuous professional improvement obligations seriously. Professional Development Guide 5 Qualityy Assuran
nce Prograam Profe
essionall Develo
opmentt pation Sche
edule, Req
quirementss, Submisssion & Revview Proceess Particip
Participattion Schedule
e Both you and the Colle
ege have a shared responssibly under th e Regulated H
Health Professsions Act, 19
991 o ensure that you are meetting your Proffessional Devvelopment ob
bligations. Thiis means thatt we (RHPA) to
are both rrequired to ke
eep track of yyour engagem
ment in this coomponent off the Program
m. When you
complete the provided
d tools, retain
n your own re
ecords of partticipation, and
d submit them
m as required
d by the Qualitty Assurance Committee, tthis shared ob
bligation is m
met. Regu
ulated Health
h Professionss Act, 1991: 80.1 A quality asssurance progrram prescribeed under secti
tion 80 shall innclude, (a) continuing educattion or professsional develoopment designned to, (i) promote co
ontinuing com
mpetence andd continuing qquality improvvement among the members, (i.1
1) promote interprofession
nal collaborattion [this porttion is yet to b
be proclaimed
d], (ii) address cha
anges in pracctice environm
ments, and (iii)) incorporatee standards of
of practice, addvances in tecchnology, cha
anges made to en
ntry to practic
ce competenc
cies and other
r relevant issu
ues in the discretion o
of the Council
l; (b) self, p
peer and pracctice assessments; and (c) a mechanism for tthe College to
o monitor mem
mbers’ particcipation in, an
nd comp
pliance with, t
the quality as
ssurance prog
gram. Your first year of regisstration If you are in your first yyear of registration, do the
e following beetween Januaary 1st and March 31st: 1. Complete and submit a Selff‐Assessmentt. Some excepptions may ap
pply – see thee box below.
2. Begin a Learnin
ng Plan that e
establishes prrofessional deevelopment ggoals for the next one or tw
wo ye
ears, docume
enting at leastt one goal and a course off action to ach
hieve that goaal. Update yo
our Le
earning Plan rregularly, unttil you are sch
heduled to suubmit it. (See Your Ongoingg Participatio
on Scchedule in the box below.) 3. Begin a Record
d of Professio
onal Developm
ment, documeenting any learning activitties that are cu
urrently in process. Update your Record
d regularly unntil you are sccheduled to ssubmit it. (Seee Yo
our Ongoing Participation Schedule in tthe box below
w.) Professsional Devellopment Guid
de 6 Exception Iff you joined th
he College be
etween Januaary 1 and Marrch 31 of a givven year, then you su
ubmit your Se
elf‐Assessment the followiing year. For example, if you registered
d on January 26th, 2016, the
en you would complete and submit youur first Self‐Asssessment beetween Jaanuary 1st andd by March 31st, 2017. Your Ongoing Y
n Schedule Participation
Once your first
O
t year Professsional Develo
opment requi rements are met, your ongoing participation iss dependent on your regisstration numbber. If your reegistration nu
umber is odd, then you are schedule
ed to submit tthe tools in oddd‐numbered
d years (e.g. 2
2017, 2019, 2021, etc.). If yyour registrattion number iis even, then you are scheeduled to submit the to
ools in even‐n
numbered years (e.g. 2018
8, 2020, 20222, etc). Ongoing p
participation
n In applicable years (eitther even or o
odd, depending on your reegistration nu
umber), comp
plete the follo
owing steps betw
ween Januaryy 1st and Marcch 31st: 1. Complete and submit a new
w Self‐Assessm
ment. 2. Fiinalize any up
pdates to: you
ur Learning Plan, includingg your reflectiion on your ggoals and yo
our Record off Continuing P
Professional D
Developmentt. Submit both. 3. Begin a new Le
earning Plan, establishing professional developmentt goals for thee next two yeears. Also begin a ne
ew Record off Continuing P
Professional D
Developmentt. Update thesse regularly o
over tw
wo years, unttil you are nexxt required to
o submit the PProfessional D
Developmentt tools. Qu
uality Assuran
nce Regulatio
on under the Psychotheraapy Act, 20077: 5. Every mem
mber shall parrticipate everyy two years inn self‐assessm
ment and proffessional developmeent activities iin order to maintain the knnowledge, skkill and judgm
ment required to
o practise thee profession in
n accordance with the stanndards of pra
actice and ethics set b
by the Collegee. Changes tto your practtice While you
ur ongoing en
ngagement with the Professsional Develoopment component is larggely based on
n the mplete and submit a new Self‐Assessm
even/odd
d participation
n schedule, yo
ou are also re
equired to com
ment and updatte your Learn
ning Plan whe
en there is a significant chaange in your p
practice (e.g. change in yo
our clientele, in your practtice setting orr employer, in
n your role annd/or responssibilities). Requirem
ments Quality Asssurance Com
mmittee expects Memberss to participatte in the Profeessional Deveelopment component, which involves your ad
dequate engagement in leaarning activities, completing the Profession
nal Developm
ment tools acccording to insstructions, an d submitting your compleeted tools in accordancce with the scchedule set by the Qualityy Assurance C ommittee. de 7 Professsional Devellopment Guid
Self‐Assessment Respond to the questions in each section in a manner that is consistent with the instructions provided in the tool. Your responses must be clear, complete and original (i.e. not plagiarized). Learning Plan Complete the tool following the provided instructions. Document at least one goal and map a related course of action. Revisit your Learning Plan regularly and update it as needed. Before you submit it, be sure you have completed the reflection section, even if the goal remains a work in progress. Learning Activities & the Record of Continuing Professional Development You are expected to engage in at least 40 hours of learning activities every two years – these activities must be related to the practice of the profession. Because of the even/odd participation schedule, it may be the case that you are reporting learning activities undertaken in a period that is less than 2 years. If this is the case, you are expected to engage in a reasonable proportion of the required 40 hours. For example, if the period is one year, then it may be reasonable to report 15‐ 20 hours. While pre‐approval of learning activities is not required, be sure to engage in at least one didactic and one experiential activity (see groupings below). The Quality Assurance Committee recommends that you engage in a broad range of activities. Track your learning activities using the Record of Continuing Professional Development. In addition, retain evidence of your participation, as you may be required to provide this at the request of the Quality Assurance Committee. This includes documentation of activities you have completed or activities you are currently engaged in, such as a certificate, receipt of payment, course outline, summary of your peer discussion, and/or clinical supervision log, etc. The tables below provide examples of acceptable supporting documentation. Didactic Learning Activities (non‐exhaustive list) Activity Acceptable Evidence of participation a. Attending education/training programs Transcripts, letters or certificates of completion or courses b. Attending workshops, seminars, Letters or certificates of completion conferences or webinars c. Conducting research Proposals, abstracts or agreements d. Engaging in independent study/ self‐
List of reading material/activities and summary of guided learning learnings e. Preparation for teaching programs, Course/workshop/seminar outline or syllabus in courses, workshops, seminars, addition to a list of list of reference materials used to conferences or webinars develop course content f. Writing for a scholarly publication (e.g. Link to the publication, or copy of the articles title page, journals, textbooks, and other which bears the name of the Member as author (or educational resources) contributing author) g. Other The type of evidence that would be considered acceptable depends on the activity. Professional Development Guide 8 Experiential Learning Activities (non‐exhaustive list) Activity Evidence of participation a. Participating in study group(s) List of reading material/activities and summary of learnings b. Peer consultation Letter of confirmation or outline of the consultation and contact information of the consultant c. Receiving clinical supervision Letter from supervisor, copy of contract, supervision log d. Receiving personal psychotherapy Letter from psychotherapist, payment receipts for services provided e. Other The type of evidence that would be considered acceptable depends on the activity Submission Accessing and submitting your tools is managed almost entirely through your CRPO account: 1. Log into your CRPO account and navigate to the QA tab, where you will find a link to the tools. 2. Click on the tools link, which will open a PDF document, and SAVE a copy of this to your computer. As you fill in the tools, remember to SAVE any information you’ve added or changes you’ve made. 3. Upload your completed tools via the QA tab in your CRPO account by March 31st of the applicable year. Review Process Every year, a number of eligible Members will be randomly selected and their Professional Development tools will be reviewed by College staff, following the criteria set out by the QA Committee. (See criteria below.) A subset of Members from this random selection will also be randomly selected for Peer & Practice Review. Learn more about the Peer & Practice Review at CRPO.ca. You are eligible to be randomly selected for review of your Professional Development tools if you hold a current certificate of registration in the Registered Psychotherapist and Qualifying classes. You are eligible to be randomly selected for Peer and Practice Review if you:  currently practise in a clinical or mixed role, or provide clinical supervision;  hold a current certificate of registration;  have been registered with the College longer than twelve (12) months; and  currently practise in Ontario. You will receive a notice in your CRPO account if your name has been randomly selected. This notice will include details about the process and any next steps that may be required on your part. The purpose of the Professional Development review process is to ensure that your participation is adequate, based on the criteria set by the Quality Assurance Committee. Your ratings, responses and any notes you make are not judged in any way, except to assure adequate completeness. Information you share as a result of your participation in the Program is confidential, and with limited exceptions, the information you provide can only be used for Quality Assurance purposes. (Details about exceptions can be found in the next section.) The College will not post any QA review results on the Public Register or share any information you have provided with current or future employers. Professional Development Guide 9 With this in mind, you are strongly urged to provvide honest r esponses thaat are an accu
urate reflectio
on of your curre
ent level of kn
nowledge, skill and judgment. Revview criteria sset by the Qu
uality Assuran
nce Committeee  Your responses are clear, complete and originaal (not plagiarrized). e sections of tthe Self‐Assesssment are coomplete.  All three
 The Learrning Plan includes at leastt one goal thaat is related to the currentt or future context o
of your practice, and a corrresponding ccourse of action is documeented.  You have
e reflected on
n meeting you
ur goals or yoour endeavou
urs to meet yo
our goals. 
You have
e documente
d at least 40 hours of part
ticipation in le
earning activi
ities in your Reccord of Contin
nuing Professsional Developpment (or a rreasonable prroportion thereof, if applicable)
).  Your learning activitie
es include at lleast one expperiential and
d one didacticc activity. On a case
e‐by‐case basiis, the Qualityy Assurance C
Committee m ay require yo
ou to submit u
up to 4 years of documenttation relating to your parrticipation in Professional Developmentt, including evvidence of completio
on of learningg activities. If you have bee
en a Memberr for fewer than four yearss, the Committtee may only request docu
umentation as far back as tthe date you first became registered w
with the Collegge. Review O
Outcomes If your submission is de
eemed adequ
uate based on
n the criteria above, no further action w
will be required – You’ll con
ntinue to participate in acccordance with
h your ongoinng Professionaal Developmeent schedule. If your submission is de
eemed inadequate, the Co
ommittee wil l determine tthat you:  su
ubmit additio
onal materialss and/or evide
ence of comppletion of learrning activitiees; and/or  engage in a Pe
eer & Practice
e Assessment. Quality Assuran
nce Regulatio
on under the P
Psychotherappy Act, 2007: 7.2
2b. A member shall underg
go a peer & p
practice assess
ssment if a reqquest is madee under subsection
n 6.2 [for her/
r/him to subm
mit accurate seelf‐assessmennt & professio
onal developm
ment records a
and/or inform
mation] and eiither, i. insufficien
nt information
n is provided by the membber, or ii.
i the memb
ber’s records d
do not demonnstrate the m
member has en
ngaged in adequate self‐assessment and profeessional deveelopment activities. Professsional Develo
opment Guidee 10 Quality Assurance Program: Professional Development Limitations to Confidentiality, Accommodation & Extensions Limitations to Confidentiality The Quality Assurance Committee is obligated to maintain the confidentiality of any QA tools submitted to the College. The College can only use these materials for quality assurance purposes. The College will not post results of the review of your submission on the Public Registrar or share this information with current or future employers. The College cannot share this information during other College proceedings or with the public, except in the specific circumstances described below. If the Quality Assurance Committee is of the opinion that the Member may have committed an act of professional misconduct or may be incompetent or incapacitated, the Committee may only disclose the Member’s name and the allegation against the Member to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC). If it elects to do so, the ICRC will carry out an independent investigation. However, in cases where a Member knowingly gave false information to the Quality Assurance Committee or an Assessor, the Quality Assurance Committee may disclose information provided by the Member to the Committee that is carrying out the proceeding. Accommodation & Deadline Extension In exceptional circumstances, you may request to delay the submission of one or more of the Professional Development tools. Requests for deferral must be made in writing. Requests for special‐needs accommodation will be addressed on a case‐by‐case basis and must be made in writing. Written requests must be sent to the attention of the Quality Assurance Manager via: Email Letter mail [email protected] Quality Assurance Program College of Registered Psychotherapists 163 Queen Street East, 4th Floor Toronto, ON M5A 1S2 Fax (416) 874‐4079 Professional Development Guide 11 Quality Assurance Program: Professional Development Frequently Asked Questions I have participated/will be participating in the January – March 2016 pilot of the Professional Development tools. What does this mean for me? After you participate in the pilot, you may continue to use the pilot version of the tools to demonstrate your participation in the Professional Development component of the Quality Assurance Program, until the final versions of the tools are available. For example, keep track of your learning activities over the next year or two using the Record of Professional Development Activities that was made available during the pilot. When the final versions of the tools are available (expected summer/fall 2016), Members who were involved in the pilot will be provided with further instructions. How long must I retain copies of my completed Professional Development tools and supporting documentation related to my participation in learning activities? Maintain a well‐organized ongoing record of completed Professional Development tools and supporting documentation for a period of four years. The QA Committee may request copies of these materials at any time. What happens if I am required to engage in a Peer and Practice Review? You will be notified by the College if you are required to participate in a Peer and Practice Review. The assessment mainly involves a collegial, structured dialogue about your practice with a peer assessor who has been trained for this role, as well a review of your records. Some Members may also engage in a more in‐depth discussion in an onsite visit at the Member’s place of practice. I work as an administrator or instructor. Do I have to complete the Professional Development tools? Yes. All Members of the College are required to complete the Professional Development tools and are subject to the random selection process for the Peer and Practice Review. The College strives to make the tools and processes relevant to both clinical and non‐clinical practice. You are asked to make a best effort to view the tools through the lens of your practice context, and provide a response. However, where questions do not apply to your context, you may indicate “Not Applicable.” Due to illness or extenuating circumstances, I was unable to complete the required 40 hours of learning activities. What do I do now? If you were unable to complete the required 40 hours due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, inform the Quality Assurance Committee and provide an explanation. In exceptional circumstances, you may also request to delay the submission of one or more of the Professional Development tools. Requests for deferral must be made in writing. Requests can be sent to [email protected]. Can I use my Professional Development tools for other purposes, for example in evaluation/reflection processes that are initiated by my employer? Yes. If you’d like to use the tools for these purposes, and your employer supports this, you are welcome to do so. You may use blank copies, or provide copies of your most recently completed tools to your employer. Professional Development Guide 12 I am a Member in the Registered Psychotherapist class, but I am currently not practising. Am I still required to complete the Professional Development tools? Yes, you are required to complete the Professional Development tools and engage in at least 40 hours of learning activities every two years. As a Member of the College, you have a professional obligation to maintain your knowledge, skill and judgment and engage in the Quality Assurance Program. In exceptional circumstances, you may request an extension or exemption from one or more of the requirements of the Professional Development component. Requests can be sent to [email protected]. Professional Development Guide 13