The Situation

Last year, as more than 8,000 physiotherapists were finishing up their annual, mandatory Professional Issues Self-Assessment (PISA) –admittedly some of them scrambling to meet the deadline – one PT decided to not bother. For reasons unknown, “Anne” chose to ignore the mandatory obligation and multiple reminders from the College.

She was the solitary holdout in Ontario that year. At the cut off, just three other PTs had not got it done on time. They communicated their reasons to the College clearly and completed the PISA as soon as they reasonably could.

Despite repeated emails, telephone calls and a registered letter, Anne chose to ignore the communications she was receiving.

When she missed the final deadline, she was referred to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) for investigation of potential misconduct.

The ICRC reviewed the facts. Even when she knew that matter was going to the ICRC, Anne provided no explanation of her failure to meet her statutory obligation. The ICRC observed that Anne had a long history of similar disregard for regulatory obligations and that the College had repeatedly attempted to show leniency and understanding. Ultimately the ICRC required that Anne attend before them to be cautioned in person about her unprofessional conduct.

The Consequences

At Discipline Committee, the longstanding member was found to have committed two counts of professional misconduct. In addition, Anne was ordered to pay $2,000 to cover some of the costs associated with her hearing. The Committee felt her attitude and behaviour towards the College had led to a senseless hearing that wasted valuable time and resources, all paid for out of other PTs’ registration fees.

The member chose to retire from the College, but the findings will appear on the online Public Register alongside her name for years to come, a regrettable and avoidable legacy.

In the words of the Discipline Committee, It is critical that members respond and communicate in a timely and complete fashion to inquiries from their College and respect the obligations of the College to regulate physiotherapists in order to promote and ensure patient safety… The Discipline Committee feels strongly that (the PT) displayed a complete disregard for the authority of the College by not communicating with the College in a complete and timely manner, by failing to attend for her Caution by the ICRC and for failing to complete her College obligations on time.

Professional Misconduct Regulation
Regulated Health Professions Act