No Confusion for College on Sexual Involvement with Patient

The Situation

Matt, a physiotherapist in a private clinic, flirted with his co-worker Ashley. She felt uncomfortable when he complimented her body and made joking comments. Over time the relationship moved from that of a colleague, to friend and eventually a sexual relationship began.

But this was not just a workplace romance. Before Ashley worked at the clinic, she was a patient and Matt was her primary PT. He continued to treat her after she started to work at the clinic. These facts moved this scenario from an uncomfortable workplace situation to a violation of the law.

As it’s considered sexual abuse to touch, behave or make remarks of a sexual nature towards a patient or have any kind of physical sexual involvement under the Regulated Health Professions Act—and it doesn’t matter if the patient started the relationship or consents to the relationship—Matt had crossed the line.

The Consequences

The consequences for violating the RHPA and engaging in sexual abuse are both clear and severe. It is compulsory for the College to permanently take away the registration of any physiotherapist found guilty of sexual abuse.

After reviewing the evidence and taking into account the seriousness and utter disregard for the patient-therapist relationship, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee at the College referred the physiotherapist to the Discipline Committee for a hearing (as is required in all cases of sexual abuse or boundary violations).

However, before a hearing took place, the physiotherapist resigned from the College and agreed that under no circumstance would he ever again use the title “physiotherapist” or “physical therapist” again and that he would not hold himself out as a person qualified to practice physiotherapy in Ontario.

Information about this PT is available on the College’s Public Register and appears when his name is searched online. 

Resources

Video: Earning and Keeping Your Patient's Trust
Boundaries E-Learning Module
Mandatory Reporting Obligations
What Does Professional Misconduct Mean to Me?