College Blog 

In the spirit of transparency, we encourage open debate and constructive criticism. For this to be effective, comments need to remain professional and respectful. Comments will be reviewed and posts that include personal attacks, unfounded allegations, unverified facts, product pitches, or profanity will not be published. 

  • What’s Your Piece of #MeToo?

    Aug 23, 2018

    My physiotherapist is flirting with me. Now what?

    The #MeToo moment has raised awareness of sexual harassment in business, politics, media and Hollywood and it’s prompting people in health care to speak up as well.

    We’re getting more calls from patients who express concerns about things physiotherapists have done or said. We have been prepared for that. By now I hope that you are fully and completely familiar with the prohibition against dating your patients. It is, quite simply, against the law, not only for physiotherapists but for all health professionals. The College would have no choice but to cancel your license if we found out that you were in an intimate relationship with a patient (even if that patient is your spouse!).

    But we also hear stories of inappropriate sexual advances or comments made by clinical instructors, other health care workers in clinics and hospitals, and student or resident colleagues.

    Did you know that in one 2016 study of people in the medical field 30% of the women and 4% of the men said they had been harassed. That’s pretty consistent with other industries, so not surprising, but it’s still horrible.

    But what about when a patient comes on to you? A quick survey of the physiotherapists who work in our office was revealing—they practically laughed at the question—they said OF COURSE it had happened, lots of times.

    And then there’s the physiotherapist who tells women on Tinder that they can rely on his skilled hands because he’s a physio. Is it me or is that plain yuck? 

    No matter how often we talk about these issues – whether it’s with a gathering of friends, with a class full of students, or in a hospital staff room, new questions arise. New anger and hurt emerge. How do you respond to a patient advance? Does it matter if the patient is mentally or physically challenged? What about when a teacher or boss slaps you on the bottom? What about that guy on Tinder? What do you do if you are overwhelmed by attraction to a patient?

    This year, when the College comes out to your area, this is what we want to talk about with you. What are the rules? What can you do to protect yourself? How can we help? 

    Join us at one of our community discussions this fall – dates and locations are listed below, and further details can be found here. We’ll also host a webinar for anyone who isn’t able to attend in person. Please keep an eye on the website, Perspectives and social media for updates, as dates may change.  

    There is no doubt in mind that you have a piece of this #MeToo moment—let’s see where the conversation takes us.

    Community Events   

    • Toronto
      October 11, 2018 from 12 noon to 2:00 pm
    • Kingston
      October 18, 2018 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm    
    • London
      November 22, 2018 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    • Mississauga
      January 17, 2019 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm     
    • Scarborough
      February 21, 2019 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm    
    • Richmond Hill
      March 13, 2019 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm     
    • Hamilton
      March 14, 2019 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

    • Sudbury
      TBA from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    • Ottawa
      TBA from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    • Webinar: TBA      
    A blog from the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario's Registrar, Shenda Tanchak, discussing the importance of boundaries between physiotherapists and patients, in the wake of the Me Too movement.
    Full story
    • me too
    • patient
    • physiotherapist
    • Boundaries
  • Creating a Discussion: More than Just a Checked Box

    Jul 24, 2018
    Elizabeth Leung, a physiotherapy student who is doing a placement at the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, blogs about the importance of consent in physiotherapy practice.
    Full story
    • student
    • physiotherapy
    • Consent
  • Delisted: Make Sure it Doesn’t Happen to You

    May 24, 2018
    A blog by Fiona Campbell, Senior Physiotherapy Advisor at the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, explaining how and when a physiotherapist may be delisted by an insurance company.
    Full story
    • Delisted
    • Delisting
    • Abuse
    • physiotherapist
    • Billing Number
    • billing
    • Insurance Fraud
  • A Bedtime Story

    Apr 27, 2018
    Full story
    • billing
    • assistant
    • physiotherapist assistant
    • PTA
    • Fraud
    • insurance
    • massage therapist
  • Who Runs the College Anyway?

    Mar 02, 2018
    Full story
  • Did You Make a New Year’s Resolution to Lose Weight this Year?

    Jan 22, 2018
    Full story
  • The Assessment Program Undergoes An Assessment

    Dec 07, 2017
    Full story
  • Harvey Weinstein

    Oct 16, 2017
    Full story
  • The Common Denominator: Billing, Registration, Professional Identity

    Sep 07, 2017
    Jamie G. Dockx, PT Student Clinical placement at the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario   I have had the privilege of spending 5 weeks at the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario for my final student placement. After 4 clinical placements, it was time to learn the ins and outs at the College. Learning about the […]
    Full story
    • Policy
  • What’s Your Ism?

    Aug 09, 2017
    How do your conscious or unconscious biases affect your ability to provide safe and effective care for patients? If you work in a private practice setting, think about your office for a minute. Do you have posters for promotion or décor?  Do you have gym equipment?  Is there any chance that these décor elements might […]
    Full story
    • Patients
    • advertising
    • Auto Insurance Anti-Fraud investigation
    • billing
    • blog
    • clinics
    • College
    • College Council President
    • College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
    • comment
    • Consent
    • CPO
    • décor
    • designated OHIP clinics
    • disabled
    • elderly patients
    • funding changes
    • funding model
    • generate discussion
    • health care
    • health care fraud
    • inappropriate billing
    • Jenny Setchell
    • mental illness
    • obesity
    • physiotherapy
    • regulatory
    • self-regulation
    • Shenda Tanchak
    • Stigma
    • The College
    • World Congress for Physical Therapy
  • In It Together

    Apr 25, 2017
    You run a clinic. Your receptionist is rude. Your physiotherapist assistant bills for services not provided. Your brand-new PT burns a patient with a heating pad. Whose responsibility is all this? If you guess that you’re on the hook for behavior by those you employ or supervise, you are right. You work for a clinic. […]
    Full story
    • advertising
    • billing
    • clinics
    • Physiotherapist Assistants
    • Policy
    • Professionalism
    • Reporting
    • Standards
    • The College
    • advice
    • clinic
    • employer
    • health
    • health professional
    • physiotherapist assistant
    • Practice Advisor
    • PTA
    • responsibility
    • take action
    • testimonials
  • Doing The Right Thing – Nobody Said It Was Going To Be Easy

    Feb 03, 2017
    Have you heard of convicted serial killer Harold Shipman? He was a UK doctor found guilty of killing 15 of his patients. After his conviction, a two-year inquiry spearheaded by the British government revealed that he had in fact killed an upward of 250 patients throughout a 23 year span. Shipman’s killing spree began to […]
    Full story
    • Policy
    • blog
    • clinics
    • College
    • College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
    • doctor
    • Dr. Shipman
    • health care
    • investigations
    • Nurse
    • nurses
    • Ontario
    • patient safety
    • Patients
    • physiotherapists
    • physiotherapy
    • protect patients
    • protect the public
    • public
    • public interest
    • UK
    • whistleblower
  • How to Make Yourself COMPLAINT-PROOF!

    Nov 21, 2016
    Do you ever wonder who gets complained about? Look around at your colleagues and play a little game of detective with yourself. One way to start is to find someone who is rude—in writing or in person. A very high percentage of our complaints stem from inappropriate lapses in what you might call “customer service” […]
    Full story
    • billing
    • Boundaries
    • Consent
    • Fraud
    • Patients
    • Policy
    • Professionalism
    • Reporting
    • Standards
    • The College
  • My Big Fat Deal of the Day

    Oct 21, 2016
    Full story
    • Patients
    • Policy
    • Professionalism
    • Standards
    • The College
    • advertising
    • Advertising Standard
    • College
    • College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
    • Deal
    • Groupon
    • physiotherapists
    • physiotherapy
    • WagJag
  • Backstage Pass: So, What’s the College Really Like?

    Sep 12, 2016
    Having spent the last five weeks at the College doing my final clinical placement, I was able to gain insight into processes that, as a physiotherapy student, most are not exposed to. Going in I was aware (as I’m sure my peers are) of things like the complaints process and practice assessments when I thought […]
    Full story
    • Consent
    • Professionalism
    • Standards
    • The College
    • College
    • College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
    • investigations
    • Patients
    • physiotherapists
    • physiotherapy
    • protect the public
    • public
    • public interest
    • quality care
    • scope of practice
    • self-regulation
  • You’re 10 times better than the clinic next door and twice as good looking!

    Jul 25, 2016
    Chances are that if you are reading this blog, you will also have noticed that our Advertising Standard is up for review. Do you know that it is likely our most breached Standard? And I’m sure that you did not know that as soon as the new Standard is finalized, we will begin to actively […]
    Full story
    • Policy
    • Professionalism
    • Standards
    • Transparency
    • advertising
    • advertising regulations
    • blog
    • clinics
    • College
    • College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
    • comment
    • CPO
    • generate discussion
    • health care
    • patient safety
    • Patients
    • physical therapists
    • physiotherapists
    • physiotherapy
    • protect the public
  • Let’s Get Strategic

    May 25, 2016
    Whoever first said ‘time flies’ could have been talking about the strategic planning cycle. Four years ago—a month after I had started working at the College― Council met to develop a strategic plan. They set three goals that we’ve been working hard to achieve, goals to ensure that physiotherapy regulation in Ontario focussed on things […]
    Full story
    • Policy
    • Standards
    • College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
    • physical therapists
    • physiotherapists
    • Shenda Tanchak
  • STOP IT BEFORE YOU GET IN TROUBLE! A RANT.

    Apr 05, 2016
    I am receiving more and more reports about physiotherapists sending patients for personal training or Pilates and enabling patients to submit receipts for these services under the physiotherapist’s registration number. Guess what? In many cases this is inappropriate and you could get in serious trouble. The ONLY time that your credentials can be used to […]
    Full story
    • Policy
  • When Breaking Up is Hard to Do

    Feb 09, 2016
    You’ve been seeing Janet for several months. She’s an elderly widow who first came to you following a knee replacement. She recovered quite well and is ready to be discharged. The problem is, Janet really likes you and wants to continue coming for therapy. She makes weekly appointments for the treatment of back pain. But, you are […]
    Full story
    • Policy
  • Are Great Practitioners At Risk of Losing Their Reputation?

    Jan 20, 2016
    There was a BBC headline that caught my eye not too long ago: “Athletics doping: What happens if trust goes out of sport?”* It was about the results of an independent commission set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but it could have been about your profession. It could have been physiotherapists. I have to […]
    Full story
    • Policy
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