Province proposes new college of diagnostic and therapeutic health professions
On Friday December 9, 2016, the provincial government announced a proposal to establish a new college of diagnostic and therapeutic health professions. Many HSA members would be included in the new college.
Professional associations representing members from several health science professional disciplines have for several years advocated for a regulatory college or colleges to oversee their members’ practice.
The new proposed college would initially oversee four health science disciplines which would become self-regulated professions under the Health Professions Act: respiratory therapists, radiation therapists, clinical perfusionists and medical laboratory technologists.
The government considered, but decided against, including additional health disciplines in the college in this proposal, including nuclear medicine technologists, medical radiography technologists, magnetic resonance imaging technologists, cardiology technologists, diagnostic medical sonographers, medical physicists and medical laboratory assistants.
The government has indicated that once the new college has been substantially implemented, the Ministry of Health will consider regulatory options for these other diagnostic and therapeutic health care disciplines. As described in the government’s December 9 news release, a professional college “serves and protects the public, and acts in the public interest at all times, making sure its members are qualified, competent and follow defined standards of practice and ethics. Professional colleges are responsible for responding to complaints from patients and the public. They can also take action if one of their registrants is practising in a manner that is incompetent, unethical, illegal or impaired by alcohol, drugs or illness.”
The proposed regulation outlining the four occupations that would form a new college, is posted for feedback until March 9, 2017 and can be accessed here. Interested parties, including individuals, may submit comments to @email by the March 9 deadline.
It is anticipated the new college would be in place 18 to 24 months following the consultation period.
HSA members are encouraged to contact their professional associations for further information.