Preparing for the Future:

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• Preparing for the Future
• Current trends, occupational therapy and
• the role of the
• Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
• Claudia von Zweck, PhD, OT (c)
• May 14, 2007

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Objectives

• Identify current trends
• Review implications for occupational therapy
• Promote practice strategies
• Discuss role of the Canadian Association of
  Occupational Therapists (CAOT)

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CAOT is the national voluntary professional
association for occupational therapists in Canada
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• Role of a professional association
• Information and resources
• Membership services
• Advocacy and representation
• Professional standards

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Environmental Scan

• Reviews factors
• influencing practice
• Used for monitoring
• and planning

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• Factors

• P olitical
• E conomic
• S ocial
• T echnological

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• Political Priorities

Shaped by public opinion Health
Environment
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• Political Priorities

• Wait time strategies
• - Cancer
• - Heart
• - Joint replacements
• - Diagnostic imaging
• - Sight restoration

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Impact

• Accountability measures difficult to implement
• Greater recognition of rehabilitation e.g. joint
  replacement specialty teams
• Concern for health problems outside of priorities

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• Political Priorities

• Collaborative patient-centred care
• - Promotes active participation of all
  disciplines
• - Enhances patient and family-centred goals
• - Provides communication mechanisms
• - Optimizes collaborative decision-making
• - Fosters respect for all professions

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Impact

• Emphasis on interprofessional education
• Promotion of team-based approach (e.g. primary
  health care)
• Potential for increased role of occupational
  therapy

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• CAOT Interdisciplinary National Projects

Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration in
Primary Health Care Canadian Collaborative Mental
Health Initiative Occupational Therapy Primary
Health Care Planning Tool Accreditation of
Collaborative Practice Education
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• Political Priorities

3. Health Human Resource Planning -
Shortages reported by many disciplines -
Little long term planning - Educating,
deploying takes years
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Occupational Therapy

• - Distribution of workforce varies among
  provinces
• - Lags behind other countries e.g. Denmark,
  Sweden, UK

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• CAOT Initiatives

• National Occupational Therapy Human
• Resources Plan
• National Occupational Therapist Database
• Project
• - Government advocacy

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• Political Priorities

4. Foreign Credential Recognition Immigration
needed for - Social and cultural diversity
- Stimulating economic growth - Compensate
for aging and retiring workforce 100
of labour force growth from immigration by 2012
(Citizenship and Immigration, 2003)
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Occupational Therapy

• Workforce Integration Project
• - Identified issues influencing the ability of
  international graduates to work in Canada
• - Provided recommendations

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Reasons for Marginalization

• Long wait list to come to Canada
• Difficulty accessing information
• Failure to meet academic credentialing
  requirements
• Failure to complete academic upgrading
• Failure to meet language requirements
• Problems with passing certification examination
• Difficulty understanding Canadian practice
• Problems with linking with employers,
  occupational therapists, and professional
  resources
• Inability to find employment
• Discriminatory practices

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Recommendations

1. Coordinate and centralize registration
   requirements and process for working as an
   occupational therapist
2. Improve national certification examination
   access, preparation resources and assistance
3. Provide clear and accessible information to help
   international graduates to work in Canada
4. Increase access to academic upgrading and
   language training to help international graduates
   meet registration requirements
5. Help international graduates become linked with
   employers, occupational therapists and
   professional resources
6. Advocate for the need for internationally
   educated occupational therapists in Canada
7. Promote a diverse workforce for quality
   occupational therapy services

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Follow-up Projects

• - Pan-Canadian Orientation Program to the Health
  Care System
• - Plain language translation and shortening of
  national certification exam
• - Access and Registration Framework Project

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• Political Priorities

5. Armed Services - Increased commitment to role
in armed conflict - Increased military spending
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Impact

• - Origin of profession in working with WWI
  veterans
• - Little current involvement of occupational
  therapy in military health service

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• Factors

• P olitical
• E conomic
• S ocial
• T echnological

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Economic Factors

• - Globalizing economy
• - Slowing productivity growth
• - Demand for accountability
• - Increasing competition

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Impact

• Development of international standards e.g. for
  professional mobility, quality of service
• Expected use of evidence in practice
• Need to demonstrate value in economic terms

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• CAOT Initiatives

• - Enabling Occupation II
• Revised Profile of Occupational Therapy
• Practice in Canada
• - Economic review of occupational therapy

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• Factors

• P olitical
• E conomic
• S ocial
• T echnological

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Social Factors

• - Dependence on immigration
• - Increasing diversity
• - Aging population
• - longer lifespan
• - more age-related problems
• - more demanding for quality of life
• - less care-givers

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Falls

• 1 in 3 Canadian over 65 fall each year
• Most frequent cause of injury in older adults
• - 90 of hip fractures
• - 40 of LTC admissions
• 20 falls reduction equals
• - 7,500 fewer hospitalizations
• - 1800 fewer disabled older adults
• - 138 million savings

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CAOT Projects

• Tools for Living Well
• Post-fall Review
• Stable Able and Strong

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Public Health Issues and Older Drivers

• Promoting mobility and
• participation of older
• adults
• Safety of
• - drivers
• - general public

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Older Drivers

• Driving incidents
• leading cause of accidental
• deaths (65-74 years)
• Fatality rate gt85 years
• 9 times 25-65 year olds

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Impact

• Build capacity in occupational therapy for
• - Screening
• - Driver assessment and remediation
• - Complex driving interventions

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CAOT initiatives

• Expert panel recommendations to ON chief
• coroner
• Review of Canadian legislation and
• jurisprudence
• National Blueprint for Injury Prevention in
• Older Drivers

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Other impact of aging population

• - Universal design housing
• - Low vision interventions
• - Retirement planning

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• Factors

• P olitical
• E conomic
• S ocial
• T echnological

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Technological Factors
Continued rapid change
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Impact

• Improved service access
• (e.g. telehealth)
• Increased information access
• (e.g. electronic health record)
• More effective interventions
• (e.g. assistive technology)

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Impact
Increased role of occupational therapy -
Implementation (e.g. low vision aids)
- Research and design Ethical and
privacy issues
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Practice Strategies

• 1. Remain aware of the context of your practice
• Become informed
• Understand impact of
• PEST factors
• Optimize opportunities
• (e.g. become involved)

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Practice Strategies

• 2. Promote quality standards
• - Understand expectations
• of practice
• - Recognize and address ethical
• issues
• - Use continuous improvement
• approach

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Regulatory Requirements Occupational therapists
are regulated health professionals in all ten
provinces. Candidates must meet regulatory
requirements to practice and/or use the title
"occupational therapist". Contact information for
regulatory organizations is listed on www.caot.ca.
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National Certification Examination Developed and
administered by CAOT Required for entry to
practice in most provinces
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Professional Liability Insurance Protects you as
a professional Regulatory requirement in several
provinces Provides payment for damages arising
out of the rendering or failure to render
professional services
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Practice Strategies

• 3. Engage in life-long learning
• - Understand and address
• own learning needs
• - Contribute to learning
• of others
• (e.g. mentoring)

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• Professional Development
• Webinar presentations
• On-line courses
• Workshops
• Self study series

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CAOT Annual Conference
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Practice Strategies

• 4. Create and use research evidence in practice
• - Define practice based
• on evidence
• - Promote knowledge translation
• (e.g. journal clubs)
• - Evaluate cost-effectiveness

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Practice Strategies

• 5. Promote teamwork skills
• - Contribute as valued
• team member
• - Demonstrate collaborative
• approach based on respect

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Practice Strategies

• 6. Embrace diversity
• - Address ethno-cultural
• issues
• - Promote a diverse
• workforce

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Practice Strategies

• 7. Increase awareness of value of occupational
  therapy
• - Promote the link between
• occupation and health
• - Ensure understanding
• of your role in promoting
• healthy occupation

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• Questions?
• cvonzweck_at_caot.ca