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Join Us for Canada’s Premier Event in Professional Regulation
Governance
Time: 11:00 – 11:15 AM | Session Type: Plenary
Alyson Gaffney, CNAR Executive Director
Time: 11:15 – 12:15 PM | Session Type: Plenary
Overcoming Adversity: The Power of Hope, Optimism, & Inner Strength
Time: 12:15 – 12:30 PM
Break
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 PM | Session Type: Concurrent
Ontario
As governance models for regulators change world-wide, pressures have increased on regulators to ensure Councils (Boards) are competent and accountable to the public and to Government. This is particularly the case with elected models, where a tension can exist between a representative’s fiduciary duties, public interest mandate, and perceived “accountability to the constituents” who elect them. Short of legislative change, what can regulators do to meet these demands and ensure an accountable, transparent process, as well as the competence of its Board members? This presentation will focus on the Royal College of Dental Surgeon of Ontario’s (RCDSO) experience in establishing a pre-screening process for candidates to be eligible to stand for election to Council. This model was implemented as a possible solution to enhance individual and governance competence and public accountability within the elected model. An Eligibility Review Committee (“ERC”), composed of external experts from other regulatory bodies, was created to pre-screen the candidates. The ERC used a set of competencies to determine eligibility that were established by the RCDSO Council. This presentation will speak to the RCDOS’s experience with developing and endorsing the set of competencies, establishing the ERC, as well as the pre-screening process itself. The speaker(s) will cover what worked well, as well as future enhancements for the next election cycle based on our first experience with the process. More broadly speaking, the presentation will explore the theme of whether proactive changes can satisfy accountability, transparency and competency requirements without losing the elected model that is favoured by many profession-based councils. Elections can be biased towards certain kinds of candidates and can be seen as a popularity contest. Can changes be effectively implemented within the existing model? Does competency vetting improve diversity, equity and inclusion factors? And how do you continue to maintain engagement by the professional members? This timely topic is applicable across professions and jurisdictions as regulators face the challenge of adapting to governance changes, while working within an existing governance/election structure.
Time: 12:30 -1:30 PM | Session Type: Concurrent
National, British Columbia
While the goal of continuing competence programs is to ensure public protection, whether such programs effectively achieve this goal is questionable. For example, while most continuing competence programs focus on completion of continuing education units (CEUs), research indicates that there is a weak link at best between what a professional learns in a course and their actual performance in practice. Re-thinking continuing competence requires a new framework that will enable more impactful programming to support professionals not only to meet required CEUs or minimum standards, but to enable ongoing development beyond entry-level (novice) performance and become the best they can be relative to their chosen focus of practice. An understanding that continuing competence – or Career-Span Competence as we prefer to call it – is dynamic and contextual requires a transformational shift from the standardized “one size fits all” approach to assessment which takes place pre-licensure. During the session, we will describe the Framework for Career-Span Competence that provides a model to understand and manage career-long professional development from the perspectives of both the registrant and the regulator. The Framework applies across professions, and effectively supports the development of registrant competence beyond entry-level. A continuing competence program based on the Framework enables the registrant to manage their development in directions that are meaningful to their personal practice, and provides to the regulator a high-level view of the evolving performance of the registrant body as a whole. The genesis and operation of the framework will be described, along with its advantages for improving this critical component of professional regulation. Both the motivation for and experience of using the framework will be described by several Canadian health care regulators.
Time: 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Break
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM | Session Type: Concurrent
Manitoba
When the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba developed their strategic plan in 2018, the priority was to demonstrate the value, or impact, of regulation on the public interest. The resultant Public Benefit Policy, articulated three main areas of public expectations of effective regulation:
1. Public Confidence in Excellent Regulation
The public can expect and understand that the College sets the conditions for registered nurses to practice safely, professionally, and with integrity in all domains of practice. The public can rely on fair, transparent, timely, effective and objective regulatory processes.
2. Accountable, Quality Professional Practice
Ethical, competent, and accountable registered nurses practise safely, effectively, and collaboratively, consistent with the Standards of Practice, practice expectations and Code of Ethics. They actively participate in continuous quality improvement that aligns with their scope of practice and builds continuing competence.
3. Collaboration for Health System Benefit
Collaborative working relationships within the regulatory and the health care sectors are advanced to build effective regulation, public safety, and quality care for the public. The government and stakeholders have compelling evidence from the College to inform policy decisions. The College is in the third year of the journey to develop indicators to measure the impacts of each priority on public safety. By developing Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) and lag measures to determine annual goals for each priority, the College has identified regulatory risk, developed approaches to mitigate these risks and a framework to measure the process and impacts of collaboration on the health system. The theory of change helped to identify indicators to measure the impact of regulation. The ability to measure and monitor the impact of regulation is a key development in regulatory practice, and ensures that the College is fully reaching its mandate to protect and serve the public interest.
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM | Session Type: Concurrent
Ontario
On February 1, 2021, the Ontario College of Teachers entered a one-year transition period that began with the dissolution of Council and its committees. Under the authority of a Transition Supervisory Officer (TSO), the College is implementing a new, modernized governance model based on:
This presentation will focus on:
Time: 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Break
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Session Type: General Session
Ontario
The session will confront the exceptionalist ‘canard’ that Canada can develop a world class workforce without significant pan-Canadian coordination. The social, economic and competitiveness opportunity costs of continuing with our parochial/provincial limitations should not be ignored. We will argue for increased coordination:
The session will suggest some possible ways forward:
If we fail to accept the challenge, Canada will become an economic back-water. We are calling for the start of a movement to effect this change.
Diversity & Inclusion
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 PM | Session Type: Plenary
National, Ontario
According to Health Canada only 40% of people with international health credentials are employed in their field of study and yet, in 2020 some 40,000 healthcare jobs in Canada remained unfilled. We are aware that Canada’s immigration policy focusses on attracting skilled newcomers to Canada, but what structures are in place to help skilled professionals with diverse backgrounds, knowledge and experience successfully navigate the path to licensure? Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE) is a new approach to assess the entry-to-practice competence for pharmacist candidates seeking licensure through the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP). It utilizes trained pharmacist practitioners as assessors in accredited practice sites. PACE is based on the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) Entry-to- Practice Competencies for pharmacists and assesses the practical competence of out-of-province and international applicants. Common models combine training with assessment. PACE differs by recognizing that applicants may present with similar knowledge and skills, deeming training unnecessary. Through PACE, applicants have an opportunity for assessment over a period of three weeks, thereby facilitating timely access to the profession, if they are successful. Conversely, in countries where the practice of pharmacy is not like Canada there may be gaps in knowledge and skills, decreasing candidate’s chances for success. The session will uncover lessons learned from a comprehensive evaluation of PACE and how the development and implementation of a 3-year project called Pilot Program to Prepare for Practical Training (P4T) by NAPRA addresses some of the gaps identified. P4T is funded by the Government of Canada’s Foreign Recognition Program and includes a mentorship program, and tools and resources to specifically address the experiential learning, and knowledge and skill gaps that have been identified as barriers to success for international pharmacy graduates pursuing licensure as a pharmacist in Canada such as cultural diversity and awareness.
Time: 12:00 – 12:30 PM
Moderated Discussions
Breakouts
Time: 12:30 – 12:45 PM
Break
Time: 12:45 – 1:45 PM | Session Type: Concurrent
British Columbia
At the end of November, Hon. Dr. M.E. Turpel-Lafond (Aki-Kwe) released her report, In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-Specific Racism and Discrimination in BC Health Care. The report demonstrated the extent to which Indigenous-specific racism has been embedded in the healthcare system in BC and its devastating impact on health outcomes for Indigenous people. The report provided recommendations for addressing anti-Indigenous racism which included actions to be taken by health profession regulatory bodies. BCCNM, as a signatory to the Declaration of Commitment to Cultural Safety and Humility in BC’s Health Care System, has been on a journey to articulate and embody an anti-racism approaches to addressing Indigenous specific racism. Further to that, BCCNM’s Board has worked to ensure that the College is taking strategic and direct action to be an agent of change in addressing Dr. Turpel-Lafond’s report’s findings and recommendations. As a result, addressing Indigenous-specific racism in B.C. as it relates to BCCNM’s regulatory work received more focus across the organization, more staff resources devoted to this work, more resources allocated to education and training, more engagement and collaboration with others in this space, and a public commitment to addressing the recommendations in the In Plain Sight Report. BCCNM’s leaders and its First Nation’s Cultural Advisor will reflect on this journey. The presentation will include details about the Board’s work to learn and unlearn the history and impact of settler colonization and anti-racism, and the resulting shift in the College’s strategic planning, governance approach, operational programs and relationship with Indigenous communities and leadership in BC.
Time: 12:45 -1:45 PM | Session Type: Concurrent
British Columbia
his session will share the process that the College of Dieticians of British Columbia (CDBC) undertook to obtain insight for inclusive policy development and decision making, in regulating dieticians and collaborating with stakeholders. Session participants will hear both from College staff and a representative from the independent firm who conducted the audit through the following activities: a review of organizational documentation and industry literature, a survey to all registrants to assess feelings of inclusion within CDBC’s practices, focus groups with dieticians from different backgrounds, interviews with key informants and partners, and workshops with the Board and staff. The presentation will include an overview of the findings, the resulting two action plans, and the principles that will guide their implementation. The speakers will comment on the changes observed so far and how this work supports their mandate of public safety and ensuring ethical and competent health care delivery.
Time: 1:45 – 2:15 PM
Moderated Discussions
Breakouts
Time: 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Break
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:10 PM | Session Type: General
British Columbia
BC health regulators have faced challenges in the past with authentic and meaningful public engagement due to the public’s limited understanding of complex regulatory governance and processes. The British Columbia Public Advisory Network (BC-PAN) was formed to address these challenges by establishing a trusting relationship with members of the public. The BC-PAN is an advisory group that is operated as a multi-college initiative between ten different BC health regulators. The BC-PAN is comprised of 16 public advisors who bring diverse perspectives and have multiple levels of experience interacting with the health care system. The public advisors were chosen to help reflect the diversity of BC’s population, and include advisors from all over the province. The BC-PAN has now successfully completed a pilot phase and one full year of operation. The BC-PAN holds three meetings per year, run by an external facilitator, where public advisors discuss important issues related to health care regulation. Examples of topics discussed include discrimination in health care, cultural safety and humility, and expectations of providers who offer virtual care. The feedback gathered from the public advisors helps to guide regulatory practice standards and policies, strategic priorities, and communications directed at the public. Since its inception, the BC-PAN has become a valuable multi-college resource, and the college partners look forward to sharing successes and lessons learned.
Time: 3:10 – 4:30 PM
Virtual Networking Event
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