MOMENTUM President’s Message Our incoming SCPT President, Brandy Green, highlights 2017 At the SCPT AGM, I officially transitioned from president-elect to president for a two year term with the SCPT. This transition comes with a steep learning curve and as such I am sincerely grateful to Sarah Sarauer for continuing with council for a final term to mentor me through it. Sarah led the SCPT council in such a professional, organized and directed manner and I wish to thank her for her dedication and focus over the past 2 years. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Members who attended this year’s AGM. SCPT offered heartening to see how much Saskatchewan physical therapists are contributing to our profession on both a national and international scale. For those of you unable to be present at the AGM, please take a moment to review our draft AGM 2017 minutes which will be posted to the website in the Members Area under Council Minutes. All items discussed at AGM are also still available on the website under AGM April 22, 2017. Our 2018 AGM is tentatively scheduled for April 28th in Regina. live streaming remote access to the AGM via WebEx for the first time this year, which allowed for increased access to the AGM as well as the Brag ‘n Steal session held after AGM. Although we only had a few members take advantage of this opportunity, it was a great success and will continue to be an option for future AGMs. Thank you to Stacey Lovo-Grona for facilitating the remote access and managing it throughout the AGM, the opportunity this created for our rural members was greatly appreciated! The Brag ‘n Steal session was, as always, enlightening and inspiring. It is always July 2017 Volume 6, Issue 1 P1. President’s Message P2. Committee Listing P3. SPA Article P4. CAPR Update P5. Dale Pitura Bio P5. PCE Confidentiality and Security of Exam P6. Kent Earle Bio P7. Code of Ethical Conduct P8. New National Core Standards of Practice Table of Contents SCPT
At the SCPTAGM, Iofficially transitionedfrom president-elect to president for atwo year term with the SCPT. Thistransition comes with a steep learningcurveand as such I am sincerely gratefulto Sarah Sarauer for continuing withcouncil for a final term to mentor methrough it. Sarah led the SCPT council insuch a professional, organized anddirectedmanner and Iwish to thank herforherdedicationandfocusoverthepast2years.
Iwould also like to take this opportunityto thank all of the Members whoattendedthisyear’sAGM.SCPToffered
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heartening to see how muchSaskatchewan physical therapists arecontributing to our profession on both anationalandinternationalscale.
For thoseof youunable tobepresentattheAGM,pleasetakeamomenttoreviewourdraftAGM2017minuteswhichwillbeposted to the website in the MembersArea under Council Minutes. All itemsdiscussed at AGM are also still availableonthewebsiteunderAGMApril22,2017.Our 2018 AGM is tentatively scheduledforApril28thinRegina.
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livestreamingremoteaccesstotheAGMvia WebEx for the first time this year,whichallowedforincreasedaccesstotheAGMaswell as the Brag ‘n Steal sessionheld after AGM. Althoughwe only had afew members take advantage of thisopportunity, it was a great success andwill continue to be an option for futureAGMs. Thank you to Stacey Lovo-Gronafor facilitating the remote access andmanaging it throughout the AGM, theopportunity this created for our ruralmemberswasgreatlyappreciated!
The Brag ‘n Steal sessionwas, as always,enlightening and inspiring. It is always
The legislation committeehasbeenquitebusy this year reviewing the NationalStandards of Practice and National Codeof Conduct documents developed by theRegistrar’s Committee of The Alliance.These documents have both beenapproved and accepted by the SCPTcouncil and can now be found on thewebsiteunder theBylaws section.Pleasetake a few minutes to review both ofthese documents as they provideexcellentguidanceforpracticedecisions.
In June, Council approved a new auditpolicy for the malpractice insurance andcriminal record check requirements ofregistration, which will be implementedover the summer of 2017. For themalpractice insurance audit 10% ofmembers will be randomly selected andrequested to submit proof of currentprofessionalmalpractice insurance to theSCPT within 30 days of the request. Forthe criminal record check audit 2% ofmembers will be randomly selected andrequestedtohaveacriminalrecordcheck(CRC) without the vulnerable sectorcheck.SCPTwillreimbursememberswith“satisfactory” CRC. “Satisfactory” is
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defined in SCPT CRC Policy/Procedure.The member will be given 90 days toproducearecent(within thepastyearofthe request) CRC. More informationregarding these policies can be found onthewebsite.
In June, the SCPT and SPA held a jointmeeting to discuss potential intersectingtopics and directions. As both SCPT andSPA are entering new strategic plans, itwas determined that a discussion shouldbehadastopossiblecollaborationsinthefutureregardingareasofbothpublicandprofessional interest. This inauguralmeetingwasdesignedasabrainstormingsession to set the groundwork anddirection for future meetings andcommittee work. Outcomes of thismeeting and future directions will beavailable on the website and in a futureissue of the Momentum as they areavailable.
TheSCPTcouncilhadsometransitionthisyear with Stacey Lovo-Grona, JodieYathon, Heather Burridge and CindiPedersonfinishingtheirtermsoncouncil.I extend an ardent thank you to all ofthem for their dedication and significantcontributions to the SCPT during their
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terms. I would also like to welcome ourtwo new council members, Dale PituraandKentEarle.Wearegladtohaveyourexpertisejoiningcouncil!Ilookforwardtowhat the next year will bring and amexcited to work with our engaged andenergetic Council and staff. A sincerethanks to all Council members fordevoting their time to bettering ourprofessionandourorganization.
Pleasetakeamomenttoreadtherestofthis Momentum. Thank you to thecommunicationscommitteefortheirworkin putting this together. As always, feelfree to provide feedback or questions [email protected].
Wishing all our members a wonderfulsummervacationseason!
The SaskatchewanPhysiotherapy Association (SPA) is dedicatedto advocating for equitable access to physiotherapy inSaskatchewanandsupportingphysiotherapiststoallowthemtoprovide high quality care to Saskatchewan residents. This is anexciting time for physiotherapy and funds from membershipduessupportanumberofadvocacyandawarenessinitiatives inSaskatchewan.
• SupportingtherecruitmentofPT’sinruralandremoteareasof Saskatchewan to improve access to care. AdvocacyeffortsincluderegularmeetingswithSaskDocsHealthTeamandtheHumanResourcesManagersinruralcommunitiestodiscussruralrecruitmentandretentionofPT’s.
• Advocating for physiotherapists as members of primaryhealthcareteamsinSaskatchewantoenhancethequalityofcare.
• Advocatingforfeesfrom3rdparty insurancecompaniesforcompletionofforms,assessmentsandotherunpaidservicesto ensure proper timecan be allocated to services such asassessment and functional testing. Wages determined inpublic and privatepractice sectors are relatedandhave animpactintheirrespectivebargainingprocesses.
• Providing a complete online database of PT servicesavailable in Saskatchewan andeducating the public andotherhealthcareprovidersonhowtoaccessservicesbased
• Working with CPA to address the issue of overuse andmisuse of Opioids and how physiotherapy can provide aneffectiveandsafealternativeforpainmanagement.
SPA memberships are purchased combined with CanadianPhysiotherapy Association (CPA) memberships. A popularbenefit of membership with SPA / CPA includes access to themost comprehensive professional liability insurance(https://physiotherapy.ca/insurance) available. Public practicephysiotherapists receive a 15% discount on insurance. Manypublic practice PT's are accessing individual insurance coverageintheeventofacollegecomplaintwhichwouldn'tbecoveredbyemployerinsurance.Enjoythepeaceofmindknowingyouhavecomprehensivecoverage.
One of the keypriorities for the2017/18year is continuing toactontherecommendationsoftheProExamexternalreviewoftheexamprogram.Amongtherecommendationsthatarebeingconsideredisasimplificationoftheclinicalexamscoringsuchasmoving from checklist to holistic scoring of the clinical examstations,theuseofdifferentanalysistechniquestobetterassessthe performance of items, reducing the number of itemsneeded to assign a score, adding field test items to eachadministration, and transitioning the items for our presentpractice based blueprint to the new competency basedblueprint, as well revisiting the possible responsibilities of theBoard of Examiners. We are also looking at strategies toincreasethenumberofitemsproduced,reviewedandplacedinthefieldtestitembanksforboththewrittenandclinicalexams.Oneofthestrategiesthathasbeensuggestedisthatofholdingregional workshops where itemwriters spend two days in anintense item writing environment where they can get instantfeedbackontheitemstheyarecreating.
The Evaluation Services program conducted a new standardsettingsessionforthewrittencomponentandimplementedthenewpassingstandardinMay2017.Standardsettingneedstobedone every few years for any high-stakes assessment. Thepurpose of standard setting is to do a “check-in” whereexpectations for the “minimally-competent” entry-levelphysiotherapist are discussed with a group of subject-matterexperts (SMEs) and an overall pass-score is set. CAPR is goingthroughthisstandardsettingexerciseastheymoveawayfromnorm-based scoring of the written exam to criterion-basedscoring – a process that is needed to ensure that our examscoring is consistent with best practice. The standard settingprocesswillresultinwrittenexamscoringthatisdifferentfromourcurrentprocessinafewkeyways:1) Currently, the pass-score is set each and every time an
exam is administered by standardizing raw scores againstan agreed-upon pass-score of 330, which makes it anormativescore.Thenewstandardsettingprocesswillnottakeplaceeachandeveryexam– itwillbedoneonceandwill be set for the next several years or until the newblueprintisset.
2) The current pass-score is set by looking at the actualperformance of Canadian first-time test takers who aretaking each particular exam. The new standard settingprocess was based on SMEs reflections regarding all test-takers, not just Canadians, and not just first-time testtakers. As such, it should bemore reflective of the entirepopulationofcandidates.
3) Thestandardizationprocessusedtomakeexampass-scorescomparableovertimewillbereplacedwithaprocesscalled“equating” whichwill allow the criteria-based standard topersistovertime.
The Triple P project has been completed leading to a newEssential Competencies document and Entry-to-Practicemilestones for physiotherapy. The CAPR board approved thefinal documents at our May meeting and will now startdeveloping a new blueprint based on these new documents.Survey results and the final Essential Competencies andMilestones documents will be released publicly in the Fall of2017onceall individualNationalPhysiotherapyAdvisoryGroup(NPAG)partnerboardshaveapprovedthem.The CAPR board approved our 2018-2023 Draft Strategic planoutline at theMaymeeting aswell. The following are thekeypriorities:
AspartoftheStakeholderCollaborationpriorityofourstrategicplan,theboardheardpresentationswithregardstorelationshipswithAcademicprogramsfromJohn Pugsley with PEBC (Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada), Ian BowmerwithMCC(MedicalCouncilofCanada)andLorinMeullerwithFSBPT(FederationofStateBoardsofPhysicalTherapy).Thesepresentationshighlighted theareasofcommongroundandareasofconflictofinterestbetweenthedifferentgroupsamongthedifferentprofessions.The informationprovidedwillbeusedtohelpinformourcontinuedrelationshipbuildingwiththeCCPUPmembers.The CAPR board will meet again in September/October to discussimplementationofthestrategicplan.
PCEConfidentialityandSecurityofExamMaterialThe following was recently posted on the Canadian Alliance of PhysiotherapyRegulators(CAPR)websitewithregardstoarecentexammaterialbreach:
“During regular monitoring of the internet, CAPR staff discovered aperson advertising purported Physiotherapy Competency Examquestions for sale. With the assistance of a professional investigator,CAPRgatheredevidenceandconcludedthatcheatinghadoccurred.
ThephysiotherapistcandidateattemptingtoselltheinformationonlinehasbeenbannedfromattemptingthePhysiotherapyCompetencyExamfor a 5-year period. All Canadian regulators have been notified of thiscandidate’sstatus.BecauseoftheCAPRsanctions,thecandidatewillnotbeabletore-attemptthePCEuntil2022andwillnotbeabletopracticephysiotherapyuntilthattime.Thesanctionsdemonstratethegravityoftheethicalbreachcommittedbythecandidate.
TheCAPRtakesitsroleinprotectingthepublicseriously.Monitoringtheinternet for suspicious activity is only one of many securitymeasuresthatwetaketosafeguardtheintegrityoftheexam.“
TherehavebeenanincreasingamountofreportedcheatingincidentsonthePCEover the past year, especially the clinical component. As such, the SCPTwouldlike to draw attention to the CAPR Rules of Conduct for the PhysiotherapyCompetencyExamandExamSecurity, aswellas thepotentialconsequencesofbeingfoundinviolationoftheserules.
• You cannot remove any part of the Physiotherapy Competency Examinationfromtheexamsite,ormemorize/recordquestionsfordistribution.
• Your behaviour before, during and after the exam cannot disturb othercandidates or cause them anxiety. Do notmake disruptive comments abouttheexam,unnecessarilyquestionexampoliciesandproceduresorengage inotherbehaviourthatcoulddisturbothercandidates.
Dale has been a treating physiotherapist inSaskatchewan since 1995 when he graduated fromthe University of Saskatchewan. Along with hisphysiotherapy degree, he has a kinesiology degreeandacertification in athletic therapy.He isblessedwith two children – Sandi and Philip - and his wifeSue.
He has held a variety of positions over the yearsfrom staff therapist, to management positions toownership in a private physiotherapy clinic and amultidisciplinary health facility. He was able tospendover20yearsassistingwiththeSaskatchewanRoughrider football teamand7 yearsworkingwiththe University of Regina athletes. Recently heworkedwiththeRCMPatDepotDivisionfollowedbyworkwithintheRQHRMusculoskeletalProgramandas a Therapy Coordinator at the Regina GeneralHospital. He currently works on twomultidisciplinaryassessmentteams,consults for theSaskatchewanWorker’sCompensationBoard,treatsprivateclientsandworksasacliniccoordinator.
Dale has long been interested in governance andvolunteerboardwork.Inthepasthehasbeenchairof thePrivatePracticeDivisionofSaskatchewan,hespent6yearswiththeSportsMedicineandScienceCouncil of Saskatchewan including 2 years aspresident,hespent3yearsontheCanadianAthleticTherapists Association board of directors includingone year as President, he is currently amemberoftheSaskatchewanGamesCouncilboardofdirectorsservingassecretary.
Dalehopestobringhispastexperiencesandinterestin board governance to serve the SCPT, and itsmembers, to strengthen the physiotherapyprofessionwithintheprovinceofSaskatchewan.
• ItisassumedthatyouareinthePCEparticipatinginagoodfaithattempttopass.Anyactions or behaviors in contravention of this assumption will be considered“cheating”. This includes anything that could affect your results, the results ofanother candidate or the results of a potential future candidate. It also includesbehaviours that CAPR considers analogous to cheating, such as modifyingCAPRdocuments to give the false impression of having passed the exam. Someexamplesofcheatingarelistedbelow,howeverthislistisnotexhaustive:
• Non-registeredindividualsposingasregisteredcandidates• Bringing studymaterials totheexamroom(s),oranyothermaterial that
Clinical Componenteither before or afterthe exam.[1] You cannot shareinformation about the diagnoses, tasks or activities that are included intheexam.Donot discuss information about ClinicalComponent stationswithothercandidatesorexaminersevenaftertheexam
• Exam personnel may take your exam materials,as well as any other documents,objectsormaterialsthatcouldbeusedforcheatingandmakeyouorothersleavetheexam site. The exam personnel report any suspected cheating to the Manager ofOperations–ExaminationsofCAPR.
• The Exam Steering Group will forward a declaration of possible cheating to theEvaluation Services Committee. The Evaluation Services Committee will review theinvestigation and the recommended sanctions and will make one of the followingdecisions:
• If the Exam Steering Group or the Evaluation ServicesCommittee declares that we cannot prove cheatingoccurred,wewillreleaseyourscore,ifpossible,orwewillletyoutakethenextavailableexamwithoutcharge.
• CAPR reserves the right to begin an investigation intosuspectedcheatingatanytimebefore,duringorafterthePhysiotherapyCompetencyExaminationisadministered.
• If the Evaluation Services Committee declares thatcheating did occur, one or more of the following willhappen:
• We will record your exam result as“undetermined.”
• Ifweallowyoutotaketheexamagain,wewilltake special measures (at your expense) topreventyoufromcheatingagain.
• We will report findings to the physiotherapyregulators.
• In addition, the Executive Committee may approve thefollowingsanctions:
• Wemaypermanentlybanyoufromtesting.Thismeans you would not be eligible to write theexamagain.
[1]You must maintain the same strict confidentiality withstation information that you would with patientinformation.Candidateswhohavefailedtheexambutwholearn about questions and stations in discussions after theexam will have an unfair advantage on future exams. (Inotherwords, they can pass a station because they alreadyknowaboutthestation.)
AspassingbothcomponentsofthePCE isarequirementforregistration in Saskatchewan, a finding of cheating on theexamwouldinhibitacandidate’sabilitytoberegisteredwiththe college and/or licensed to practice physical therapy inSaskatchewan. The SCPT, along with other jurisdictions, iscurrently reviewing our policy regarding “GoodStanding/GoodCharacter”requirementsof licensure.As thispolicy is developed, theremay be further consequences formembersconfirmedofcheatingonthePCE,asthisisdeemedunethicalandunprofessionalbehavior.
The development of a current code of ethics for physicaltherapy has been undertaken in recent years by both theCanadian Physiotherapy Association as well as the nationalphysical therapy regulators. In 2016 the concept of aharmonized code of ethics that would be applicable to theprofession of physical therapy in Canada as a whole wasintroduced. For full details on this joint project and thedevelopment of the harmonized Code of Ethical Conduct,please see the discussion paper:http://www.scpt.org/images/Harmonized_Code_of_Ethical_Conduct.pdf
The Council of the Saskatchewan College of PhysicalTherapists (SCPT)votedonandapprovedtheadoptionoftheharmonized Code of Ethical Conduct at the March 2017meeting.However,sincetheSCPTcodeofethicsisembeddedintheregulatorybylaws,thenewcodecouldonlybeadoptedinprinciple. Amendmentstotheregulatorybylawswillneedtobedevelopedand then approvedbygovernment inorderfor the national code to be incorporated fully into SCPTlegislation.
TheharmonizedcodeofethicalconductispostedontheSCPTwebsite forMembers to refer to and familiarize themselveswith at this time. When regulatory bylaw amendments arecompletedand thenational codeofethical conduct replacesthe current code of ethics, the amended bylaws will besubmittedtotheMembershipforavoteatafutureAGM. Ifthe vote is in favour, they will then be submitted togovernment; if approved and accepted by government thecode of ethical conduct will then be considered SCPTlegislationandMemberswill beexpectedtoknowandabidebythenationalCodeofEthicalConduct.
If you have any questions regarding the new Code or theprocessoutlinedabove,pleasedonothesitatetocontacttheSCPTofficeat1-306-931-6661oremailedr@scpt.org
CodeofEthicalConduct
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Over the past year, the Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists(SCPT) hasbeen involved in the review and approvalof a national corestandards of practice for physiotherapists in Canada document. ThisdocumentwasdevelopedbytheCollegeofPhysicalTherapistsofAlbertaCore Standards and Ethics Project and was distributed to provincialphysicaltherapyregulatorsforreviewandapproval.
The Legislation Committee performed an extensive review of thedocumentsandbasedontheresultsofthisreview,adecisionwasmadebyCounciltoadoptthesestandardsasa"sister"documenttoourexistingregulatory bylaws and practice standards. These Core Standards are aneducational tool and are meant to be complimentary to the SCPT'sexisting practice guidelines and legislation. In addition, as a result ofrecommendations from the Legislation Committee and Council, theProfessional Standards of Practice Committee will be undertaking areview of our current SCPT standards of practice. Wewill update youwithfurtherinformationasthisreviewisundertaken.
Thenational core standardsdocument can be foundon ourwebsite at:http://www.scpt.org/images/CoreStandardsofPracticeforPhysiotherapistsinCanadaMarch2017.pdf.Membersshouldtakesometimetoreviewthisinformation. Please feel free to contactusat [email protected] if youhaveanyquestionsorrequirefurtherinformation.
The SCPT has developed policies for CriminalRecord Checks and forMalpractice Insurance. Inthe summer,anauditprocedurewill occurwhererandomly selected members will be asked toproduce proof of a satisfactory criminal recordcheckandmalpracticeinsuranceupto$5,000,000.Pleasevisitthefollowinglinkstoeachpolicy.
