Call for Peer Practice Assessor

The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario is seeking PPAs with proven knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, background in clinical practice, as well as a strong understanding of the regulations, standards, policies and guidelines that affect TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists.

The Role of Peer Practice Assessors

Peer and Practice Assessors are professional members of the College that conduct peer and practice assessments assigned to them by the College. Their duties include visiting members premises to review how members of the profession actually perform in their practice to ensure their compliance with CTCMPAO’s regulations, standards of practice, policies and guidelines.

The Peer Practice Assessment program is designed to be educational, not punitive, in nature. The assessment process is intended to be a formative evaluation where another member of the profession reviews a member’s practice to identify areas of strength and areas that may need improvement.

• Terms: Peer and Practice Assessors will be appointed by the QA Committee to their role for a 2-year term with an opportunity for reappointment.
• Time commitment: This is not a full-time position, on average, a Peer Assessor can expect to conduct 1-2 assessments a month. Each practice assessment is approximately 4 hours in length and does not include travel time to the clinic. Field assessment visits are scheduled between the Peer Assessors and the members at a time convenient for both parties.
• Remuneration: Peer Assessors will be remunerated on a flat fee/assessment basis unless otherwise agreed. This rate will be set and reviewed by the College. Travel expenses related to assessments will be reimbursed according to the College financial policies.
• Training: The College will provide assessors with training on how to assess members’ practice using an objective, consistent, fair and transparent evaluation process and a set of standardized assessment tools. In addition, the assessors will receive training on how to draft objective reports.

How to Apply or Reapply to Become a Peer and Practice Assessor

Please provide the following documents:

• ✔ Cover Letter and Resume: outlining the reasons why you are interested in the appointment/reappointment as a peer practice assessor. Please list your computer skills in the letter.
  • Your Self-Assessment and Professional Development Tools
• ✔ Sample Patient File, please provide one sample patient record:
  • Please ensure your patient file adheres to the CTCMPAO record keeping policy, which can be found here.
  • All sensitive patient information should be redacted including but not limited to: name, address and date of birth.

Submit the above information by email to the College with the subject line: Peer Practice Assessor Application to QA@ctcmpao.on.ca by March 14, 2020.

Member Eligibility

A member is eligible for appointment as a practice peer assessor if, on the date of the appointment the member:

• Is a registered member of the College for a minimum of 4 years;
• Holds a General Certificate of Registration with the College and is in good standing, which includes:
  1. Not in default of payment of any fees;
  2. Not in default in completing and returning any form required by the College;
  3. Not the subject of any disciplinary or incapacity proceeding;
  4. Not a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity against him/her in the preceding 3 years;
  5. Has not been disqualified from Council or Committee in the previous 3 years;
  6. Not currently or has not been a member of the College’s staff at any time within the previous 3 years;
  7. Does not hold an executive position with a professional association;
  8. Demonstrated commitment to their own continuing professional development;
• Willing to conduct assessments and provide reports
• Is actively practising traditional Chinese medicine and/or traditional Chinese acupuncture in Ontario
• Is not a member of the Council of a college of any other regulated profession;

Peer and Practice Assessor Terms

The term of a peer practice assessor is two years from the date he/she is appointed. When the member's two-year appointment nears its completion, the member may apply for reappointment.

A peer practice assessor may request a deferral for appointment and/or leave of absence for up to one year provided he/she provides the QA Committee with reasons for the request that are satisfactory to the Committee.

Appointment Criteria

When appointing Peer and Practice Assessors, the QA Committee will consider the following:

• interview evaluation;
• need for peer practice assessor(s) in each CTCMPAO electoral districts;
• geographical location of the member's practice;
• experience, more than 5 years is preferred but not required;
• additional professional qualifications and expertise;
• computer skills;
• communication skills;
• ability to process complex and detailed information;
• availability and flexibility in work schedule; and
• additional qualifications and characteristics to compliment the attributes of the Peer Practice Assessment program

Quick Facts:

• The Peer Practice Assessment Program is one component of the QA Program.
• The purpose of the Peer Practice Assessment Program is to enhance members learning opportunities and ensure their compliance with CTCMPAO's regulations, standards of practice, policies and guidelines.
• Participation in all Quality Assurance initiatives is mandatory for all CTCMPAO members, as set out by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.
• Peer and Practice Assessors will only assess members who hold certificates of registration with the same title/designation as the assessor.
• Members may volunteer to participate in the program before being chosen through random selection.
• Information gathered during the peer assessment is shared with the members of the QA Committee only.