Frequently Asked Questions

Before you make a formal complaint to the College about unsatisfactory care, it is highly recommended you discuss your concerns directly with your Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist. If you are unsure of the quality or appropriateness of care a patient has a right to expect from a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist, you can contact the College.

A formal complaint must be sent to us in must be in writing (either by email, or by mail), on visual or audio tape, or on any other recorded formatwriting (c/o ICRC, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario, 55 Commerce Valley Drive West, Thornhill, ON L3T 7V9

We require the following information

• your full name;
• a clear statement that you are submitting a complaint;
• your mailing address and telephone contact info;
• the full name of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist;
• as much detail as possible about your concerns;
• the names of other Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and/or Acupuncturists, healthcarepractitioners or persons that may have relevant information.

You may choose to use the Complaint Form provided or provide a detailed description in writing in your own format. Once we have received a formal complaint, we will forward a letter acknowledging receipt of your formal complaint.

While there is not typically a time limit on complaints, the College recognizes the diverse nature of complaints and maintains that certain complaints must be made within a reasonable time frame.

The ICRC will consider your complaint. The Committee consists of three Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturists who are elected to Council and three public representatives appointed by the provincial government.

When the College receives your complaint, a copy is forwarded to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist has 30 days to submit a written response to the College. The complainant usually has an opportunity to review the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist’s response. Your name and the nature of your complaint will be shared with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist, unless there is a question of personal safety or risk involved.

Investigation of the complaint includes written submissions from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist and any other Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturists or healthcare providers who have treated or consulted with the patient. The College may request relevant records, charts and other information from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist, who has a duty to co-operate during the investigation. The Committee strives to complete the investigation and render a decision on every complaint within 150 days of having received the original complaint.

The law governing health professions only permits the Committee to make a decision about the conduct and actions of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist. The Committee cannot award compensation of any kind. Only the courts have that authority. If you are considering suing your Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist for compensation, be aware that there is a time limit for civil litigation. Your legal advisor can answer any questions that you might have about your rights to sue a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist.

There are a number of options available to the Committee under the RHPA including:

• Taking no further action regarding the complaint.
• Requiring the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist to appear beforethe panel to be cautioned.
• Referring specified allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence to the DisciplineCommittee.
• Referring the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist to the Fitness toPractise Committee for Incapacity Proceedings.
• Taking such other action that the panel considers appropriate.

Once the panel of the ICRC reaches a decision, both you and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist will be sent a copy of the decision.

In most cases, there is an appeal process available that provides additional protection for both the patient and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and/or Acupuncturist. On request of either party, an arms-length provincial board called the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board may review the Committee's decision. The only exception to this right of review is in cases where the Committee has referred the matter to the Discipline Committee for a hearing or to the Fitness to Practise Committee for Incapacity Proceedings.

There are several ways to determine if a person is a member of the College:

1. All members of the College are listed on the Online College Registry

   If the name of the person does not appear in the Registry, the person may be practising without authorization

2. All members of the College must prominently display his or her certificate of registration at any location where he or she practises.
3. All members of the College must wear their College issued badge when practising the profession. It must be visible at all times

Ideally, you would fill out an unauthorized practice reporting form” so that the College has sufficient information to investigate the matter and to contact you if it required additional information.

Alternatively, if you do not wish to complete a form and wish to report anonymously, please call the College at 416.238.7359 and leave a detailed message as to what you saw, where you saw it, and the name of the person involved. The College can only investigate when it has sufficient information.

The College will investigate to determine if the person is not a member of the College. If the person is not a member of the College, the College will determine the best approach in order to ensure that the person ceases practising without authorization. This could include sending a warning letter to the person and/or commencing legal proceedings against the person. Each situation will be assessed individually by the College and its solicitors.

If you provided contact information, the College will advise you forthwith if the person is or is not a member of the College. However, due to privacy concerns, it may not always be able to share with you its plan in how it intends to address the unauthorized practising.

If the College obtains an order against the person, it will make reasonable efforts to advise you. Please note that once the College becomes aware that a person is practising without authorization, the name of the person will be posted on the College website.

As of April 1, 2018, the College's membership year runs from April 1 to March 31.

Every member holding a General, Student or Inactive certificate of registration must renew their registration with the College each year.

The registration renewal is available online starting on February 1. Both the fee payment and the completed online renewal must be received by the College by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 31.

Sign in and complete the online renewal for your certificate of registration through the Portal. Paper renewals are not available.

The annual renewal fees are:

• General certificate of registration: $1300
• Inactive certificate of registration: $300
• Student certificate of registration: $200
• Professional Corporation: $200

See the fee schedule.

Renewals received incomplete or after 11:59 p.m. ET on March 31 are subject to a late penalty fee, in addition to the annual renewal fee.

• General certificate of registration: $200
• Inactive certificate of registration: $50
• Student certificate of registration: $50
• Professional Corporation: $50

See the fee schedule.

Members who fail to submit their renewal will be issued a notice of intention to suspend their certificate of registration. After 30 days of the notice, the registration will be suspended for non-payment of fees. Individuals with a suspended certificate of registration are not members of the College, and therefore, are not legally entitled to practise traditional Chinese medicine in Ontario.

Upon completion of the online payment, you will receive a confirmation email. This is proof of submission of your online renewal and payment.

Standards describe the expectations for professional practice. Standards are compiled, written down and formally approved by the College.

An overarching standard for Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists in Ontario is to provide high-quality, safe and ethical care to patients.

A standard sets out an expected performance level against which actual performance can be compared.

The expectation for the College to compile and develop standards derives from Section 3 of the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA), that lays out the College’s objects.

These include:

• to develop, establish and maintain standards of qualification for persons to be issued certificates of registration;
• to develop, establish and maintain programs and standards of practice to assure the quality of the practice of profession;
• to develop, establish and maintain standards of knowledge and skill and programs to promote continuing competence among the members;
• to develop, establish and maintain standards of professional ethics for the members.

Development of College standards is based on three important principles:

• they are developed by a reasonable and competent group of peers;
• they are developed through a collaborative consultation process;
• they are approved by the College Council after in-depth consideration of the need for and the relevance of the expectation defined in the standard.

Student Class members of the College are authorized to use the protected title(s) “Student Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner” and/or “Student Acupuncturist”. A "Student Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner" is also entitled to use the title of "Student Acupuncturist".

Student Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners are authorized to practise TCM under supervision of a suitable member of the College, providing to patients a combination of therapies including TCM herbal medicine and acupuncture within the scope of TCM practice.

Student Acupuncturists are authorized to practise TCM under supervision of a suitable member of the College, using acupuncture, including tuina, cupping and moxibustion etc., excluding TCM herbal medicine.

The College does not endorse any particular insurance company. You are responsible for conducting your own research and may select any company that best suits your needs.

The review process usually takes approximately one to two weeks to complete if a review by the Registration Committee is not required. If the Registration Committee is required, the review process usually takes between two to six months to complete. The length of the review process may vary based on a case-by-case basis. Incomplete applications will delay the registration process.

All registered members of the College are listed in the public register. In addition, all Student Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and/or Student Acupuncturists must wear their College issued badge at all times when practicing under supervision.

A College regulates the practice of the health profession that it is to govern according to its profession specific Act and regulations, the Health Professions Procedural Code, the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 , its regulations and by-laws. Distinct from a professional or advocacy association that protects the interest of its own members, the mandate of a College is to serve and protect the public interest.

The CTCMPAO is the College that regulates the practice of traditional Chinese medicine in the public interest. It is the only organization legally authorized by the Ontario government to evaluate applicants and determine who is qualified to practise traditional Chinese medicine in Ontario.

No. Membership to an association will not mean automatic registration with CTCMPAO. Anyone applying for registration must meet the College's registration requirements.

After proclamation of the Registration Regulation by the government, it will be illegal for you to communicate a traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis, to perform acupuncture or practise TCM unless you are registered as a member of CTCMPAO with the appropriate certificate. Anyone found guilty could face a fine of not more than $25,000 for a first offence and up to $50,000 for subsequent offenses. One could also be imprisoned for one year, or be fined and imprisoned. These offense provisions are set out in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) and are common to all regulated health professions.

Further, any person holding themselves out to be qualified to practice TCM or using the title “traditional Chinese medicine practitioner” or “acupuncturist”, a variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language while not being a member of CTCMPAO, or claim to be a “Doctor” of TCM while not certified by CTCMPAO, could face a fine of up to $25,000 for a first offense and up to $50,000 for subsequent offenses.

The TCM Act, 2006 establishes the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO) that will be responsible for governing the profession to ensure the public is protected and the public interest is served.

It sets out:

• The scope of practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM);
• The controlled acts that TCM practitioners and acupuncturists are authorized to perform;
• Title protection authorizing only members of the CTCMPAO to use the titles “traditional Chinese medicine practitioner” or “acupuncturist”, a variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language;
• The composition of the College Council after transition; and
• The Council’s authority to make regulations, including the regulation on “Doctor” title.

The College specifies the title and designation that each class of registered members can use in their dealings with the public and their colleagues in the health care system. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist titles, as well as the designations R. TCMP and R. Ac, are the standard for Ontario. These titles and designations are protected by law.

Only qualified practitioners who meet the requirements of the College and who practice to the professional and ethical standards of the College are authorized to use the titles, Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist, and designations, R. TCMP and R.Ac, in Ontario.

We understand that numerous organizations based in Ontario, Canada and overseas provide education, training and offer certification to traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. However, upon proclamation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act, 2006, members of the College are not able to use a term, title or designation that is not authorized by the College. This includes any term, title or designation indicating or implying specialization.

Accurate descriptions of one’s additional education, training and certification can be included in one’s biography or résumé so long as they do not indicate or imply specialization. However, other than basic, legitimate educational degrees (e.g., PhD), other terms, titles or designations cannot be used after one’s name (e.g., on business cards, letterhead, promotional material or office signage).

At this time, practitioners of TCM cannot use the “doctor” title, a variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language when providing or offering to provide health care in Ontario.

Currently, under section 33 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), no one is allowed to use the title “doctor”, its variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language when providing or offering to provide health care in Ontario, unless he/she is a member of:

• the College of Chiropractors of Ontario;
• the College of Optometrists of Ontario;
• the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario;
• the College of Psychologists of Ontario; or
• the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario.

A person who breaches section 33 may be prosecuted in the Provincial Offences Act Court. If the person is convicted, he/she is liable to a fine of not more than $25,000 for a first offence and not more than $50,000 for a second or subsequent offence.

However, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act, 2006, amended section 33 of the RHPA to allow certain members of the CTCMPAO to use the “doctor” title. In this regard, the Council of the CTCMPAO shall draft regulations to prescribed standards and qualifications of members who may use the “doctor” title. Until the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act, 2006 is proclaimed into force and the regulations are made, the title “doctor” cannot be used.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners can use the designation R. TCMP and are authorized to practice traditional Chinese medicine providing to patients a combination of therapies including TCM herbal medicine and acupuncture within the scope of traditional Chinese medicine practice; they are also entitled to use the title Acupuncturist and the designation R. Ac.

Acupuncturists can use the designation R. Ac and are authorized to practice traditional Chinese medicine using acupuncture, including tuina, cupping and moxibustion etc., excluding TCM herbal medicine.

You may complete a full-time post-secondary program in traditional Chinese medicine in Ontario or internationally. If you are considering a school in Ontario, you may follow these tips on choosing a traditional Chinese medicine school.

• Examination Results Classified by Ontario Schools - Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner
• Examination Results Classified by Ontario Schools - Acupuncturist
• National Examination Results