Consultation

Members of the College may act as supervisors to other members, applicants and students, in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Supervisors have an important role in helping these individuals meet the standards and ensure that they are practicing in a safe, ethical, and competent manner.

There may be situations in which a member of the College requires assistance in meeting the standard of care and in demonstrating the knowledge, skill, judgment, and attitude expected of a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner or Acupuncturist. Members may be required to practice under supervision for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Under the Registration Regulation
  • Members in the Student Class shall only practise the profession while under the supervision of a member who holds a General certificate of registration who can communicate with the member in the member’s language and who has been approved by the Registrar.
  • Members in the Temporary Class may only practise traditional Chinese medicine under the supervision of a supervisor who holds a General certificate of registration.
• In some cases, a College committee may direct that a member practise under supervision. This may occur when, for example, a member resumes practice after being away from the profession for an extended period of time.

The College currently has a Supervision Policy for members who wish to act as a supervisor to other members, applicants or students in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. To strengthen the requirements and provide additional clarity, the Council is proposing that the supervisor policy be separated into two standalone policies, as follows:

• Supervision Policy for Members
• Supervision Policy for Applicants and Students

The Supervision Policy for Members sets the guidelines and eligibility criteria for members who act as supervisors to other members. Supervisors must be pre-approved by the Registrar. This policy ensures that there are clear criteria to guide the Registrar in making decisions on approval. In addition, the policy clearly states the supervisor’s obligations to the College and the member.

Council is seeking feedback specifically on the Supervision Policy for Members at this time.

The Supervision Policy for Applicants and Students provides the interpretation of the “clinical experience” requirement of applicants, as per the College’s Registration Regulation. Please note that no changes have been made to the wording of the Supervision Policy for Applicants and Students.

The following documents have been provided for feedback:

• Supervision Policy for Members List of Amendments
• Supervision Policy for Members

Feedback

Council is seeking feedback from members, the public and key stakeholders on the draft Supervisor Policy for Members via survey. The feedback provided will help to determine if further changes may be required. Please note that responses will remain anonymous.

To provide your feedback, please complete the survey linked below:

• Supervision Policy Amendment Survey

Any feedback you have to offer is greatly appreciated. The consultation period will be available for 30 days, until September 13, 2024.

If you would like to provide feedback in writing, or have any questions, please send an email to consultation@ctcmpao.on.ca

Doctor Title

Consultation: Draft Competencies for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor Class

 The College is seeking feedback from members on draft occupational competencies developed as part of the College’s Doctor Title Project. The project has been separated into three phases: (1) conduct an environmental scan, (2) define requirements for the doctor class and (3) draft the regulation amendments for submission to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).

The project is currently in Phase 2, which has been underway since June 2023, with the purpose to define the requirements for the doctor class of registration. The Doctor Title Working Group, which is responsible for making recommendations to Council regarding the project, has been working with an independent expert consultant to develop competencies, competency assessment paths to registration, and a blueprint for the examination process. Recently, Council reviewed the draft competencies and approved them for consultation and validation.

Draft Competencies

To review the draft document, please click the link below. This document contains a comprehensive introduction. Members are encouraged to carefully read the introduction as it provides necessary context and information needed to understand the competencies. After reading the document, please complete the survey found in the section below.

• Introduction and Competencies for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor Class, Ontario, Canada
• Possible Competency Assessment Paths to Registration In the TCM Doctor Class in Ontario
• Doctor Class Competencies Frequently Asked Questions
• Doctor Class Competencies Frequently Asked Questions - Chinese Translation

The occupational competencies proposed for the Doctor Class of registration include and build upon those requirements of the General Class members who hold the title Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R. TCMP). These competencies are within the scope of practice defined in the TCM Act, 2006 and are in compliance with the authorized controlled acts outlined in the RHPA, 1991. Please note the proposed competencies and performance indicators pertaining to the Doctor Class are in red. The competencies and performance indicators in black are what is currently outlined for TCM Practitioners.

The required competencies are grouped into the following Competency Areas:

1. Interpersonal Skills
2. Professionalism
3. Practice Management
4. Traditional Chinese Medicine Foundations
5. Fundamentals of Biomedicine
6. Diagnostics and Treatment
7. Acupuncture Techniques
8. Herbal Dispensary Management
9. Practice Safety

Each competency has performance indicators which specify:

• the required level of proficiency within the applicable domain of learning;
• the evaluation methods that may be used in the registration examination and within educational programs, including MCQ, OSCE, CCS, and clinical/internship

BY-LAW

Election Process

The College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF) was implemented in 2020 by the Ministry of Health to ensure colleges are regulating in the public interest according to Ministry standards. One of the requirements set out in the CPMF require that Council and Committee members meet a set of competencies before they are eligible for election.

Council and Committee members are responsible for the decision making on policy matters of the College, and for ensuring that decisions are in the interest of public protection. It is because of this important function that there is increased pressure to have Council and Committee Members meet a competency framework to be eligible.

To fulfil the expectations of the Ministry of Health, Council has been working to establishing a set of competencies needed to serve on Council. Council has proposed the creation of a Nominations Committee to facilitate the process of reviewing competencies for those seeking nominations to Council. By-law amendments are required to codify the new Council competencies and Nominations Committee. 

The process set out in the by-laws will allow for a transparent, objective, and fair review of a potential candidate’s competencies. The competencies that will be reviewed are not practice related, and are strictly relevant to the competencies needed act as a Council member.

These by-law changes will also require the College to offer a pre-orientation session for those who are interested in serving on Council. The College is committed to providing members with the resources needed to understand the requirements for serving on Council, and how a member might achieve the Council competencies.

While this new process is a requirement in the Ministry of Health’s CPMF, the College is seeking feedback on the new process that will be established with these by-law amendments. Please see the link below for a full list of proposed changes.

Fee Schedule

In April 2022, the Provincial Government passed the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022. Included in this act is a requirement that all health regulatory colleges in Ontario create an Emergency Class of registration. The goal of the Emergency Class is to provide Colleges with the flexibility to maintain their registration process for new applicants in the event of an emergency, which may otherwise cause a barrier to registration.

Schedule 4 of the by-laws sets out the various fees charged by the College. The Registration Committee has provided the following recommendations:

• Temporary Class – Fees equal to half the General Class fees
• Emergency Class – Fees equal to the General Class fees.

The document below highlights the proposed by-law amendments related to the election process and fee schedule. Where existing sections are amended, the amendment is indicated in red.

• Proposed by-law amendments
• Current CTCMPAO by-laws

Feedback

Council is seeking feedback from members, the public and key stakeholders on the draft by-law amendments.

Please provide feedback by June 11, 2024 via e-mail to consultation@ctcmpao.on.ca or by mail at:

When submitting by e-mail or mail, please indicate whether your comments are on behalf of yourself or an organization.

In April 2022, the Provincial Government passed the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022. Included in this act is a requirement that all health regulatory colleges in Ontario create an Emergency Class of registration. The goal of the Emergency Class is to provide Colleges with the flexibility to maintain their registration process for new applicants in the event of an emergency, which may otherwise cause a barrier to registration.

With the addition of the new Emergency Class, the College Council took the opportunity to consider other ways in which the College can create more opportunities for qualified individuals to enter the profession, while still ensuring public protection. Council has identified the possibility that there are potential applicants to the College who may have a high level of experience in traditional Chinese medicine, and would benefit from such an opportunity. To address this, the College is proposing a Provisional Class to temporarily provide an alternate route into the profession.

These proposed new classes require a regulation amendment to the College’s Registration Regulation (O. Reg 27/13). The following documents highlight the proposed changes in detail:

• Draft language for the Emergency and Provisional Class – The proposed changes can be seen in red.
• Comparison Chart for Emergency and Provisional Class – This chart provides the current regulation language (if any), the proposed changes, and the rationale for the changes.

Emergency Class

In developing the Emergency Class language, the College looked to ensure that the Emergency Class contains the following elements:

1. The emergency circumstances that would trigger the opening of the Emergency Class.
2. The registration requirements for the Emergency Class.
3. Terms, conditions, and limitations on the Emergency Class certificates, including a supervision requirement, and defining how long an Emergency Class certificate will be valid.
4. Requirements for moving from the Emergency Class to the General Class

The documents below highlight the proposed regulation amendments related to the Emergency Class:

• Draft language for the Emergency Class – The proposed changes can be seen in red.
• Comparison Chart for Emergency Class – This chart provides the current regulation language (if any), the proposed changes, and the rationale for the changes

Please complete the Emergency Class Survey to provide feedback on the Emergency Class amendment proposal. Please provide your comments by April 24, 2023.

Provisional Class

In developing the Provisional Class, the College looked to ensure that the Provisional Class contains the following elements.

1. Registration requirements for the Provisional Class, including a requirement for at least 10-years experience in TCM, and an limit of 2-years on the availability to apply to the Provisional Class.
2. Terms, conditions, and limitations on the Provisional Class certificates including a supervision requirement, and a 2-year expiration date for each Provisional Class certificate.
3. Requirements for moving from the Provisional Class to the General Class.

The documents below highlight the proposed regulation amendments related to the Provisional Class:

• Draft language for the Provisional Class – The proposed changes can be seen in red.
• Comparison Chart for Provisional Class – This chart provides the current regulation language (if any), the proposed changes, and the rationale for the changes

Please complete the Provisional Class Survey to provide feedback on the Provisional Class amendment proposal. Please provide your comments by May 23, 2023.

Feedback

Council is seeking feedback from members, the public and key stakeholders on the draft Registration Regulation amendment proposals. Feedback can be provided by reviewing the draft documents and completing the surveys above. This will take about 15 minutes to complete and can be resumed at any time if paused.

All responses will be reviewed and will remain anonymous. A summary of the results will be posted online following the close of the consultation.

Feedback can also be provided by e-mail to consultation@ctcmpao.on.ca or by mail at:

When submitting by e-mail or mail, please indicate whether your comments are on behalf of yourself or an organization.

On September 22, 2021, a draft Telepractice Guideline was approved for consultation. Please click the link below to review the draft guideline:

• Draft Telepractice Guideline

Key Features

The Telepractice Guideline provides a comprehensive overview to help practitioners understand their responsibilities when providing care using telecommunication technologies. This guideline was drafted in response to the increased use of telepractice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is set to permanently replace our Telepractice Position Statement that was drafted as a temporary measure.

Feedback

Council is seeking feedback from members, the public and key stakeholders on this draft. Feedback can be provided by completing the guideline’s survey. This will take about 15 minutes to complete and can be resumed at any time if paused.

All responses will be reviewed and will remain anonymous. A summary of the results will be posted online following the close of the consultation.

You can provide your responses anytime before February 3, 2022. The consultation period will close after this date.

Please click the links below to complete the surveys:

• Telepractice Guideline Survey

Feedback can also be provided by e-mail to consultation@ctcmpao.on.ca or by mail at:

When submitting by e-mail or mail, please indicate whether your comments are on behalf of yourself or an organization.

Standards of Practice

On June 20, 2019, Council approved drafts for 4 standards of practice. Please click the links below to review the standards:

• Maintaining Professional Boundaries
• Preventing Sexual Abuse
• Consent
• Infection Control

These standards will replace the Standard for Prohibition of a Sexual Relationship with a Patient, the Standard for Communication and the Standard for Safe Practice.

Key Features

Every standard has an introduction and a set of principles. Principles inform members of their accountabilities and the public of what to expect. Each principle also contains corresponding record-keeping responsibilities.

Feedback

Council is seeking feedback from members and key stakeholders on these drafts. Feedback can be provided by completing each standard’s survey. This will take about 15 minutes to complete and can be resumed at any time.

All responses will be reviewed and will remain anonymous. A summary of the results will be posted online following the close of the consultation.

You can provide your responses anytime before September 10, 2019. The consultation period will close after this date.

Please click the links below to complete the surveys:

• Maintaining Professional Boundaries Survey
• Preventing Sexual Abuse Survey
• Consent Survey
• Infection Control Survey

Feedback can also be provided by e-mail to consultation@ctcmpao.on.ca or by email at:

When submitting by e-mail or mail, please indicate whether your comments are on behalf of yourself or an organization.