The Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists has a Quality Practice Program to help assure that licensed physiotherapists continue to practice competently throughout their professional career.
Continuing Competence is the ongoing or continued capacity of a physiotherapist to integrate and apply knowledge, skills and judgement required to practice safely, responsibily and ethically in his/her role/setting and which can be measured against acceptable standards.
Each Individual physiotherapist has the primary responsibility for maintaining his/her competence.
There are three (3) components to the Quality Practice Program:
1) Professional Portfolio is a collection of documents that identifies you, your experience and your practice. It is the story of where you have been and how you have gotten to where you are. The portfoilio is where you will store the documentation of your continuing education, your self evaluations and your peer assessments / audits.
These links are tools which may be helpful in developing your personal portfolio:
Guidelines for Professional Portfolio
Checklist for Contents of Portfolio
Portfolio Appendix 1 Writing Your Resume
Portfolio Appendicies 2, 3 and 4; Jurisprudence / Self Review and CE Record Form
2) Continuing Education Assessment is another component of the NSCP's Quality Practice program and it includes self assessment to determine educational and professional development needs as well as the tracking and reporting of continuing education hours. Learning experience forms and goal setting helps members identify learning needs and areas for further development. Continuing education must be relevant to you current area of practice to enhance practice, or to an identified area of developing interest. Courses, readings, inservices, presentations and mentoring students are some of the ways to gather continuing education hours. For registration in 2011 the NSCP requires 200 continuing eduaction hours in the previous five (5) year period. (Note: volunteer hours do not count as continuing education hours.)
These links are intended to be helpful in Continuing Education Assessment:
Use this form to report your annual CE hours to NSCP
Identification of Learning Needs
3) Practice Assessment is the third component of the Quality Practice program. It includes Self Assessment and Peer Assessment. Self-assessment helps members focus on changes within their practice and practice environment and to identify opportunities for continuing education. Peer Assessment (onsite) is a competency assessment of practice and the most transparent way to promote accountability and provide a positive learning experience. Onsite dialogue with members helps to identify areas of strength and opportunities for ongoing development in the physiotherapy practice.
These links are intended to be helpful in Practice Assessment: