ASOPA/NAOT CONFERENCE
Date: August 4 - 7, 2010
Place: Hilton Americas - Houston, Houston Texas
Fee: $395.00 U.S. for members and $445.00 U.S. for non members
Room rate: $139.00 per night single/double
For more information please visit the ASOPA website at www.asopa.org or the NAOT website at www.naot.org or call 800-280-2390
BORDER
TO ALBERTA ‘NOT' CLOSED (According to HPA Director)
On
January 19, 2009 Brian Fandrick and I met with Dona Carlson and
Karel Bennett - Director of the Health Professions Unit (HPA) of
the Alberta Government. A few years ago the Health Professional
Act was introduced and put into fruition in our province. Without
going into detail, the bottom line that was presented to us by Human
Resources and a representative of the HPA was this - "in order to
practice as an orthopaedic technologist you must first be an LPN
and then take an advanced orthopaedic course through Norquest College".
This
information meant a CSOT member without an LPN license would not
be hired in Alberta. Those already working would be grand fathered.
Norquest's programme is geared more toward orthopaedic nursing than
orthopaedic technology. Through no fault of their own, candidates
with an orthopaedic certificate are not truly prepared to enter
the workforce with the skills required to work independently. Norquest
does not have a practicum exam for these candidates. They receive
a certificate on a written exam only.
The
intent of the meeting with HPA was to discuss the possibility of
CSOT input into the already existing programme to assist in raising
the level of technical knowledge and practicum experience. To our
surprise, we were informed the HPA does not say "you must be
an LPN with the Norquest Programme" to have the right to practice
in Alberta.
It
appears CSOT members were either misinformed or misrepresented by
the HPA representative and H.R. personnel from our region. Because
of this, the expertise and skill set that could have been brought
into our province by CSOT registered members was denied. The director
of HPA, Karel Bennett, stated she would ask the Deputy Minister
of Alberta to send a letter to all HR and Management with the correct
interpretation of the Act. LPN/Ortho Techs are regulated through
HPA, CSOT members are unregulated. According to HPA either can work
in Alberta. LPN/OT's can do a (restricted) procedure, ie., start
an IV whereby CSOT members without the LPN certificate cannot. Whether
regulated or unregulated there is an element of supervision. CSOT
registered orthopaedic technologists/orthopaedic technicians are
under the supervision of an Orthopaedic Surgeon or ER Physician.
Ultimately, management can make their own decision as to who is
hired for any specific discipline.
The
puzzle is - if HR and Management had a choice of having a skilled
technologist or one with limited skills, especially when compensation
in some regions is equal - why have CSOT members from across Canada
been shut out? I truly hope the answer to this is because there
has been a serious misinterpretation of the Health Professions Act.
Hopefully there will be a review as well as a revision of past decisions. Respectfully submitted Patricia Ennis, President CSOT
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