PEI College of Occupational Therapists History

1973

  • Three OTs (Liz Baglole, Mari Basiletti, and Judy Irwin) met with Minister of Health to provide the first draft of the Registered Occupational Therapists Act.

1974

  • First draft of the Registered Occupational Therapists Act brought before the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Legislature.

1975

  • The Registered Occupational Therapists Act is passed in the PEI Legislature.
  • The PEI Association of Occupational Therapists (PEIAOT) formed as licensing body for Occupational Therapists practicing in province.
  • 7 Occupational Therapists registered to practice by the end of 1976.

1985

  • 18 Occupational Therapists now practicing on Prince Edward Island.

1988

  • The Registered Occupational Therapists Act was revised and proclaimed in the Provincial Legislature.
  • Representatives from 8 provinces gathered to begin talking about a national regulatory structure - Judy Hill represented PEIAOT.

1990

  • The national group of regulators coined the title - Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulators (ACOTRO) at the June meeting – PEI was not represented.

1991-1996

  • Adrian Good represented PEIAOT at the ACOTRO face to face and teleconference meetings in 1991 and 1992, respectively.
  • Jude Driscoll represented PEIAOT at the ACOTRO face to face meetings in 1992 and 1993. respectively.
  • Judy Irwin represented PEIAOT at the ACOTRO face to face meeting in 1996.
  • The Registered Occupational Therapists Act RSPEI 1988 was repealed in 1996.
  • A major revision was made to the Occupational Therapists Act and it was proclaimed July 1st, 1996.
  • The Licensing body (PEIAOT) becomes the PEI Occupational Therapists Registration Board (PEIOTRB).

1997

  • PEIOTRB represented at ACOTRO meetings by Heather Cutcliffe; she continued as the ACOTRO representative until December 31st, 2022.

2005

  • PEIOTRB logo created and adopted.
  • PEIOTRB website launched.
  • PEIOTRB collaborates with Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to begin a 5-year project to create a national Occupational Therapists Human Resources Data Project.

2006

  • Online database created as part of Department of Health project funded by Health Canada.
  • Data submitted to CIHI for 2006 using this new database – first OT Human Resources Report released by CIHI.
  • 36 Occupational Therapists registered to practice.

2007

  • Phase 1 of ACOTRO project to assist with the evaluation of Internationally Educated Occupational Therapists (IEOTs) seeking registration in Canada initiated.

2008

  • Phase 2 of ACOTRO Internationally Educated Occupational Therapists Project initiated.

2010

  • ACOTRO received funding from Human Resources Development Canada for a 5-year Harmonization project to continue its collaborative efforts and complete the final Phase of a Pan-Canadian initiative aimed at implementing a common assessment approach for the qualification recognition and competence-based assessment of IEOTs.

2011

  • New and updated website launched; funded by Foreign Qualifications Recognition Office.
  • ACOTRO incorporated.
  • ACOTRO’s mandate is to promote consistency and excellence regulating occupational therapy across Canada by:
    • Advancing best practices in occupational therapy regulation;
    • Developing and promoting a national strategy for consistent regulatory practices;
    • Promoting interprovincial and international mobility among occupational therapists;
    • Strengthening national and international networking and information sharing.

2012

  • 53 Occupational Therapists registered to practice.

2014

  • PEIOTRB hired its first paid employee, Heather Cutcliffe, as Registrar.
  • 60 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI.
  • Practice Guideline: Assignment & Supervision of Occupational Therapy Support Personnel approved December 2014.

2015

  • Website updated and laptop purchased – funded by Foreign Qualifications Recognition Office.
  • May 1st, 2015 - all Internationally Educated Occupational Therapists (IEOTs) are directed to the Association of Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO) to complete the Substantial Equivalency Assessment System (SEAS).
  • Initial Memorandum of Understanding between ACOTRO and the Prince Edward Island Occupational Therapists Registration Board (PEIOTRB) for the provision of Substantial Equivalency Assessment System (SEAS) Services - October 9th, 2015.
  • Code of Ethics approved December 9th, 2015.

2016

  • Research project completed in collaboration with College of Occupational Therapists of Nova Scotia “Best Practices in Definition and Process for Determining Currency for Internationally Educated Occupational Therapists (IEOTs) (May 2016) – funded in part by Foreign Qualifications Recognition Office.
  • Database and on-line renewal platform updated - funded by Foreign Qualifications Recognition Office.

2017

  • March 20th & 21st, 2017 – PEIOTRB hosted a one-and-a-half day meeting of representatives from the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO), Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy University Programs (ACOTUP), and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) in Toronto to develop a framework/model and project charter for transitioning to one competency document for the occupational therapy profession. – funded by Foreign Qualifications Recognition Office.

2018

  • Occupational Therapy Act and OT Regulations (Registration and Misconduct) repealed February 1st, 2018.
  • PEI Occupational Therapists Registration Board (PEIOTRB) transitioned to PEI College of Occupational Therapists (PEICOT) under Regulated Health Professions Act on February 1st, 2018.
  • Occupational Therapists Regulations proclaimed February 1st, 2018.
  • New logo created and adopted.
  • Website updated to reflect changes to organization; policies & other documents developed; education session by lawyer & registrar held with registrants March – all funded by Foreign Qualifications Recognition Office.
  • 77 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI 2018-2019.
  • Initial Examination Administration Agreement for the provision of the National Occupational Therapy Certification Examination ("NOTCE") between PEICOT and CAOT effective as of February 20th, 2018.

2019

  • Mandatory education module on "Code of Ethics" required for renewal of 2019-2020; collaborative effort between NS, NL and PE.
  • PEICOT Council transitioned to two public members by July 2019.
  • 85 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI 2019-2020.

2020

  • Revisions to PEI Occupational Therapists Regulations approved May 30th, 2020.
  • Practice Standard: Record Keeping released November 4th, 2020.
  • 89 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI 2020-2021.

2021

  • Mandatory education module on "Documenting Your Practice" required for renewal of 2021-2022, collaborative effort between NS, NL and PE.
  • 102 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI 2021-2022.

2022

  • Launched mandatory national eLearning module on "Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada" in December for all PEICOT registrants.
  • Fixed dates for "Renewal of Registration Certificate" approved Feb 2nd, 2022 - February 15th to March 15th each year.
  • 103 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI 2022-2023.

2023

  • Colleen MacPherson assumed role as PEICOT registrar, January 1st, 2023.
  • 105 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI 2023-2024.

2024

  • Signed off on Remote Practice Memorandum of Understanding in February.
  • Online Database (HMS) revised for renewal of general registration.
  • Website redesigned was completed in June.
  • 113 Occupational Therapists registered to practice in PEI in 2024-2025.