February 2 2022 - CPO Special Council Meeting Highlights and Thoughts

During this meeting, two significant pieces of information were learned:

1) Theresa (CPO President) confirmed that the adapted QA Program exam being created will be available to ALL candidates

2) CPO proposed and passed a motion to submit an emergency amendment that, if accepted by the Ministry of Health, will provide exam candidates who have failed the exam 1x, the opportunity to reapply for a provisional license in emergency situations (more on that below).

Overall process that needs to happen for the amendment:

a) Amendment will be submitted to MoH on emergency basis. If passed;

b) Candidates with 1x fail of the PCE can apply for a provisional license. Their application will be referred to the Registration Committee, where they will need to provide their case for reinstatement - there are no guarantees for candidates applying

c) The Registration Committee will then decide on case-by-case basis whether candidates are provided a provisional license and any additional restrictions or constraints

Commentary regarding points of interest from the Council discussion:

Tyrone Skaynes repeatedly mentioned that providing this opportunity to candidates is the right thing to do. He also mentioned that he believes it is immaterial why someone failed an exam, as the reasons can be multi-factorial and personal to each individual.

Richard O'Brien commented about how provisional reinstatement was needed to reduce the backlog of much needed PTs and that the public really needs this increased access to individuals in the profession. It was also stated by Theresa that in discussions she had, as well as her anecdotal experience as a hiring PT, there were certainly vacancies and difficulties with hiring.

Of particular note, was a question regarding timelines and how long it would take for a decision on this amendments. The registrar, Rod Hamilton, was unable to provide an answer. It should be noted that timelines, or lack thereof, has been a recurring theme in many of the CPO meetings.

Overall there was a lot of support for the amendment. It does beg the question, why this is only happening now and not back in September 2021 when the CAPR virtual exam failed for the second time. Decisions such as these could have been made many months ago, such as when BC was making amendments to reinstate residents and approve alternative exams. There is reason to celebrate this development, but once again some candidates are left out of the discussion.

"It is never wrong, to do the right thing." - Mark Twain