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Become a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
To thrive in an increasingly competitive health care environment we need well-informed occupational therapists with a powerful national voice.
CAOT has a long-standing commitment to providing exceptional service to meet your individual needs. As a member of our Association, you'll have access to tangible benefits and at the same time, you'll help advocate for occupational therapy in Canada. We are continuing to work hard on your behalf to offer you:
- Information - CAOT member resources are relevant, accessible and current.
Representation- CAOT makes your voice heard while advocating for the profession.
Services - CAOT members enjoy a range of practice benefits, including on-line resources and valued insurance products.
This is the fifth straight year that we are not increasing membership fees and we have negotiated lower rates for Professional Liability Insurance this year.
Ongoing initiatives
CAOT works on many initiatives to advance our vision that all people in Canada will value and have access to occupational therapy. Many of these initiatives involve advocating on behalf of occupational therapists to strengthen our commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of all Canadians.
Your membership has helped CAOT to...
Cultivate partnerships with 35 national coalitions that address issues relating to a wide range of topics ranging from chronic disease prevention to active living with older adults. In addition our advocacy efforts included:
- A CAOT brief on the topic of autism spectrum disorder was presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.
- CAOT representatives joined the Saskatchewan Society of Occupational Therapists to meet with officials from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Minister of Health and the Minister of Advanced Education and Employment.
- Representatives of CAOT and the British Columbia Society of Occupational Therapists met with the British Columbia Minister of Advanced Education to address the shortage of occupational therapists in the province.
Promote research and scholarship in occupational therapy by providing operational funding and fundraising assistance for the Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation.
Develop workforce capacity in occupational therapy to address human resource planning issues:
- Promote interdisciplinary collaboration in health human resource planning through findings of the Health Canada funded CAOT initiative Toward Best Practices for Caseload Assignment and Management for Occupational Therapy in Canada
- Support the integration of international graduates of occupational therapy into the Canadian workforce through initiatives such as the Workforce Integration Project and the Access and Registration Framework Project
- Collaborate with the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian occupational therapy regulatory organizations and government agencies to develop a national occupational therapy human resources database.
Advance reform through a CAOT Pan-Canadian awareness strategy to advocate with local decision-makers for the inclusion of occupational therapy in primary health care services. Volunteers from across Canada have received training and resources to promote interdisciplinary collaboration.
Continue to develop strategies for seniors through the Stable, Able and Strong project to engage in occupations important to them after experiencing a fall. Project resources are currently being trailed in pilot sites located in Calgary, Gatineau and Charlottetown.
Continuously develop Canada’s occupational therapy resource site OT Works and support occupational therapists in their individual marketing efforts.
Celebrate and promote public recognition for occupational therapy by coordinating the national Occupational Therapy Month awareness campaign. Continuing the "Yes I Can" theme reinforced the important role of occupational therapists.
Accomplishments made possible through collaboration
CAOT appreciates the importance of working with others to advance common goals. Your membership has contributed to many initiatives and areas of advocacy by allowing us to:
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Conduct a needs assessment that identified a requirement for more resources for the rising number of members entering private practice. To address this need, the publication Business in clinic practice: How to get there from here was introduced.
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Define the skills and knowledge required to work in occupational therapy in Canada. CAOT has undertaken a review of the Profile of Occupational Therapy Practice in Canada, a vital document used to develop the national certification examination blueprint and determine expected outcomes of occupational therapy education for academic accreditation. Work is also underway to outline the competencies required for practice as an occupational therapy support worker.
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Collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to develop a national health promotion strategy for older drivers. Borne out of an inquiry completed by the Chief Coroner in Ontario, a national panel including CAOT members identified recommendations for driver assessments in Canada.
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Develop a preliminary protocol for dysphagia evaluation and treatment involving other health disciplines in a consensus workshop to be organized in 2008.
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Promote leadership in primary health by hosting a summit to advance interdisciplinary information sharing and strategy development with the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists and Canadian Physiotherapy Association.
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Advance the need for more research on economic outcomes to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy services to external stakeholders such as funders and policy makers.
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