Nature of Action: The registrant, Connor Son, RMT, voluntarily entered into an undertaking and consent agreement with the Inquiry Committee of CMTBC.

As part of the agreement, Mr. Son agreed to the following terms:

1. a formal reprimand;
2. a condition on his practice of massage therapy, namely a one-year period of supervised practice under terms specified by CMTBC;
3. review of the Massage Therapists Regulation and CMTBC’s Bylaws, standards of practice, and Code of Ethics;
4. completion of remedial coursework on boundaries and consent;
5. undertakings not to repeat the conduct; and
6. payment of a portion of the costs of the investigation in the amount of $250.

Reasons: The undertaking and consent agreement relates to a complaint from a female patient made in June 2020.  

As part of the undertaking and consent agreement, Mr. Son admitted that during an initial treatment of the patient in early 2020, he:

• failed to have the patient sign a consent form, and therefore did not retain a signed consent form in the health care record for the patient;
• did not clearly indicate how he was assessing the complainant, and what his assessment was, before commencing treatment; and
• engaged in unprofessional communication.

Mr. Son also admitted that during a second treatment of the patient in early 2020, he:

• did not clearly indicate how he was assessing the complainant, and what his assessment was, before commencing treatment;
• engaged in unprofessional communication verbal and non-verbal communication, including disclosure of his own personal information to the patient; in this regard, Mr. Son acknowledged that he was too informal and overly familiar in his discussions with the patient; and
• performed a service outside the scope of practice for massage therapy (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy, or PEMF).

As part of the undertaking and consent agreement, Mr. Son also admitted to breaching an undertaking he had given in a previous undertaking and consent agreement he signed in January 2020, to practice within the scope of practice for registered massage therapists in B.C.

Mr. Son acknowledged that by engaging in the conduct described above, he committed professional misconduct and violated sections 4(a)(iii), 5 and 6 of CMTBC’s standard of practice on consent; sections 1, 12(c) and 13 of CMTBC’s standard of practice on boundaries; and subsection 9(d) of Schedule “D” to the College’s Bylaws.

The Inquiry Committee considered Mr. Son’s admitted conduct to be serious, involving breaches of multiple professional requirements.

The Inquiry Committee is satisfied that the undertaking and consent agreement in this matter appropriately reflects the seriousness of the registrant’s admitted conduct and will protect patient safety.