Quality Assurance

Registrants/Quality Assurance

Overview

Registered massage therapists (RMTs) are trusted by the public to provide safe, effective, and ethical health care at all times throughout their career.

When an RMT first becomes registered they meet entry-to-practice competencies, which are then maintained and enhanced as an RMT progresses in their career. This makes RMTs lifelong learners who are individually responsible and accountable for their ongoing professional development.

By participating in CMTBC’s Quality Assurance program, RMTs demonstrate that they are maintaining continuing competence as required by BC’s Health Professions Act.

Quality Assurance program

As a professional regulatory body, CMTBC is tasked not only with setting and enforcing minimum standards of practice to ensure that registrants provide safe, ethical, and effective care, but also with promoting high practice standards for registrants.

As CMTBC moves away from the current model of Quality Assurance to a model that is supported by best practices in regulation and current evidence on continuing competence, seven guiding principles were created to support the redesign of the Quality Assurance program. These guiding principles support a Quality Assurance program that allows CMTBC to meet its mandate and provides for a meaningful and relevant process for all RMTs regardless of their individual practices.

The guiding principles for the redesign of the Quality Assurance program are that the program:

Is based on core competencies, professional standards, and Standards of Practice for safe, ethical, and competent practice.
Supports high practice standards.
Supports RMTs in continued practice improvement.
Is inclusive and fairly applied to all RMTs.
Ensures all RMTs are able to achieve the requirements in a meaningful way.
Is based on best available evidence.
Is consistent with CMTBC’s mandate to protect the public.

The redesigned Quality Assurance program is depicted in the diagram below:

The following is a summary of changes to the Quality Assurance program:

Standard First Aid/CPR-C

Current QA program	New QA program
Practising RMTs must have and maintain current certification in Standard First Aid/CPR-C.	Same.

Standard First Aid/CPR-C requirements will remain unchanged in the redesigned Quality Assurance program. RMTs will continue to be required to have and maintain current certification in Standard First Aid/CPR-C as a requirement of registration renewal.

See Standard First Aid & CPR-C for more information.

Practice Hours

Current QA program	New QA program
No requirements.	Practising RMTs will be required to obtained 500 practice hours within the previous three (3) years.

Practice hours are a measure of currency in practice and are one indicator of continued competence. Practice hours ensure that RMTs have current practice knowledge and build public trust that a practising RMT can provide safe, effective, and competent care to patients.

See Practice Hours for more information.

Practice Development

Self-Assessment and Learning Plan

Current QA program	New QA program
No requirements.	Practising RMTs will be required to complete a yearly self-assessment and learning plan.

Registrant-directed activity

Current QA program

New QA program

A two-year continuing education cycle in which registrants complete courses approved by the QA Committee for credits.

The number of credits a registrant must complete was based on the amount of time the registrant held Practising vs. Non-practising status within a specific cycle.

Practising RMTs will be required to complete one or more learning activities that support their individual learning plans each year.

CMTBC-directed activity

Current QA program

New QA program

Completion of College-authored courses is required for registration renewal for both practising and non-practising RMTs.

RMTs may choose to complete previous College-authored courses for credits.

Practising RMTs will be required to complete a CMTBC-directed learning activity each year.

See Practice Development for more information.

Quality assurance advisory groups

In December 2022, CMTBC invited applications from RMTs to participate in a Quality Assurance Program Advisory Group. In creating the advisory group, CMTBC sought participation from RMTs with different backgrounds and practice environments, to reflect the diverse experiences and perspectives of registrants regulated by the College. For this reason, CMTBC invited applications from Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour (BIPOC) registrants, registrants who are part of the LGBTQ2S+ community, registrants of all gender identities, registrants with disabilities, and registrants of all religions and ethnicities. In support of CMTBC’s work on Indigenous cultural safety and humility, the College welcomed and strongly encouraged applications from Indigenous registrants.

From the applicants, 30 RMTs were selected to participate in two separate advisory groups. Each of the advisory groups included RMTs that represented different educational levels, practice environments, and years in practice.

Over the course of two meetings, members of each advisory group were provided information about the framework of the redesigned Quality Assurance program and changes to the program that would impact RMTs. Advisory group members engaged in meaningful discussion regarding how the proposed framework and changes might impact registrants and other stakeholders, and provided specific feedback on the self-assessment process and practice hours requirement.

Further consultation with registrants will occur throughout 2023 as development of the redesigned Quality Assurance program continues.

For more information

For questions related to the redesigned Quality Assurance program, please email [email protected] using the subject line: ‘Quality Assurance Program Development’.