Licensure Update – February 2022
LICENSURE UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2022
An Update from NSTRA’s Licensure Committee
“The Licensure Committee has some fantastic news to share!
On February 15, 2022, the NSTRA President: Robin Abbass, as well as Heather Baker and Shelley Smith, Co-Chairs of Licensure Sub-Committee and Andrew Ritcey, Sub-Committee member attended a meeting with Mark Lucas and Melissa Sponagle with the Department of Health and Wellness Workforce Policy portfolio to discuss our current application for self-regulation for Recreation Therapists in the Province of Nova Scotia.
Currently there are 22 other health regulation acts in our province, plus there are a number of other health professions like ours who have applied for regulation and are waiting. Mr. Lucas shared this government’s desire to create consistency in Health Profession governance. The current government is looking to modernize regulations with an emphasis, as always, on public safety. Their goal is to provide consistency amongst the regulatory bodies relating to complaints, college and board governance, etc.
Several questions have been asked of our association which the NSTRA Board and Licensure Sub-Committee are busily accumulating detailed information and after review and input by our legal counsel our responses will be forwarded to Mr. Lucas and his Workforce Policy team. The committee has set a personal deadline of the third week of March 2022. Much of the information requested relates to Risk of Harm and Roles and Responsibilities. The Licensure Committee feels a significant amount of that information has been very well outlined in our most recent application; however, we will ensure an extensive review is completed for any additional information to highlight the valuable and critical work of Recreation Therapy practitioners in the province.
Along with board members, we continue to interact with a wide variety of leaders: Dr. K. Orrell, CEO of the newly created Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment (former Deputy Minister of Health and Wellness), Dr. S Hickcox, Chief Officer of the Office of Mental Health and Addictions, K. MacFarlane, Minister of Community Services, M. Medioli, Executive Director of the Disability Support Program at the Nova Scotia Department of Community Service, B. Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long Term Care, R Lafferty, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, and many others. These strategic communications have been invaluable to increase awareness of Recreation Therapy services and to move our goal of self- regulation forward.
We have and will continue to step up our interactions with the Nova Scotia Regulated Health Professions Network (NSRHPN) to ensure we are kept abreast of all the discussions and feedback through this process. We will endeavor to update the NSTRA membership with communications as new information and developments occur.
Exciting times for our profession. Stay Tuned!!”