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Online Assessment – Program Rollout

The College is eliminating the random selection process for registrants to participate in peer and practice reviews. Instead, all registrants will be required to complete an online, “open-book” assessment on a regular and recurring basis, approximately every five years. The online assessment will be used by the College to identify risks in practice and direct resources where they are most needed to help registrants provide safe and effective care.

As the cornerstone of the College’s quality assurance (QA) program, the online assessment is intended to provide evidence-based feedback that will encourage Registered Psychotherapists (RPs) to continue to think critically about their practice, their professional growth, and their obligations as regulated health professionals. It supports reflective practice and life-long learning, critical components of providing safe and effective care.

Pilot – November 22 to 26, 2022

To ensure the online assessment is an effective regulatory tool, we are aiming to recruit approximately 200 RPs to take the online assessment as part of a pilot.

The online assessment will consist of around 30 situational judgement questions (“cases”). Each case has five answer options. Participants will be asked to rank the five answers from the option most aligned with the Standards to the option least aligned with the Standards.

The assessment portal will be available 24-hours a day from November 22 to 26, 2022. Pilot participants will receive a unique code to access the portal.  After logging in, participants will have three hours to complete the assessment.

The pilot assessment will help us validate the cases, test the platform, clarify instructions, and determine practical considerations, for example, how much time will be required to complete the assessment.

Pilot participants who successfully complete the pilot assessment, i.e., they achieve the final pass score, will continue with their 2-year PD cycle reporting requirements (the self-assessment and PD attestation). However, their QA Assessment results will be counted towards their assessment requirements, and they will not be included in another assessment until their next 5-year cycle is due.

Pilot participants whose assessments results indicate potential competency gaps will be provided with their results and feedback, and they will be returned to the candidate pool and assigned to a cohort as part of the five-year assessment cycle (i.e., they will be selected to participate in another assessment at some point in the next 5 years).

Program Launch – Spring and Fall 2023

The QA online assessment will become a mandatory component of the QA program in 2023.

Each year, there will be two assessment periods which will take place in May and October.

With the introduction of the online assessment, CRPO’s enhanced QA program will consist of the following main components:

  1. Self-assessment and professional development (PD)

Registrants will still be required to complete and submit a self-assessment and engage in a minimum of 40 hours of relevant learning activities during their 2-year PD cycle.  An RP’s PD cycle is based on their year of registration. At the end of an RP’s PD cycle, they are required to report their PD activities.

  1. Online assessment

When selected, registrants will be required to complete an online, “open-book” assessment, approximately every five years. The assessment consists of a series of situational judgement scenarios that are based on the CRPO Professional Practice Standards.

  1. Peer and practice review

Registrants whose online assessment results identify competence deficits, or any registrant who fails to participate in required PD reporting or online assessment, will be required to engage in a peer and practice review (PPR).

  1. Remediation

Registrants who require additional support to address identified learning needs may be required to engage in directed remediation by the Quality Assurance Committee. Directives from the QA Committee may include remediation or specified continuing education.

In certain circumstances, the Quality Assurance Committee may direct the Registrar to impose terms, conditions and limitations on a Registrant’s Certificate of Registration, for example:

  • if a Registrant demonstrates egregious gaps in knowledge, skill or judgment, despite receiving peer-assisted guidance and reassessment opportunities; or
  • if a Registrant does not successfully complete a program of specified continuing education or remediation.

FAQ’s

What is the online assessment?

The new online assessment is a risk-based screening tool to assist registrants and the College in proactively identifying competence gaps that could result in practice that does not meet the Standards. The assessment is designed to be an educational tool to help registrants apply their judgement and assess their knowledge, skill, and judgement using situational judgment cases developed by members of the profession.

The online assessment is intended to work in conjunction with other components of the QA program.

The assessment consists of a series of situational judgement scenarios (“cases”). The cases have been developed by members of the profession and are based on the CRPO Professional Practice Standards.

How do I prepare for the assessment?

The assessment is intended to be a low-stress, educational experience that inspires reflective practice. During the “open book” assessment, RPs will have access to the Standards along with other key resources. You may wish to review the following in preparation for the assessment:

In addition, you may want to:

  • Try a sample question
  • Think about possible assessment-taking strategies and how you might approach the questions. For example,
    • Consider approaching the question using the process of elimination. First determine which answer option is the least aligned with the Standards and which is the most aligned. Then look at ordering the remaining three answer options.
    • Consider having a scrap piece of paper beside you where you can jot down any notes as you work through your answer.
    • If you get stuck, consider leaving it to come back to later. The assessment platform allows you to navigate back and forth between questions and to review your answers before submitting, so you can return to a case any time up until the point where you click “submit.”

What happens with my results?

a) Pilot results

Pilot participants who successfully complete the pilot assessment, i.e., they achieve the final pass score, will continue with their 2-year PD cycle reporting requirements (the self-assessment and PD attestation). However, their QA Assessment results will be counted towards their assessment requirements, and they will not be included in another assessment until their next 5-year cycle is due.

Pilot participants whose assessments results indicate potential competency gaps will be provided with their results and feedback, and they will be returned to the candidate pool and assigned to a cohort as part of the five-year assessment cycle (i.e., they will be selected to participate in another assessment at some point in the next 5 years).

b) Assessment results

Once the assessment is formally launched, it will be used to determine where and how to direct College resources in a way that ensures registrants are providing safe and effective care.

The online assessment is designed to be an educational tool to help registrants identify potential gaps in their knowledge, skill and judgment and make effective use of their professional development activity hours. Following the assessment, registrants will receive information about their results. Depending on the assessment result, registrants will receive direction for professional improvement that is either

  • self-directed;
  • self-directed with resources and reporting requirements; or
  • peer-assisted with guidance from a peer coach or College staff.

Registrants who continue to demonstrate competency deficits, or any registrant who fails to participate in required PD reporting or online assessment, will engage in a peer and practice review (PPR).

Is the online assessment mandatory?

Yes. As part of the College’s QA program under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), starting in 2023, CRPO will begin assigning approximately 20% of registrants to complete the online assessment each year. As described above, the online assessment is the first step in determining which registrants would benefit most from engaging in a peer and practice review (PPR).

How often will registrants need to take the assessment?

The College aims to assess all registrants over a 5-year period. Once a registrant is placed in a cohort, they will be assessed approximately every 5 years.

Registrants whose assessments indicate competence gaps that warrant remediation will be re-assessed once they have completed any required educational activities.

For other FAQs related to the assessment, please see the link at the side of this page. If you have further questions that are not addressed here, please email qa@crpo.ca.

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