Working in Canada
General Information
Number of occupational therapists in Canada
20,609
In Canada , the term "occupational therapist" is also referred to as
Ergothérapeute
Main language(s) spoken in Canada
English, French
Registration
Occupational therapists are required to register with a federal/national organisation to practice
Not Required
Registration in national organization (CAOT) is mandatory only in the Northern Territories where there are no regulatory organizations.
Occupational therapists are required to register with a state/regional organisation to practice
Required
It is compulsory to join the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists / Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes in order to practice as an occupational therapist
No
Practicing Requirements
Graduation from a WFOT approved programme is required to register to practice
No
The criteria is to have graduated from a CAOT accredited program. CAOT standards are based on WFOT standards so indirectly all programs are WFOT approved.
Language(s) that are required for occupational therapists to practice
English, French
English in most parts of Canada French in the province of Quebec, English or French in Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba and other provinces where there are francophone minorities.
Additional requirements for occupational therapists to practice
All provincially licensed OTs in Canada must hold a minimum of $5M in professional liability insurance. There are a number of other requirements set out by each regulatory body that differ from province to province.
Employment Opportunities
Occupational therapy is recognised as a shortage occupation
Yes
Sources of information for occupational therapist employment opportunities
http://www.caot.ca/client/relation_roster/clientRelationRosterView.html?clientRelationRosterId=56 (External) ↗ http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/occupation_search-eng.do (External) ↗
visit provincial association websites: http://caot.in1touch.org/site/ctcs/provterOTprofassoc?nav=sidebar (External) ↗
visit provincial association websites: http://caot.in1touch.org/site/ctcs/provterOTprofassoc?nav=sidebar (External) ↗
Immigration
Immigration regulations or visa requirements to practice
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Occupational therapy assistants exist in Canada
Yes
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists / Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes has a membership category for occupational therapy assistants
Yes
It is compulsory to join the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists / Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes in order to practice as an occupational therapy assistant
No
Occupational therapy assistants require formal training in occupational therapy to work as such in Canada
No
there is formal training available but many are trained on the job
Occupational therapy assistants need to register with a federal/national organisation to practice in Canada
No
Occupational therapy assistants need to register with a state/regional organisation to practice in Canada
No
That is the reason we do not know how many OTA are is Canada.
Disclaimer: This information was provided by Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists / Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes and was last updated on 10th October 2024. WFOT is not liable for any inaccuracies, omissions, or changes in the information provided. This information is intended as a guide and should be independently verified before making any decisions.
Definition of Occupational Therapy in Canada
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists / Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes's definition of occupational therapy in own language
L'ergothérapie promeut la santé, le mieux-être et la qualité de vie en favorisant l'accès, l'initiation et le maintien de la participation aux choses que la clientèle veut et doit faire dans leur vie quotidienne, avec les personnes et dans les lieux où elle veut participer à ces occupations (Egan et Restall, 2022). Les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie établissent et maintiennent des relations collaboratives avec leur clientèle, qui peut comprendre des individus, des familles, des groupes, des communautés, des organismes ou des populations (Egan et Restall, 2022). Les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie travaillent avec une clientèle de toute âge et de toute état de santé, qui éprouve ou risque d'éprouver des difficultés à participer à leurs activités quotidiennes.
Dans le cadre de l'approche axée sur les relations collaboratives, les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie cherchent à comprendre et à tenir compte de l'impact des contextes multidimensionnels (micro, méso, macro), des histoires, des identités et des expériences de la personne fournissant la thérapie, de la clientèle recevant la thérapie et du contexte de pratique où les services d'ergothérapie sont fournis (Restall et al., 2022). Ce processus de collaboration implique d'établir des liens, de chercher à comprendre et à définir l'objectif, d'explorer la participation occupationnelle, de coconcevoir les priorités, les résultats et le plan, de tester, d'explorer et de redéfinir les plans et de planifier la transition (Restall et al., 2022). Les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie contribuent à un monde plus équitable et plus juste en reconnaissant les obstacles systémiques ou individuels à la participation occupationnelle et en prenant des mesures pour y remédier (ACORE et al., 2021).
Les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie travaillent dans différents domaines, notamment :
https://caot.in1touch.org/document/7746/Definitions%20-%20Areas%20of%20Practice_Feb%202022_%20FRA.pdf (External) ↗
L’Association canadienne des organismes de réglementation en ergothérapie, l’Association canadienne des programmes universitaires en ergothérapie et l’Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes. (2021). Le Référentiel de compétences pour les ergothérapeutes au Canada. https://acotro-acore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OT-Competency-Document-EN-web.pdf (External) ↗
Restall G, Egan M, Valavaara K, Phenix A, Sack C. (2022). Le cadre Canadien pour un processus de pratique ergothérapique axé sur les relations collaboratives (CanPPERC). Dans M. Egan & G. Restall (Eds.), L’ergothérapie axée sur les relations collaboratives pour promouvoir la participation occupationnelle. Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes.
Egan, M. et Restall, G. (2022). L’ergothérapie axée sur les relations collaboratives pour promouvoir la participation occupationnelle. Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes.
Dans le cadre de l'approche axée sur les relations collaboratives, les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie cherchent à comprendre et à tenir compte de l'impact des contextes multidimensionnels (micro, méso, macro), des histoires, des identités et des expériences de la personne fournissant la thérapie, de la clientèle recevant la thérapie et du contexte de pratique où les services d'ergothérapie sont fournis (Restall et al., 2022). Ce processus de collaboration implique d'établir des liens, de chercher à comprendre et à définir l'objectif, d'explorer la participation occupationnelle, de coconcevoir les priorités, les résultats et le plan, de tester, d'explorer et de redéfinir les plans et de planifier la transition (Restall et al., 2022). Les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie contribuent à un monde plus équitable et plus juste en reconnaissant les obstacles systémiques ou individuels à la participation occupationnelle et en prenant des mesures pour y remédier (ACORE et al., 2021).
Les membres de la profession de l’ergothérapie travaillent dans différents domaines, notamment :
https://caot.in1touch.org/document/7746/Definitions%20-%20Areas%20of%20Practice_Feb%202022_%20FRA.pdf (External) ↗
L’Association canadienne des organismes de réglementation en ergothérapie, l’Association canadienne des programmes universitaires en ergothérapie et l’Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes. (2021). Le Référentiel de compétences pour les ergothérapeutes au Canada. https://acotro-acore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OT-Competency-Document-EN-web.pdf (External) ↗
Restall G, Egan M, Valavaara K, Phenix A, Sack C. (2022). Le cadre Canadien pour un processus de pratique ergothérapique axé sur les relations collaboratives (CanPPERC). Dans M. Egan & G. Restall (Eds.), L’ergothérapie axée sur les relations collaboratives pour promouvoir la participation occupationnelle. Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes.
Egan, M. et Restall, G. (2022). L’ergothérapie axée sur les relations collaboratives pour promouvoir la participation occupationnelle. Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes.
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists / Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes's definition of occupational therapy in English
Occupational therapy promotes health, well-being, and quality of life by supporting access to, initiation of, and sustained participation in the things that clients want and need to do in their daily life, with the people and in the places that they want to participate in these occupations (Egan & Restall, 2022). Occupational therapy professionals collaboratively build and sustain relationships with their clients, which can refer to individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations, or populations (Restall et al., 2022). Occupational therapy professionals work with clients of all ages and health status, who are, or may be at risk of, experiencing difficulties participating in their daily activities.
Within the collaborative relationship-focused approach, occupational therapy professionals seek to understand and take into consideration the impact of the multidimensional contexts (micro, meso, macro), histories, identities, and experiences of the therapist, the client(s), and the practice context where occupational therapy services are delivered (Restall et al., 2022). This collaborative process involves connecting, seeking understanding and defining purpose, exploring occupational participation, co-designing priorities/outcomes/plan, trialing/exploring/redefining plans, and planning for transition (Restall et al., 2022). Occupational therapy professionals contribute to a more equitable and just world by recognizing and taking action to address systemic or individual barriers to occupational participation (ACOTRO et al., 2021).
Occupational therapy professionals work in different areas of practice, including: https://caot.in1touch.org/document/7739/Areas%20of%20Practice%20-%20PDF.pdf (External) ↗
Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations, Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy University Programs, & Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. (2021). Competencies for occupational therapists in Canada. https://acotro-acore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OT-Competency-Document-EN-web.pdf (External) ↗
Restall G, Egan M, Valavaara K, Phenix A, Sack C. (2022). Canadian occupational therapy inter-relational practice process (COTIPP) framework. In M. Egan & G. Restall (Eds.), Promoting occupational participation: Collaborative relationship-focused occupational therapy. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.
Egan, M., & Restall, G. (2022). Promoting occupational participation: Collaborative relationship-focused occupational therapy. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.
Within the collaborative relationship-focused approach, occupational therapy professionals seek to understand and take into consideration the impact of the multidimensional contexts (micro, meso, macro), histories, identities, and experiences of the therapist, the client(s), and the practice context where occupational therapy services are delivered (Restall et al., 2022). This collaborative process involves connecting, seeking understanding and defining purpose, exploring occupational participation, co-designing priorities/outcomes/plan, trialing/exploring/redefining plans, and planning for transition (Restall et al., 2022). Occupational therapy professionals contribute to a more equitable and just world by recognizing and taking action to address systemic or individual barriers to occupational participation (ACOTRO et al., 2021).
Occupational therapy professionals work in different areas of practice, including: https://caot.in1touch.org/document/7739/Areas%20of%20Practice%20-%20PDF.pdf (External) ↗
Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations, Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy University Programs, & Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. (2021). Competencies for occupational therapists in Canada. https://acotro-acore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OT-Competency-Document-EN-web.pdf (External) ↗
Restall G, Egan M, Valavaara K, Phenix A, Sack C. (2022). Canadian occupational therapy inter-relational practice process (COTIPP) framework. In M. Egan & G. Restall (Eds.), Promoting occupational participation: Collaborative relationship-focused occupational therapy. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.
Egan, M., & Restall, G. (2022). Promoting occupational participation: Collaborative relationship-focused occupational therapy. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.
Definition date: November 2023
Publications
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy
The Canadian Journal of Occupational fosters advancement and growth in occupational therapy scholarship. Its mission is to provide a forum for leading-edge occupational therapy scholarship that advances theory, advances theory, practice, research, education, and policy.
Occupational Therapy Now (OT Now)
OT Now is CAOT’s practice magazine providing information to meet the challenges of day-to-day OT practice. Articles encourage discussion and debate of occupational therapy issues and appeal to anyone with an interest in occupation and its impact on health: from workers to policy to consumers.
Education Programmes
WFOT Approved Programmes in Canada
14