KNOW YOUR JURISDICTION In the profession of chiropractic, con-tinuing education requirements are determined on a provincial basis. For example, Ontario recently joined the ranks of making CEs mandatory. New legislative guidelines were put in place by the College of Chiropractors of On-tario (CCO) in January 2010 to promote competence amongst its members. The CCO now requires that active, licensed chiropractors partake in CE courses to help further the growth and develop-ment of our profession. The rules set forth by the CCO require active mem-bers to participate in 40 hours of CE’s over a two year period: a minimum of 20 hours in structured activities and a maximum of 20 hours in unstructured activities. (Please visit the CCO website, www.cco.on.ca, for more detailed in-formation on these requirements – or check with your own local jurisdiction for requirements in your area.) With the first CCO deadline of June 30, 2012, fast approaching, many chiropractors are asking where and how to obtain these CE credits. There exists a multitude of ways to fulfill your CE requirements, but the busy schedule of today’s chiropractor can make certain methods, such as on-line or distance learning, more entic-ing than others. When deciding how to 40 • Canadian ChiropraCtor | September 2011 obtain mandatory credits, many key fac-tors come into play. To name a few, one has to not only take into consideration the time spent away from their practice and family but also factor in the cost and inconvenience of travel. In 2005, a study was published in the journal, Chiroprac-tic & Osteopathy (now known as Chiro-practic and Manual Therapies ), wherein As chiroprac tors, we are both learners and educators. Fur thering our education as do c tors will allow more growth for ourselves. Ultimately, our patients will benefit to o. a total of 1000 chiropractors were sur-veyed to access the level of satisfaction of chiropractors with CE programs. The study found that, “almost half of the re-spondents indicated they preferred on-line distance learning” and those that participated in the online learning pro-grams, “found them to be somewhat or extremely satisfactory.” 1 Marshall Deltoff, FCCR(C), DACBR, is the newly elected president of the Col-lege of Chiropractors of Ontario. As a practising DC and in his role as president of the college, he weighs in on the sub-ject of continuing education: “Continu-ing education for any health professional is essential. To be the best doctor you can be for your patients, you should be aware of any advances in diagnostic or thera-peutic modalities, statutory legislative changes that affect how you can practise, as well as reviewing information relevant to your particular type of practice. Com-mitting to regular and periodic continu-ing education is, in effect, a promise to the patients that you have the privilege to serve that you are always going to do the best job you can possibly do to aid in their healing.” 2 As was mentioned above, each prov-ince and territory has its own specific provisions with respect to continuing competency. These regulations may be obtained from your province or territo-ry’s governing body. The format of deliv-ery of CEs and course subject matter may be of importance for you to know in your province or territory. Please ensure that you keep up to date on the regulations set forth by your licensing board as the requirements for each are unique across the country. As chiropractors, we all should be striving to provide the best quality of care we can for our patients. Without having (and taking) the opportunity to gain new knowledge and continue our education, this can be difficult even if the best in-tentions are there. Our patients gain a better quality of life as a result of the knowledge gleaned by their health-care providers. New discoveries, techniques and theories are made in the chiroprac-tic profession on an ongoing basis. We should embrace our continuing educa-tion guidelines and look at them with a new vigour as we know we, and our patients, will reap the benefits. • REFERENCES 1. Stuber, K.J., Grod, J. P ., Smith, D.L., & Powers, P . (2005) An online survey of chiropractors’ opinions on continuing education. Chiro-practic and Osteopathy, 13:22 doi: 10.1186/1746-1340-13-12. 2. M. Deltoff, FCCP (C), DACBR, personal communication, July 29, 2011. www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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