All CRTO Members must renew their registration on an annual basis. The CRTO registration year runs from March 1 until the end of February. All members must renew online. Paper renewal forms are not available. To renew, Members must pay an annual fee* and complete the online renewal form. Each year, the deadline for completing the registration renewal is the last day of February.

A person whose certificate of registration has been suspended is no longer permitted to practise as a Respiratory Therapist in Ontario. The suspensions are displayed on the CRTO’s Register of Members.

Fees must be paid in full, the CRTO does not offer fee reductions; however, Members who change their Membership to Inactive or resign during the registration year, may be eligible for a partial refund of their fees. For example, Members who paid $620.00 annual registration fee, and are resigning or changing their registration to inactive:

• • between March 1 and May 31 may be eligible for a $465.00 refund
  • between June 1 and August 31 may be eligible for a $310.00 refund
  • between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30 may be eligible for a $155.00 refund
  • between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28/9 are not eligible for a refund.

* NSF cheques will be subject to the late fee if a replacement payment is not postmarked prior to the last day of February.

2019 Renewal Schedule:

Questions

If you have any questions about the renewal process, please contact Ania Walsh, Manager of Registration at extension 25 or walsh@crto.on.ca.

Relevant Links

• Online Renewal
• Resignation Form
• CRTO Registration FAQs

CRTO Members are required to inform the College of any change to the information provided during the application or registration renewal process within 30 days of the change (this includes, for example, changes to their contact and employment information).

The easiest way to update Member information is online, through the Members Login.

Members may also update their information by submitting the Change of Information Form.

Relevant Links

• Member Login – Online Change of Information
• Change of Information Form

The Liability Insurance policy of the CRTO requires that Members carry minimum liability insurance coverage of 2 million dollars for each occurrence.

Liability insurance protects both Respiratory Therapists and the public they serve. Liability insurance enables patients/clients to have adequate financial compensation should harm occur as a result of an error, omission or negligent act. Additionally, liability insurance protects the Respiratory Therapist by providing legal and financial support should a patient/client make a claim against them. Members may obtain their liability insurance from any source, including their employer, the professional association, or directly from an insurance company.

View the full Liability Insurance Policy here.

To practice as an RT in Ontario, you must be registered with the CRTO. RT practice can take place in a variety of settings, such as (but not limited to):

• Hospitals
• Community-based practices
• Educational institutions
• Independent practices
• Government health agencies
• Healthcare research
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Medical equipment supply companies

From time to time, the CRTO receives inquiries from Members regarding their employment and volunteering activities, for example, when considering the Inactive Class of Registration. This fact sheet was developed to help Members determine if they are practicing Respiratory Therapy.

RT Practice

Respiratory Therapists practice in many different areas and settings. In general RT practice involves the following elements:

• Applying RT competencies (knowledge, skills, judgment, abilities) gained from RT education, employment and experience as an RT
• Applying relevant RT practice standards, policies and guidelines
• Having a direct or indirect effect on those who receive RT services
• Interacting with those that expect you to have RT knowledge and/or skill

Practicing Respiratory Therapy includes both employment and volunteer activities.

Determining if you are practicing as a Respiratory Therapist

You are a practising as an RT if any of the following apply to you.

• Providing direct patient care RT services to individuals and/or groups of individuals
  • Diagnostic/assessment, therapeutic, and rehabilitation services
• Providing RT education to patients, patient’s family members, other healthcare professionals (regulated and non-regulated) and/or students
  • Health promotion, health counselling services (e.g., smoking cessation, spirometry testing)
  • Developing/delivering learning resources
  • Information/education related to RT equipment & products
• Providing administrative services that have a direct or indirect effect on those who receive healthcare services
  • Policy/practice development & implementation
  • Collection of healthcare data/RT related data (e.g., chart audits, RT-related research, data/analysis)
  • Management of healthcare resources (e.g., staffing, equipment)
  • Influencing respiratory therapy practice and/or policy
• Other activities
  • Sale of RT related products (e.g., medical equipment)
  • Respiratory research and data collection
  • Providing consultation on Respiratory Therapy and related care, equipment and services

Questions

If you have any questions related to your practice, please contact Carole Hamp, RRT Manager, Quality Practice.

AM I PRACTISING AS AN RT?

View the “Am I Practising? “video here.

• A Graduate Certificate of Registration is issued to an individual who has met all academic requirements but has not yet successfully completed the approved registration examination. If a Member holds a Graduate Certificate of Registration, he/she must use the designation GRT and may use “Graduate Respiratory Therapist” as his/her professional title. This is a temporary class of registration. A Graduate Certificate of Registration is automatically revoked after 18 months.

The following conditions apply to a Graduate Certificate of Registration:

• The (Graduate) Member shall,
  • at the first reasonable opportunity, advise every employer of any terms, conditions and limitations that apply to the Member’s graduate certificate of registration if their employment is in the field of Respiratory Therapy;
  • only perform a controlled act that is authorized to the profession if it is performed under the general supervision of a member of a College within the meaning of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 who, the Member holding the graduate certificate has reasonable grounds to believe, is authorized to perform the controlled act and is competent to do so and who is available to be personally present at the site where the authorized act is performed on ten minutes notice;
  • not delegate a controlled act;
  • not perform advanced prescribed procedures below the dermis;
  • not perform authorized act #5 “administering a prescribed substance by inhalation”; and
  • not perform a tracheostomy tube change for a stoma that is less than 24 hours old.

A Graduate Certificate is deemed to have been revoked 18 months after its initial date of issue.

Change from Graduate to General Certificate of Registration

To receive a General Certificate of Registration (RRT) a Graduate Member must:

• Successfully complete the CBRC examination, AND
• Submit a copy of the CBRC exam results letter to the College. This can be done by email, fax 416-591-7890 or mail (180 Dundas Street West, Suite 2103, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8).

Relevant Links

• Exams
• National Competencies Profile (NCP)
• Member Login – Online Change of Information
• Conditions on a Graduate Certificate of Registration Fact Sheet

A Member registered with a General or Limited Certificate of Registration may apply for an Inactive Certificate of Registration provided he/she is not practising the profession in the broadest sense of that phrase. The purpose of the Inactive Certificate is to allow Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs) and Practical Respiratory Therapists (PRTs), who are not currently practicing in Ontario, to maintain their CRTO membership. For example, RRTs on parental, sick or educational leave or those practicing outside Ontario often choose to apply for the Inactive Certificate. The Inactive Certificate of Registration does not apply to Graduate Members of the CRTO.

The following conditions apply to an Inactive Certificate of Registration:

The (Inactive) Member shall not,

(a) engage in providing direct patient care;

(b) use his or her professional title or designation;

(c) supervise the practice of the profession; or

(d) make any claim or representation to having any competence in the profession

Relevant Links

• Application for Inactive Certificate of Registratio
• Application for Reinstatement for Members Registered with Inactive Certificates of Registration
• Application for Registration Two-Year Currency Requirement Guide
• Inactive Certificate of Registration Policy
• Inactive Certificate of Registration Fact Sheet

Terms, conditions and limitations are restrictions placed on a certificate of registration. These restrictions may be imposed by regulation, such as preventing Inactive Members from “engaging in providing direct patient care”, or imposed on a certificate of registration by one of the CRTO statutory committees for example, as part of an order of the Discipline Committee. The Registration Committee may also place terms, conditions, or limitations on a certificate of registration at the time it is issued.

Terms, conditions and limitations are part of the Members’ public register record and are posted on the CRTO’s website.

Terms, conditions and limitations may be removed from a certificate of registration in a variety of ways including:

• completing a pre-set time period;
• completing the approved examination;
• submitting a request to, and receiving approval from, the committee which originally put the restrictions in place; and/or
• meeting pre-set conditions, such as completing an educational course or providing acceptable evidence of competence to perform a procedure.

Relevant Links

Terms, Conditions and Limitations Policy
Guide to TCLs Imposed by the Registration Committee
Application to Change TCLs

Resignation

Members who are no longer practising and who do not wish to renew or maintain their CRTO membership are asked to complete and submit the resignation form.

Members who fail to resign their membership, may be suspended or revoked as a result of failing to renew membership.

Under the Respiratory Therapy Act, a Member who has resigned or no longer holds a certificate of registration is prohibited from using the title Registered Respiratory Therapist, a variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language and is prohibited from holding himself or herself out as a person who is qualified to practice in Ontario as a Respiratory Therapist.

Returning to the CRTO

If a Member resigns and wishes at a later date to be reinstated, they must apply and meet the registration requirements in place at the time of re-application.

Suspension for Non-Payment of Fees/Failure to Renew Registration

Members who do not renew or resign their membership may be suspended for non-payment of fees/failure to renew registration.

A person whose certificate of registration has been suspended is not permitted to:

1. Hold himself/herself out as a person qualified to practice the profession in Ontario, including using the title Registered Respiratory Therapist or any variation or abbreviation of these titles, such as RT or RRT.
2. Practise as a Respiratory Therapist in Ontario.
3. Perform controlled acts under the Regulated Health Professions Act by virtue of being a Member of the College.

A person who engages in the practice of the profession while his/her certificate of registration is under suspension, is acting in contravention of Ontario Regulation 753/93 (Professional Misconduct), and may be subject to disciplinary proceedings.

The suspension will be displayed on the CRTOs Public Register of Members.

In order to have the suspension lifted, the person will be required to meet all annual renewal requirements, including payment of registration and reinstatement fees as set out in the CRTO By-Law.

Revocation (Non-Payment of Fees/Failure to Renew Registration)

According to the Registration Regulation, if the suspension (for failure to pay fees/failure to renew registration) is not lifted, the Member’s certificate of registration will be revoked by the last day of the CRTOs fiscal year in which the suspension was imposed.

The revocation will be displayed on the CRTO’s Public Register of Members.

Once the certificate has been revoked, a former Member may re-apply if they:
a. satisfy the requirements for the class of certificate which is sought;
b. pay the application fee; and
c. pay the annual fee for the year in which the new certificate is issued.

Relevant Links

• Resignation Form
• Annual Registration Renewal Requirements

Guide to an Application for a Certificate of Authorization for Health Profession Corporations.

Annual Renewal of a Certificate of Authorization for a Professional Corporation.

Initial Application for a Certificate of Authorization for a Professional Corporation.