PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM PEER ASSESSORS AND MENTORS

Role

PORTfolio Peer Assessors are responsible for evaluating members’ submitted PORTfolios and providing mentoring, when necessary, to members who need help in their PORTfolio development. Peer Assessors evaluate the submitted PORTfolios against a standardized set of criteria established by the CRTO. PORTfolios that meet all of the requisite criteria will receive feedback from the Peer Assessor in the form of a final report. Members whose PORTfolios do not meet all of the requisite criteria will be required to meet with a Peer Assessor selected by the CRTO in order to attempt to bring their PORTfolio up to standard.

Recruitment and Retention

The term of the Peer Assessor appointment will be determined by the Quality Assurance Committee based on needs; however, the total length of appointment shall not exceed nine consecutive years. Each Peer Assessor will have their term reviewed after their first year, and then every three years after that.

Training

RTs who volunteer to act as PORTfolio Peer Assessors are required to complete annual and ongoing training sessions held by the CRTO, to enable Peer Assessors to conduct fair and consistent assessments and to support their mentoring role. At the end of each PORTfolio submission cycle, each Peer Assessor will undergo a performance review conducted by CRTO staff.

Role

These Mentors provide feedback and guidance to members whose previous assessment(s) were found to be unsatisfactory and who have been directed by the QAC to undergo a SCERP.

Recruitment and Retention

When required, the CRTO will retain the service of a SCERP Mentor based on their relevant professional experience and availability. The CRTO will endeavor to maintain a core group of experienced SCERP Mentors.

Training

Training will be provided for SCERP Mentors on an as-need basis and will vary depending on the required outcomes of the SCERP.

Role

Members whose previous assessment(s) were found to be unsatisfactory, have completed a SCERP, been reassessed and whose assessment is still found to be unsatisfactory may be directed by the QAC to undergo a Practice Assessment. At this point, an RT Practice Assessor will conduct an on-site assessment of the member’s practice.

Recruitment and Retention

When required, the CRTO will retain the services of a Practice Assessor based on their relevant professional experience and availability. The CRTO will endeavor to maintain a core group of experienced Practice Assessors.

Training

Training will be provided for Practice Assessors on an as-need basis and will vary depending on the required outcomes of the Practice Assessment.

Role

On a regular basis the CRTO will assemble a group of practicing RTs to review the data generated from the Launch RT Jurisprudence Assessment (e.g., item performance, members’ item-specific and general comments, etc.).

Recruitment and Retention

When required, the CRTO will retain the services of PDP Working Group Members based on their relevant professional experience and availability. The CRTO will endeavor to maintain a core group of experienced PDP Working Group Members.

Training

Training will be provided to PDP Working Group Members during each Launch RT Jurisprudence Assessment review.

To be eligible to act in the capacity of a CRTO PDP Peer Assessor, Mentor, Practice Assessor and /or Working Group Member, a member must:

• hold a General Certificate of Registration with no terms, conditions or limitations;
• be a member in good standing;
• preferably have a minimum of 3 years practice experience;
• have a secure internet access; and
• have declared in their annual registration renewal that they are “…engaging in the CRTO Quality Assurance Program by participating in professional development activities as outlined in the Quality Assurance Regulation and by regularly recording these activities in their Professional Portfolio Online for Respiratory Therapists (PORTfolio^OM)”.

In keeping with the duty for confidentiality outlined in s.36(1) of the RHPA, all activities related to the PDP are considered strictly confidential and the information that arises must not be shared with others. Therefore, each PDP Peer Assessor, Mentor, Practice Assessor & Working Group Member is required to sign a confidentiality agreement on an annual basis.

It is the responsibility of the CRTO to ensure that RTs who assist with the implementation of the PDP do so free of any conflict of interest and that the PDP process is neutral and fair. Therefore, Peer Assessors, Mentors and Practice Assessors are provided in advance with the name(s) of any member they may be required to evaluate or mentor. Each Peer Assessor/Mentor/Practice Assessor is required to review the names and declare a conflict of interest in advance so that CRTO staff can ensure that the RT does not evaluate that particular member. The information provided to Working Group Members is de-identified to avoid any potential for a conflict of interest.

A conflict of interest exists when a reasonable person may conclude that the RT’s personal interests could improperly influence their judgments while performing their duties for the CRTO. When determining whether a conflict of interest exists, the PDP Peer Assessor/Mentor/Practice Assessor must consider if there is anything that could potentially influence/be perceived to influence their
assessment, such as:

• do they have a personal relationship with the member being assessed;
• have they acquired information outside the course of performing his or her duties at the CRTO, about the member or the member’s professional development activities; or
• are they involved in an employer/employee/business relationship with the member being assessed.

• CRTO Professional Development Policy

Telephone: 416-591-7800
Toll-Free (in Ontario): 1-800-261-0528
General Email: questions@crto.on.ca