The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario is a regulatory college which regulates physiotherapists, also known as physical therapists, in the province to protect and serve the public interest. This means the College protects the patients' right to safe, competent and ethical care by supporting physiotherapists to maintain the standards of practice of the profession by holding them accountable for their conduct and practice. The College is located in Toronto. Regulatory Colleges exist to protect the public.
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Organization
The work of the College is directed by a Council (similar to a Board of Directors) whose job it is to represent the interests of the public (i.e. the patients who seek physiotherapy services). The Council is made up of physiotherapists (who have been elected by their peers), academic representatives (from universities in Ontario) and members of the public (who have been appointed by the government.) It is the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) that gives the College its mandate to regulate the practice of physiotherapists and gives health care consumers a strong voice in the regulation of physiotherapists by requiring an equitable balance of public appointees and elected professionals on the College Council. One of the ways the College protects the public is by providing an online tool called the Public Register or Find A Physiotherapist that allows people to easily get information about any registered physiotherapist in Ontario.