Continuing professional development (CPD)

Students have the opportunity to learn about cochlear implants by spending time in the cochlear implant program. There is also an opportunity to learn about audiology and the elderly in our long-term care facility.

Education focuses on:

• Adult audiologic evaluations
• Hearing aid selection and verification
• Auditory evoked potentials
• Aural rehabilitation programs
• Tinnitus counseling
• Cochlear Implants

The Division of Laboratory Services at Sunnybrook provides customer-focused diagnostic services, in partnership with physicians and other health care providers, in our commitment to the highest quality of patient care.

Medical laboratory technologists and advanced registered technologists must be members in good standing at the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario. Medical laboratory technicians are certified by community colleges. Other laboratory staff includes consulting physicians, scientific staff, administrative staff and research technologists.

Colleges and governing bodies of the individual modalities require technologists to maintain continuous learning activity hours each year to demonstrate commitment to the profession. Also, continued education is an integral part of working in medical imaging at Sunnybrook. Staff are encouraged and often financially supported to take courses and seminars to learn about advances in the medical imaging technologies/methods and clinical education. Medical imaging's professional development and education committee supports staff with this process and provides additional information regarding upcoming educational opportunities. Sunnybrook also has additional funding to support such initiatives.

Sunnybrook is home to several hundred physicians who represent world-class clinical and academic excellence. All physicians are actively engaged in continuing medical education. Sunnybrook also plays a leadership role in offering internationally recognized continuing medical education programs in a variety of areas.

Sunnybrook offers a wide range on opportunities and support for continuing professional development. These include unit and program based workshops, competency assessments, conferences, rounds and in-services. Corporate nursing development includes a comprehensive orientation program for new nursing graduates and experienced new nursing staff. Other opportunities include competency reassessments; eLearning; workshops; and webinars.

To increase accessibility for continuing education programs we have established relationships with many academic institutions to provide courses at our Bayview campus. Examples include the Ryerson BScN program; Humber College coronary care certificate programs; and the George Brown College RPN Diploma (bridging from certificate) program. Our critical care areas also provide full salary support and tuition coverage for staff being recruited into these units.

Sunnybrook also provides numerous awards, scholarships and bursaries for staff development. Each year, Sunnybrook nurses are supported to apply for and participate in RNAO sponsored Fellowships and the MOHTLC Late Career Nurse Initiative projects.

The Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists is the provincial professional association and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists is the national professional association. For information specific to occupational science refer to the Canadian Society of Occupational Scientists.

At Sunnybrook, our primary educational affiliation is with the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto.

Sunnybrook occupational therapists are actively involved as educators. Examples include preceptor for clinical fieldwork placement, supervisor for student research project, small group facilitator, lecturer, lab demonstrator and mentorship group leader. Therapists also have the opportunity to participate in and support curriculum development. Many Sunnybrook occupational therapists also hold status appointments with the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy.

Many of our staff are guest lecturers or coordinate full-courses in the undergraduate and doctor of pharmacy programs at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. These include courses in pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacokinetics, hospital administration, professional labs, as well as faculty-based continuing education programs.

The pharmacy staff is actively involved in the training of pharmacy technicians, international pharmacy graduates, continuous education programs (community and hospital pharmacists), interprofessional education (IPE) and community-based patient educational programs.

The Department of Pharmacy has clearly established education as a departmental priority and continuously strives to have a positive impact on the development and direction of pharmacy practice education in Canada.

There are several resources available to therapists who are interested in clinical education:

Intercampus physiotherapy education committee (IPEC) supports and organizes professional in-house courses, teleconferences and in-services. The committee is comprised of physiotherapists and physiotherapist assistants from both sites of Sunnybrook. Information on up-coming events is distributed at the monthly physiotherapy meetings and internal email.

The rehabilitation Sector (which includes the Department of Physical Therapy) at the University of Toronto is committed to supporting linical education. Each year, in April, an annual clinical education day is held. This free day is open to all of Sunnybrook's physiotherapists. Specific details of the date, time and registration process for this event are sent out to the therapists usually near the beginning of each year (as the information becomes available).

The University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College (supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care) has developed an on-line preceptor education program (PEP) for health care professionals and their students. Students and clinical educators can take advantage of this free eight module resource simply by registering on the website. 

The Ontario Physiotherapy Association is the provincial professional association and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association is the national professional association. These web-sites provide information on courses and conferences offered to clinicians and students alike.

The American Physical Therapy Association has developed a Clinical Instructor Education and Credentialing Program (CIECP) for clinical educators. Both Sunnybrook and the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto have credentialed trainers for this course.

There are many conferences, workshops and courses in oncology and related fields that will be of relevance to radiation therapy students.

The major professional conferences are:

• National and provincial association conferences
  • Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
  • Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
• Radiation Therapy specific conferences
  • RTi3: Radiation Therapy Conference
  • American Society of Radiologic Technologists
• Radiation Oncology specific conferences
  • Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology
  • American Society for Radiation Oncology
  • European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology   

Continuing education or professional practice credits has been established by Therapeutic Recreation Ontario. It is the responsibility of the recreation therapist or recreation therapy assistant to maintain and submit those records.

The respiratory therapy profession is regulated in Ontario by the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario. Regulations and standards for students and practicing clinicians are available at this linked site.

The Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario is the provincial professional association and the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapy is the national professional association. These websites provide information on courses and conferences offered to clinicians and students alike.

The social work profession in Ontario is regulated by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. This body provides regulation standards for practicing social workers.

The Ontario Association of Social Workers is the provincial professional association and the Canadian Association of Social Workers is the national professional association. These websites provide information on practice as well as courses and conferences that are offered.

We have a commitment to clinical education and are linked closely to the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto.

Sunnybrook is organized in a program management model. Clinical settings encompass the continuum of healthcare from acute to chronic care. Patients and residents are seen by SLPs and CDA as inpatients and there are also two outpatient programs. This offers our learners a range of opportunities not readily available at other institutions.

spiritualcare.ca contains the latest information about the organization, its educational centres, and teaching supervisors, the standards of education and practice, career opportunities and regional conferences and ongoing education opportunities. CASC holds an annual general meeting at which the members decide on matters pertinent to the organization. The ongoing life and work of the organization is governed by a national board of directors made up of executive officers and commission chairs.