Assessor

Bring your Skills to the Table

Position: Assessor

The College is seeking members who are practising physicians to become assessors.

Assessors are individuals who review a physician’s practice to ensure that s/he is practising at an acceptable standard. Having assessors in each medical discipline ensures that physicians are reviewed by peers who understand the normal limitations of the practice and the difference between ideal and reasonable care.

The College uses assessors in many different programs:

  • Quality Assurance program: Peer review is a cornerstone of self-regulation and the Peer Assessment Program has been in existence since the early 1980s. The purpose of the program is two-fold: to ensure physicians are practising at an acceptable standard, and to offer physicians the opportunity for an educational interaction with the College.
  • Methadone program: All physicians who have been granted an exemption by Health Canada to prescribe methadone for treatment of opioid addiction must undergo regular assessment to ensure they are practising in compliance with the Methadone Maintenance Treatment Guidelines.
  • Independent Health Facilities program: Under the IHF Act, the College has been given the primary responsibility to carry out quality assessments in all IHFs. The assessment is based on the Clinical Practice Parameters and Facility Standards, as well as generally accepted medical standards. An assessment team is comprised of a specialty-specific peer physician and a technologist or nurse, depending on whether the facility is diagnostic and/or surgical.
  • Registration program: There are several pathways to registration for physicians who do not have the required qualifications to become registered in Ontario. These pathways all involve assessment. The assessment may form the basis for the Registration Committee to grant a physician an independent practice certificate and/or there may be an assessment once the physician has practised in Ontario for a year.
  • Investigations and Resolutions program: The Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee receives several thousand complaints or reports about physicians each year. The Committee uses assessors in different ways: to review complaints about a single patient, to more comprehensively review the care being provided by a physician, and/or to consider how the behaviours of a physician may be impacting on the provision of patient care within a team environment.

Requirements

The requirements for assessors vary, depending on the program:

  • QA and Methadone: Peer assessors in these programs conduct half-day onsite visits reviewing charts and engaging the physician in discussion about the findings, current issues in that area of specialty, practice guidelines, and CPD. Assessors report to the Quality Assurance Committee or Methadone Committee.
  • IHF: Peer assessors in this program also conduct half-day onsite visits reviewing procedures, policies, films/charts/reports, equipment, staff qualifications and CPD activities. Assessors report to program staff, who in turn report to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
  • Registration: Peer assessors in this program conduct assessments that can range from half-day onsite reviews to several day onsite assessments (both within and outside of Ontario). Assessors report to the Registration Committee.
  • Investigations and Resolutions: Peer assessors in this program conduct assessments that can range from a review of a single patient chart, to an extensive practice assessment that can take place over the course of several weeks. Assessors report to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee.

Qualifications

  • Commitment to self regulation
  • In active clinical practice with a minimum of 5 consecutive years in practice in the scope of practice to be supervised
  • In good standing with the College and not currently the subject of any disciplinary or incapacity proceeding
  • Strong sense of professional responsibility and commitment to peer support
  • Able to provide constructive/honest feedback to the physician and the College
  • Skilled in rapport-building with excellent verbal, writing and listening skills
  • Has a desire to promote and uphold high standards
  • Sensitive to the challenge physicians face in providing the best possible care
  • Knowledgeable of and active in continuing professional development
  • Knowledge of evidence-based medicine principles.

Time Commitment

The time commitment varies amongst the programs. Many assessments take about 3-4 hours, plus report writing time. More comprehensive assessments can take longer.

Contact

For more information, please contact the following individuals by email or at our toll-free number, 1-800-268-7096:

In Quality Assurance: Maureen Gans, Manager, ext. 637

In IHF/Methadone: Tracey Marshall, Supervisor, ext. 223

In Registration: Carol Shapiro, Manager of Registration Practice Assessments, ext. 415

In Investigations and Resolutions: Angela Bates, Manager, ext. 630

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