Professional Conduct

In the field of health care, professional conduct is paramount. This is not to say that it is unimportant in other fields, but due the nature of the services offered by health care professionals and the proximity and intimate nature of patient-practitioner relationships, a lack of professional conduct can cause significant harm to all parties involved.

Recently, the CATA published reports on cases in which members of that association violated its code of ethics. These rulings were the first to go against athletic therapists in a while. In our field, this type of scenario does not seem to arise all too often. Could that be due to the exceptional professional ethics in our community? I’d like to believe that, but in reality, I believe the truth lies in the numbers. Statistically speaking, our profession is so small that these kinds of infractions only arise on a sporadic basis.

In our effort to integrate into or create a professional order for athletic therapists, professional conduct will be of paramount interest to everyone’s practice. Let’s not forget that the primary duty of professional orders is to protect the public. So we should not be surprised by this rise in ethical-committee activity and the stringent controls being placed on practices in our field. With this oversight in place, some practices that were previously tolerated and considered normal may even be flagged following Committee rulings on members.

A few scenarios come to mind, including maintaining patient files, which, for the time being, has not been targeted by any controls or standards in our association. However, once a profession is governed by an association, radical changes to several criteria may arise and many of us may need to get used to being criticized or even punished for our current patient-file related practices. The most experienced among us will need to be even more vigilant, as long-held criteria might no longer match those upheld by our new association – and we all know how hard it is to kick old habits.

Another issue of professional conduct that we have been trying to phase out for many years may become a problem for several among us. In the past, many therapists would hire certification candidates on a contractual basis. But since the authorization regulation came into effect a few years ago, the status of candidates has been clearly established, along with the functions that they can carry out. Except during internships, candidates are not allowed to carry out reserved acts – i.e. assessing and treating musculoskeletal problems. However, we have continued to get wind of situations in which students are still being hired to fulfill these functions indirectly. And many have remained silent about this situation, for fear of doing harm to others. However, with the order’s oversight, this conduct will be treated directly as malpractice, and any member failing to report this type of activity could be considered an accomplice. This means that the spectrum of transgressions will widen and involve not only candidates and their employers, but athletic therapists and their witnesses.

Of course, it is best not to go to extremes. Before reporting malpractice, it is imperative to verify all the details and circumstances thoroughly, to ensure that we maintain a fair perspective on the situation that we witnessed. Reporting an infraction does not mean that it will automatically be ruled malpractice, but some situations are easier to judge than others.

Of course, we are not here to play sheriff or to suspect our colleagues. We only ask that you keep in mind that we are joining a field that has strict standards of ethics and professional conduct. Making a habit of reassessing your own practice will help you to keep perspective and avoid any problems down the road.

We would also like to remind you that if you have any questions or concerns, you may contact Laura Leslie – chair of the ethics committee, which is independent from CTSQ’s board of directors.

Eric Grenier-Denis, CAT (C)
Executive director

Spotlight on Research

To accompany her scientific article that we are sharing in our newsletter, Certified Athletic Therapist and PhD candidate at McGill University, Laurie-Ann Corbin-Berrigan, agreed to meet with us to discuss the field of research in athletic therapy. Here’s what she had to say.

Can you give us a quick background on your personal journey in the field of research?

I completed my Master’s in experimental medicine (now called “clinical and biomedical sciences”) from 2009 to 2012 at Laval University’s Faculty of Medicine. For my thesis, I studied locomotive and cognitive variations between children born prematurely and those that reached full term. I am now in my 5th and last year of my PhD at McGill University, and this time my thesis centers on cognitive training methods used to assess learning abilities in the brains of post-concussion patients.

Do you feel that your Master’s provided all the right tools for you to continue in the field of research?

Yes, without a doubt. My master’s research allowed me to specialize in pediatrics, a field that I find relevant as an athletic therapist, and which I learned little about during my bachelor’s degree. In my work, the applied research method is concomitant with that used in research on concussions – which is directly in line with my PhD research. From a professional standpoint, I was also able to access a better position as a research assistant with my current supervisor, which has been a major asset.

Do you see a clear connection between the field of research and the practice of athletic therapy?

Definitely, and especially in my case. The research centre that I work for is directly connected to the concussion clinic at the MUHC trauma centre. This means that all the research that we conduct is aimed at improving the treatment provided at the clinic. Theory and practice are definitely closely connected, and we are not interested in fundamental research – we want concrete results. We often forget that our standard professional practices are based upon research, as shown by the use of concussion management tools such as ImPACT and SCAT.

Do you practice as an athletic therapist outside of the research centre?

Yes, I have remained active in the conventional practice of athletic therapy. Over the summer, I cover soccer tournaments, and during the year, I do replacements in the QMJHL. When I first started my PhD, I also worked in a rehabilitation clinic, but I had to give it up due to a lack of time. Personally, I feel that it is important to remain active in the field in order to understand what’s really going on in the profession. And although the connection between research and practice is fairly direct, needs and reality can sometimes differ or change and I believe that I need to remain connected to that reality.

In conclusion, do you encourage athletic therapists to further their studies and actively participate in research?

Laughing Yes, yes, yes! Contributing to research is a great way to help the profession move forward, and it is a true achievement on both the personal and professional levels. Master’s and PhD studies can also help you access less-traditional athletic therapy positions that are just as stimulating as those occupied by practitioners. And there are so many subjects that merit further investigation. For example, in rehabilitation, much of our knowledge stems from research on adult populations, while little has been done on teenagers and children. Of course, the latter populations are a key in our field, and I’m sure there are many important discoveries that have yet to be made.

Eric Grenier-Denis, CAT (C)
Executive Director