Emergency Class Supervision Policy

Reason for this Policy

The Registration Regulation under the Massage Therapy Act gives the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) the authority to temporarily permit Emergency Class registration when CMTO’s Board or the Ministry of Health has declared an emergency that requires the accelerated registration of Registered Massage Therapists/Massage Therapists (RMTs/MTs). This policy articulates the requirements and processes related to Emergency Class registration.

Background

Emergency Class registrants must meet all the requirements for a General Certificate of registration except successfully completing the Objectively Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) certification examination.  For this reason, an Emergency Class registrant must practise under the supervision of an RMT/MT in good standing with CMTO and who holds a General Certificate of Registration. Emergency Class registrants are registrants with CMTO and are responsible for the care they provide.

Scope

This policy applies to Emergency Class registrants and Supervisors of Emergency Class registrants.

Policy

Upon declaration of a healthcare emergency requiring the opening of Emergency Class registration, the Registration Committee will review this policy to ensure it appropriately addresses the needs and circumstances specific to the emergency situation.

  1. Supervisor Qualifications
    1. Must hold a General Certificate in good standing with CMTO.
    2. Must have experience practicing Massage Therapy for a minimum of five years, in Ontario and/or in another regulated Canadian jurisdiction.
    3. Does not have any current practice concerns and has had no practice concerns in the last three years.
    4. Does not have any terms, conditions, or limitations on their certificate of registration that prevent them from supervising another RMT/MT.

If an approved Supervisor ceases to meet the Supervisor qualifications in this policy, CMTO will remove their authority to provide supervision.

  1. Supervision Requirements
    1. The Emergency Class registrant and their proposed Supervisor must sign the Emergency Class Supervision Agreement. CMTO will confirm that the proposed Supervisor meets the requirements of this policy; the proposed Supervisor must not begin supervision until CMTO confirms with the Emergency Class registrant and the proposed Supervisor that they meet the requirements of this policy.
    2. The Emergency Class registrant must:
      1. Inform every patient that they must be supervised while practising Massage Therapy, and
      2. Provide every patient with the Supervisor’s contact information so they may report any concerns.
    3. The Supervisor must always be on-site while the Emergency Class registrant is providing Massage Therapy services.[1]
    4. The Supervisor and the Emergency Class registrant must hold a consultation together at least once every day that the Emergency Class registrant provides Massage Therapy services. These consultations must include the following:
      1. Disclosure by the Emergency Class registrant every time they have provided treatment of a sensitive area as defined in CMTO’s Standard of Practice: Consent, and
      2. A review of treatments provided by the Emergency Class registrant since the last consultation.
  1. Roles and Responsibilities of Supervisors and Supervisees
    1. Supervisors must:
      1. Comply with legislation, regulations, by-laws, and standards governing the practise of Massage Therapy in Ontario.
      2. Ensure that there is no conflict of interest with the Emergency Class registrant they are supervising; they are prohibited from supervising family or friends.
      3. Ensure they are available to assist/consult the Emergency Class registrant as needed.
      4. Ensure that the supervised Emergency Class registrant has the knowledge, skill, and judgement to deliver safe and competent care.[2]
      5. Report any workplace concerns about an Emergency Class registrant to CMTO. Supervisors must report to CMTO if the privileges of an Emergency Class registrant are revoked, suspended, or restricted in their workplace for reasons of professional misconduct, incompetence, or incapacity.
      6. Provide supervision for no more than two (2) Emergency Class registrants per day if they are also treating their own patients, and no more than five (5) Emergency Class registrants per day if they are not treating their own patients.
      7. Follow up directly with every patient who is treated by the Emergency Class registrant to confirm the care they received was professional and that they felt safe. The follow-up must occur within two business days after the patient’s first appointment and at the discretion of the Supervisor thereafter.
    2. Emergency Class registrants must:
      1. Comply with legislation, regulation, by-laws, and standards governing the practice of Massage Therapy in Ontario.
      2. Secure a Supervisor for approval by CMTO; the Emergency Class registrant may have one Supervisor per workplace.
      3. Notify CMTO if their current Supervisor is no longer able to fulfill their Supervisory responsibilities and stop practising unless/until they secure a new Supervisor approved by the College.
      4. Practice in accordance with the terms, conditions, and limitations on their certificate of registration.
      5. Prior to initiating treatment, inform patients that they are an Emergency Class registrant practising under supervision and obtain consent from every patient that they are comfortable receiving treatment from them
      6. Only practice Massage Therapy when competent to do so safely and effectively, and within the limits of their knowledge, skills, and judgment.
  1. Documentation
    1. The Emergency Class registrant and Supervisor must sign the Supervision Agreement document, and it must be approved by CMTO before the Emergency Class registrant begins practice.
  1. Accountability
    1. If an Emergency Class registrant is the subject of a complaint or investigation, CMTO will investigate the Emergency Class registrant for the practice concerns and may also investigate the Supervisor to determine if their supervision of the Emergency Class registrant was appropriate.

Approved by the Registration Committee: June 30, 2025
Revised: August 24, 2026

 

 

[1] There are several ways this requirement may be met. The Supervisor may:

  • Choose not to treat patients at the same time as the Emergency Class registrant,
  • Inform their patients of possible interruptions
  • Have a fixed schedule for the Emergency Class registrant so supervision can also be scheduled
  • Have a full-time Supervisor role

[2] To meet this requirement, the Supervisor may choose to review the Standards of Practice with the EC registrant prior to them initiating treatment, and incorporate Standards review into their ongoing monitoring of the EC registrant.

squares-asset
Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial