Classes of Registration
Classes of Registration
All Members of the CRTO are issued a “certificate of registration.” A member’s certificate may be issued in either the General, Graduate, Limited (Practical), Inactive or Emergency class. All CRTO Members are “Respiratory Therapists” regardless of the class of certificate of registration they hold.
General Certificates of Registration
A General Certificate may be issued to an individual who has met all registration requirements, including academic requirements, and has successfully completed the registration examination approved by the CRTO, or met the registration requirements under labour mobility provisions. A Member holding a General Certificate of Registration, must use the designation “RRT” when practising the profession and may use “Registered Respiratory Therapist” or “Respiratory Therapist” as their protected title.
Graduate Certificates of Registration
A Graduate Certificate may be issued to an individual who has met all registration requirements, including academic requirements, but has not yet successfully completed the registration examination approved by the CRTO. A Member holding a Graduate Certificate of Registration, must use the designation “GRT” and may use “Graduate Respiratory Therapist” as their protected title. This is a temporary class of registration.
A Graduate Certificate of Registration is automatically revoked after 18 months.
The following conditions apply to a Graduate Certificate of Registration:
The (Graduate) Member shall,
at the first reasonable opportunity, advise every employer of any terms, conditions, and limitations that apply to the Member’s Graduate Certificate of registration if their employment is in the field of Respiratory Therapy;
only perform a controlled act that is authorized to the profession if it is performed under the general supervision of a member of a College within the meaning of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 who, the Member holding the Graduate Certificate has reasonable grounds to believe, is authorized to perform the controlled act, and is competent to do so and who is available to be personally present at the site where the authorized act is performed on ten minutes notice;
not delegate a controlled act;
not perform advanced prescribed procedures below the dermis; and
not perform authorized act #5 “administering a prescribed substance by inhalation”.
A Graduate Certificate of Registration is automatically revoked after 18 months.
Table 1: Controlled Acts Authorized to Respiratory Therapists
| Authorized Acts (under the Respiratory Therapy Act) | GRT Can Perform* |
|
✓
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
X |
| Exceptions (under the Controlled Acts Regulation) | GRT can Perform* |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
*please note that general supervision is required.
NOTE:
- Graduate Respiratory Therapists (GRTs) are not permitted to independently self-initiate oxygen therapy as per authorized act #5 (“administering a prescribed substance”). However, GRTs can still administer oxygen, and other substances (e.g., bronchodilators) as per authorized act #4 (“administering a substance by injection or inhalation”) provided they have a valid order (direct or via a medical directive) from an authorized prescriber (e.g., physician).
- All Members of the CRTO are permitted under the Controlled Acts Regulation to change a tracheostomy tube, subject to any terms, conditions and limitations on their certificates of registration. However, it is the position of the CRTO that GRTs are not permitted to perform a tracheostomy tube change for a stoma that is less than 24 hours old.
- Ultrasound must be ordered by a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario or the College of Nurses of Ontario (Extended Class).
NOTE:
In addition to GRTs not being permitted to delegate controlled acts, the CRTO’s position is that GRTs should not accept delegation of any controlled act.
For example, a GRT working in a pulmonary function lab cannot accept delegation to implement the controlled act “Communicating to the individual or his or her personal representative a diagnosis…”. GRTs require general supervision for the acts authorized to RTs (listed above). It is, therefore, in the best interest of patients/clients for GRTs to first focus on developing their competency in core areas of RT practice.
Limited Certificates of Registration
Limited Certificates were issued to individuals who had not met all requirements for a General Certificate of Registration but provided sufficient evidence to a Panel of the Registration Committee of their competence in a defined area of the scope of practice of the profession. The CRTO stopped issuing Limited Certificates of Registration on February 25, 1999. If a Member holds a Limited Certificate of Registration, they must use the designation “PRT” and may use “Practical Respiratory Therapist” (PRT) as their protected title.
NOTE:
It is important that Members clearly identify themselves by their respective professional designation and/or title on their name badge and when documenting in the patient/client record.
Inactive Certificates of Registration
A Member registered with a General or Limited Certificate of Registration may apply for an Inactive Certificate of Registration provided they are not practising the profession* in the broadest sense of that phrase.
The following conditions apply to an Inactive Certificate of Registration:
The (Inactive) Member shall not,
engage in providing direct patient care;
use the protected title or designation;
supervise the practice of the profession; or
make any claim or representation to having any competence in the profession.
* for additional information on what it means to be “practising the profession”, please review the CRTO’s Am I Practising Fact Sheet.
NOTE: A GRT is not permitted to apply for an Inactive Certificate of Registration.
NOTE: An Inactive Member is not permitted to serve as a CRTO Council Member or Committee Appointee.
An Emergency Certificate may be issued when the government has requested that CRTO initiate registrations under the Emergency Class, or the CRTO Council has determined that there are emergency circumstances and that it is in the public interest to issue Emergency Certificates of Registration. If a Member holds an Emergency Certificate of Registration, they must use the designation RT(E) and may use “Respiratory Therapist (Emergency)” as their protected title.
An Emergency Certificate of Registration expires twelve (12) months after it is issued unless it is renewed or six (6) months after Council determines that emergency circumstances no longer exist.
The following conditions apply to an Emergency Certificate of Registration:
The Member shall,
at the first reasonable opportunity, advise every employer of any terms, conditions and limitations that apply to the Member’s Emergency Certificate of registration if their employment is in the field of respiratory therapy
only perform a controlled act that is authorized to the profession if it is performed under the general supervision of a Member who holds a certificate in the General Class of Registration and who is available to be present at the site on ten minutes notice; and
not delegate a controlled act*.
* It is the CRTO’s position that Members who cannot delegate a controlled act, cannot accept delegation for a controlled act.