Balance

This is a reminder to all registrants that the advertising and marketing of services and/or products must be compliant with section 92 of the College Bylaws. Any false or misleading claims regarding products or therapies to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19 is illegal and will be forwarded to the inquiry committee for investigation.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has not approved any products or therapies to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19 therefore any advertising and marketing that goes beyond information made available by the public health authorities will be taken very seriously. This includes advertising treatment and/or products that implicate prevention of COVID-19 infection by way of boosting the immune system.

If you are aware of any false or misleading claims being advertised by a registrant of the College, please contact us at [email protected].

We strongly encourage registrants to continue to keep informed of the evolving situation, the College’s bylaws, Code of Ethics and Standard of Practice by using the resources included in the “Communication to Registrants Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) – March 10, 2020”.

The legislation and bylaws, along with standards of practice and professional code of ethics, are in place to ensure public protection in the provision of safe, ethical and effective care. Reserved titles prescribed under section 12 of the Act are for the exclusive use of registrants and are a central and critical public protection measure. Therefore, the public is not being served when registrant titles are used in a way that is confusing and/or misleading.

The following are reserved titles protected by law in British Columbia (“BC”):

• “Acupuncturist” (R.Ac)

• “Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner” (R.TCM.P)

• “Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalist” (R.TCM.H)

• “Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine” and “Doctor” (Dr./Dr. TCM/D.TCM)

Only CTCMA registrants can legally use these titles or the abbreviations in BC. They are exclusive to registrants who have been granted the title by CTCMA, therefore anyone who is not a CTCMA registrant is prohibited from using these titles. It is also the registrant’s responsibility to ensure the correct use of title to describe themselves or their work on any advertisements. This responsibility extends to all social media and websites – even those not owned by the registrant.

Several training programs have presented graduates with a “Diploma of TCM” (DTCM) or “Doctor of TCM Diploma” (D.TCM Dip). The use of credentials such as “DTCM” after a registrant’s name may be misleading to the public and/or result in confusion, with members of the public requesting clarification from CTCMA on whether the registrant is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is the responsibility of the practitioner to ensure the use of title relates to registration to practice and distinguishes that application from any educational credentials when used in clinical practice so that there is no misunderstanding.

In the case of foreign graduates who have been registered to practice or credentialed as a doctor in another jurisdiction but are not registered as a doctor by CTCMA or another college in BC, the use of “Doctor” or “Dr.” is not permitted in clinical practice within BC if you are not registered to practice as such in the province.

The College’s duty requires that disciplinary action be taken in the event that a registrant violates these laws. As professionals delivering health care expected in this province, registrants are required to act ethically and to advance the profession’s assurance of public protection.

While these associations were likely formed for valid reasons such as varied clinical interest or practice philosophy, it is felt by some that a single association speaking with one voice would be a powerful tool when speaking on behalf of the profession in the TCM community.

The College appreciates the situation, understands that such a unified association could indeed serve the profession and its members well and acknowledges the important work that the current associations do. The College is, however, mandated to work in the public interest and not specifically in the interests of the profession. It cannot therefore speak for the profession on this matter.

We look forward to a single association initiative on the part of registrants and would welcome the opportunity to work with such a unified organization.