Applicants from a Non-Approved Program
To practise as a Chiropodist in Ontario, you must hold a certificate of registration with the College of Chiropodists of Ontario (COCOO).
This section is meant to assist individuals who have graduated or are about to graduate from a non-approved program with the application process to register with the College. Anyone who has graduated from a chiropody or podiatry program outside of Ontario should contact the College at [email protected] for information about their eligibility to write the Registration Examinations, prior to applying.
To start the application process, you must complete the forms below and submit, with any applicable fee(s) and documentation, to the College office.
Steps in the Application Process
- Review the General Registration Information web page and complete the general certificate online application form.
- After completing the application, review the Applicant Checklist to upload required documents and review application status
- Certification of Three Month Clinical Experience/Internship Form. Must be forwarded to the College directly from the certifying institution or practitioner.
- Official transcript of successful completion of an approved chiropody/podiatry program. Transcripts must come directly from the educational institution to the College. A transcript must confirm that a degree/diploma has been granted.
- Official transcript of successful completion of other academic program(s). Transcripts must come directly from the educational institution to the College. A transcript must confirm that a degree/diploma has been granted.
- Official evidence of registration with a licensing body sent to the College directly from the registration/licensing body (applies only to applicants who practiced in another jurisdiction).
- Upload your complete resume / curriculum vitae to the Applicant Checklist.
- Upload a copy of your graduation diploma from the chiropody/podiatry program to the Applicant Checklist.
- Upload a copy of your birth certificate to the Applicant Checklist.
- Applicant must provide and upload proof they are a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident of Canada, or authorized under the Immigration Act (Canada) to practise the profession in Canada to the Applicant Checklist.
- Signed copy of Confidentiality Agreement
- Submit a Canadian police criminal record check. A police record check is a name-based search of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system. The College only requires a Level 1 check (criminal record check), but will accept any other check provided as long as it is no more than six months old at the time of application.
You can obtain a police record check from any local police department in Canada or online. Requests should include all your previous names and aliases. For more information about police record checks, see the RCMP’s website.
Application for Program Approval
Please complete the Program Review Application form and submit to the College along with all items above. Find more details about the documentation required from applicants for program review.
Please specifically refer to sections 3 and 4 of the Registration Regulation which addresses the initial requirements for registration. The process for approving an application for registration to the College is that the Registrar initially reviews the documentation which you provide. If there are any deficiencies, then pursuant to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, s.15 (2) the Registrar shall refer an application for registration to the Registration Committee if:
(a) the Registrar has doubts that an applicant fulfills the registration requirements;
(b) terms, conditions or limitations should be imposed on a certificate of registration and the applicant does not consent; or
(c) the Registrar proposes to refuse the application.
The Registrar will review your application once all required documentation has been received and determine whether it needs to be referred to the Registration Committee as per s.15 (2) of the Regulated Health Professions Act. We will advise you very shortly thereafter. The first step in the process is to complete the application and forward it, and all supporting documentation, to the office. We will keep you informed during each step in the process. Also, you can not work as a chiropodist or in any way hold yourself out as a chiropodist in the Province of Ontario until after you are officially registered with the College.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the College.
Evaluation Criteria Regarding Chiropody and Podiatry Educational Program Reviews
The College of Chiropodists of Ontario regulates both Chiropodists and Podiatrists. The Chiropody Act, 1991 defines the scope of practice of Chiropody as: “the assessment of the foot and the treatment and prevention of diseases, disorders or dysfunctions of the foot by therapeutic, orthotic or palliative means”.
According to the Chiropody Act, all registrants are authorized to perform the following acts:
Cutting into the subcutaneous tissues of the foot;
Administering by injection into feet, a substance designated in the regulations;
Prescribing drugs designated in the regulations.
Podiatrists are also authorized to perform the following acts:
Communicating a diagnosis identifying a disease or disorder of the foot as the cause of a person’s symptoms;
Cutting into the subcutaneous tissues of the foot and bony tissues of the forefoot.
In fulfilling its mandate, the College maintains a profile of competencies that are required for safe and effective practice by all College registrants when they are at the entry-level in the practice of the profession. This competency document is based on the legislation, regulations and by-laws which govern the profession of Chiropody/Podiatry within Ontario. The College’s 3rd generation competency profile is a foundational document that describes the essential competencies currently required of a chiropodist/podiatrist in Ontario specific to entry into the profession. These competencies historically and currently represent the foundation for The Michener Institute Chiropody Program’s curriculum and are subsequently reflected in the Program’s didactic and clinical course learning outcomes. Accordingly, by extension it is also these same competencies that serve as a basis for comparatively assessing and evaluating the equivalency in training and education of applicants to the College of Chiropodists of Ontario from other programs.
Criteria Utilized in Evaluating Equivalency
The Michener Institute’s Chiropody program is a seven semester (across three years) program that offers a curriculum in fundamental podiatric medicine, clinical practice that integrates didactic courses, hands-on practical labs, simulated clinical training, as well as treating patients under the supervision of faculty in the on-site Chiropody clinic, giving students the chance to practice and build on patient-care skills and procedural techniques, including local anesthesia and soft tissue surgery, biomechanics, wound care and radiology. Students also must complete specialized external clinical placement in order to complete the program.
The following criteria are used in comparatively assessing the cumulative didactic, practical, and clinical education and training of applicants to the College of Chiropodists of Ontario from programs other than the current Michener Institute Chiropody Program:
- Education and training from a recognized institution and program
- Comparison of didactic and clinical course descriptions and/or clinical rotations and placements
- Comparison of course hours and/or credits
- Cumulative comparison of course content and subject matter
- Cumulative comparison of course objectives and learning outcomes
- Comparison of depth or breadth of coverage of subject matter
- Comparison of assessments and evaluations
- Documented evidence of applicant success in relevant courses/training
- > 80% common content and/or content overlap cumulatively across courses and training *
* 80% or greater common content and/or content overlap is generally accepted as equivalent in the consideration of course transfer credits by most higher education institutions including universities and colleges. Where, in the opinion of the College’s program assessor, there is 80% or greater equivalency but core content is missing when compared to the Michener course or program, a course or program may not be determined to be equivalent.
Determination of Equivalency
In order to determine equivalency, all documentation submitted by an applicant pertaining to didactic, practical, and clinical education and training is objectively reviewed based on the above criteria and then compared and cross referenced to the education and training applicants receive from The Michener Chiropody Program.
Prescribe Drugs or Administer Substances by Injection into the Foot
In accordance with the General Regulation, and in order for member to prescribe drugs or administer substances by injection into the foot, the applicant must have successfully completed a course listed in Schedule 4 of the Regulation and meet any other applicable educational requirements set out in Schedule 4. This includes a course in prescribing drugs and administering drugs and other substances by injection into the foot that contains both a clinical and didactic component that is approved by Council. Further, a course in prescribing drugs and administering drugs and other substances by injection into the foot that contains both a clinical and didactic component taken at a program in podiatry in either Canada or the United States of America, which was, at the time the person took it, accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education or another accreditation body approved by the Council. Although the Registration Examination may include a pharmacology component, passing the Registration Examination does not allow a person to prescribe drugs or administer substances by injection.
Should you wish to be able to prescribe drugs or administer substances by injection into the foot, you have two options:
- You may have your materials reviewed by our external expert to determine if they are equivalent to the Michener course in prescribing drugs and administering drugs and other substances by injection into the foot. The fee for this is $625.00; or
- You may take the following courses at the Michener. They are:
Apply to the College
Non-Approved Program Application Fee – $750
Relevant Links
Please review the following important policies and regulations to your application and chiropody in Ontario prior to submitting your application.