Weeks after P.E.I. regulates podiatry, another health profession calls for similar rules

Some orthotistswho fit Islanders for foot insertsand custom braceswant the P.E.I. government to regulate their profession too.

On Oct. 1, the province brought in podiatry regulations thatrequire those providing medical foot care to have formal credentials in podiatry and to become licensed.

Vanessa LaVoie, who works as anorthotistin P.E.I. and New Brunswick, says there's a need for similar rules with her profession.

"Here, if I open up a clinic and do foot orthotics, no one will shut me down if I have no credentials," she said."[Anyone]can still do foot orthotics, or still do bracing. And this is something I believe the province should regulate."

LaVoie went through several years of post-secondary educationand on-the-jobtraining to becomeanorthotist,certifiedby the national groupOrthotics Prosthetics Canada (OPC).

She works withclients facing mobility challengesbrought on by injuries or health conditions, fittingthem for custom footinserts and braces for body parts likeankles, kneesand backs.

Why some P.E.I. orthotists want the profession regulated just like podiatry

13 days ago

Duration 2:21

New podiatry regulations in Prince Edward Island have some calling on the province to set up similar rules for people who fit Islanders for foot inserts and custom braces. CBC's Steve Bruce has more on why some orthotists say the profession should be regulated in order to protect Islanders.

LaVoie said anyone doing that work without formal trainingis putting peopleat risk.

"If you take, for example, somebody with diabetes, and you do a foot orthotic for that patientbut it's not adequate, you can create wounds for that patient," she said."If I do a back brace myself for a teenager who has scoliosis, and I'm not doing a good job with the curve... it can create problems to their back."

Orthotistsregulated only inQuebec

Quebec is the only province in Canada that regulates orthotists, and requires all of themto have formal credentials.

Orthotics Prosthetics Canada has been advocating for other provinces to join them.

"It should be regulated because this is a very sophisticated field. It demands a lot of expertise and education," said Allan Blyt, chair of OPC's advocacy committee.

"Everybody has different needs, and everybody has different presentations when they see you. So you're really designing something that it's not one-size-fits-all... You really do need to have somebody who is qualified to take everything into account, and that's what our training is for."

Province, insurers still looking for certification

But in an email to CBCNews, a P.E.I. government spokesperson said the province isn't considering regulations.

The spokesperson pointed out that orthotistsworking directly for Health P.E.I. do require national certification through OPC.

Most private and public insurers have the same requirement; they will reimburse patients for services and devices from certified orthotists only, the spokesperson said.

But LaVoiesaid that still leaves people who are paying out-of-pocket at private clinics at risk of seeing someonewho isn't qualified.

Her advice to them? Ask questions.

"I don't receive that question very often 'What is your qualification?' Those kinds of questions should be asked before an appointment," she said.

"Be well educated. And try to be careful about who touches you. That's very important."