Every individual has certain knowledge and skills obtained through their education, training and life experiences. To volunteer with the College, certain specific skills are required while others may be developed through participation in the volunteer program.

In order to be eligible to be a volunteer with the College, every person who wishes to volunteer in any role must be able to demonstrate that have the following knowledge and skills:

• Leadership: An understanding of, and ability to provide leadership, including:
  
  • The importance of dialogue and the ability to interact with others to draw out thought and information.
  • The importance of working in collaboration with management.
  • The importance of council and committee evaluation processes.
  • The importance of competency-based selection processes.
  • The importance of succession planning.

• Health Systems: An understanding of the public sector and health systems, including:
  
  • A broad commitment to the public and people of Ontario.
  • Knowledge of the public interest and can place the public’s interest above the profession’s interests.
  • Knowledge of the health care system broadly.
  • Knowledge of health regulation.

Additionally, in order to be eligible to be a volunteer with the College, every person who wishes to volunteer in any role must be able to demonstrate that they have the following knowledge and skills or that they have the ability and willingness to learn them:

• Governance: An understanding of or willingness to learn about Governance responsibilities, including:
  
  • The role of the council and committees.
  • The role of the Council Chair and management.
  • The role of individual council and committee members.
  • The legal and ethical responsibilities when holding a position of trust.
  • The importance of being independent in thought.

• Organizational Oversight: An understanding of or willingness to learn about financial and organizational oversight, including:
  
  • The concept of risk management and risk mitigation.
  • The process for managing people, including recruiting and retaining people.
  • Assessing financial information and can read, interpret and question financial statements.

• Governing Effectively: An understanding of or willingness to learn about governing effectively, including:
  
  • The meaning and importance of conflict of interest.
  • The importance of ethical decision-making.
  • How unconscious bias can negatively impact decision-making and ways to identify these biases.
  • How these issues can impact the reputation of the organization.

All individuals seeking to volunteer with the College will be assessed to determine whether they have the required knowledge and skills and whether they have the aptitude to learn the knowledge and skills through work with the College. This process also allows the College to identify unique skills that might be suit certain roles and identify ongoing educational and training needs of College volunteers. Click here for more information on the Assessment Process.

Some Committees have additional knowledge and skills that they require to be effective on the committee, those are set out here.