Authority

The Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 Subsection 53(1)(a) enables the Superintendent of Career Colleges to issue policy directives setting out standards for vocational programs or classes of vocational programs.

The Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, Subsection 53(2) establishes that policy directives issued by the Superintendent of Career Colleges are legal requirements that are binding on all career colleges and every career college must comply with and operate in accordance with the policy directive.

Effective August 10, 2010.

This is a legal document and is binding on all career colleges. Every career college shall comply with and be operated in accordance with this policy directive.

Program approval

Pursuant to subsection 23(1) of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, career colleges that offer programs to prepare students for employment in the esthetics field must have the programs approved by the Superintendent of Career Colleges.

Career colleges seeking approval for esthetics programs must comply with the directive outlined below and submit a complete program approval application to the Superintendent for consideration.

Upon receipt of program approval, the career college must include the disclaimer language below in all student contracts.

Mandatory requirements

Programs offered at career colleges designed to prepare students for employment in the field of esthetics are required to:

This policy directive applies to programs that provide comprehensive training resulting in an esthetics credential, not to programs that provide training for a single skill or specialized skill in the field of esthetics.

Learn more about similar training programs.

The Esthetician Subject Specific Standard and disclaimer below form part of this directive.

Disclaimer on controlled acts

Some jobs in the esthetics field may involve controlled acts that are regulated under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 for example, injections of botox and fillers, electrodessication, and mesotherapy.

Performance of controlled acts, under section 27(1) of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, is restricted. Only a person who is authorized under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 to perform a controlled act, such as a doctor or a registered nurse may perform a controlled act in the course of providing health care services to an individual in Ontario.

Career colleges must inform their students that esthetics training programs do not provide the necessary competence to perform controlled acts and the credential does not legally authorize students to perform a controlled act.

Career colleges must attach the disclaimer below to all student contracts for programs in the esthetics field.

Similar training programs

Programs that are related to esthetics that do not provide comprehensive training (for example, make-up artist, nail technician) are not subject to this policy directive. The career college offering the related program must ensure that all promotional materials and enrolment contracts do not suggest that the program provides training in esthetics.

Enforcement

Under subsection 24(1) of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, a career college's program approval may be revoked if the Superintendent believes that the program fails to meet the conditions of the approval. If a career college does not comply with the directive set out above, any or all of the following enforcement actions may be taken:

  • issuance of a Notice of Program Revocation
  • issuance of a Compliance or Restraining Order
  • application to a court for a Judicial Restraining Order
  • Proposal to revoke or to Not Renew Registration
  • Prosecution for offences under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005

If you need more information, contact the Career Colleges Branch.

Duty to inform

Disclaimer for college use only

Important note for registered career colleges providing comprehensive training in esthetics leading to a credential:

  • use the wording below exactly as specified
  • the career college must provide this wording to students when the contract is being reviewed and signed
  • insert the school and program name into the disclaimer
  • include a signature and date line to record the student's acknowledgement
  • keep the document in the student's file as a record of the disclosure

Disclaimer for students in esthetics programs

Under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, the following controlled acts may only be performed by authorized individuals:

  • Communicating to the individual, or his or her personal representative, a diagnosis identifying a disease or disorder as the cause of symptoms of the individual.
  • Performing a procedure on tissue below the dermis, below the surface of a mucous membrane, in or below the surface of the cornea.
  • Administering a substance by injection or inhalation.
  • Putting an instrument, hand or finger:
    • beyond the external ear canal
    • beyond the point in the nasal passages where they normally narrow
    • beyond the larynx
    • beyond the opening of the urethra
    • beyond the labia majora
    • beyond the anal verge
    • into an artificial opening into the body
  • Applying or ordering the application of a form of energy as defined in section 1 of the Ontario Regulation 107/96 - Controlled Acts (for example, electroconvulsive shock therapy).
  • Prescribing, dispensing, selling or compounding an over the counter drug as defined in the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, or supervising the part of a pharmacy where such drugs are kept.
  • Allergy challenge testing of a kind in which a positive result of the test is a significant allergic response.

An example of a controlled act in the field of esthetics would be injections of botox and fillers, electrodessication, and/or mesotherapy.

For a complete list of controlled acts and more information you are strongly encouraged to review the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and its regulations. Visit e-Laws at www.ontario.ca/laws

Only a person who is authorized to perform a controlled act, such as a doctor or a registered nurse may perform a controlled act in the course of providing health care services to an individual in Ontario. The controlled acts may also be delegated to a person by an individual who is authorized to perform the act.

It is your responsibility to be aware of these restrictions. A person who performs a controlled act without proper authorization or delegation of authority is guilty of an offence under the Act.

I [ insert student's name ] acknowledge that I have read the warning above and understand the restrictions around performing controlled acts and how it affects my scope of practice as an esthetician.

Signed: [ student signature ]

Date:

 

Contact

Contact the ministry f you have questions:

Career Colleges Branch
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
77 Wellesley Street, Box 977
Toronto, ON M7A 1N3