Currency Hour Requirements – Renewal
To either register or renew your registration, as per the Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Profession Regulation you must give evidence that your professional practice is current by having:
- Graduated from an approved program not more than three years before applying, or
- Practiced as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist for at least 1250 hours in the five years immediately before applying[1], or
- Successfully completed approved, refresher[2] education courses in your profession within the previous three years.
NOTE: Individuals seeking initial registration via Labour Mobility from another regulated province in Canada where they are currently registered in good standing in a fully practicing regulated membership category are assumed to meet these requirements, and hence are not expected to demonstrate currency.
[1] Currency hours obtained while working in other provinces or jurisdictions will be considered (verification may be required).
[2]A study course that is a review of previous education.
The purpose of supervised practice is to update your knowledge base and skills, to re-establish your professional networks, and to provide you with support as you return to a more active level of practice.
In order to be considered acceptable to the Registrar, a period of supervised practice must include the following features:
1. The supervisor must:
- be on the ACSLPA General Register with a valid practice permit;
- have a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience in their respective profession with an understanding of the Alberta practice environment (preferably with a minimum of one year of recent experience practicing in Alberta);
- be of good character and reputation;
- be in good standing with ACSLPA and not be subject to any complaints or investigations at the time of the supervision; and
- be approved as a supervisor by the Registrar.
2. A supervised practice plan (refer to the sample supervised practice plans for audiology and speech-language pathology), must be developed and accepted by the Registrar, the supervisor, and the regulated member or applicant prior to the commencement of the supervised practice period.
| Process: |
|---|
| 1. You will receive a conditional practice permit with the condition that you must practice under supervision for a specified minimum number of hours. There may also be additional conditions on the practice permit (these will clearly be outlined as required). |
| 2. Your supervised practice will include both direct and indirect supervision – refer to sample supervised practice plans for audiology and speech-language pathology for further information. |
| 3. Your supervisor will review written reports, charting, etc. during the supervised practice time. |
| 4. Your supervisor may ask you to complete additional requirements for directed readings and related activities. |
| 5. This period of supervised practice will allow you to gain experience in a number of areas that would be reflective of clinical practice. |
3. The completed supervised practice plan and any other information requested by the Registrar must be submitted upon completion of the supervised practice, and the Registrar must be satisfied that you have demonstrated your competence to practice as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist. Once this occurs, we will remove the condition for supervised practice, and you will be issued a new practice permit for what remains of the registration/calendar year.
NOTE:
- The Registrar, when issuing a registration and practice permit to allow a regulated member to gain the required experience, shall apply the following conditions:
- the regulated member must practice only under the supervision of another regulated member,
- the regulated member must complete their supervised practice within a time limit set by the Registrar, and
- other conditions set by the Registrar if appropriate in the circumstances.
Regulated members who have not practiced at all within the 5-year period prior to their renewal or application will be expected to complete a 450-hour supervised practice re-entry requirement (roughly the equivalent of three months of full-time work) and will also be expected to successfully complete an entry to practice exam, as prescribed by the Registrar.
NOTE: The duration of supervised practice may be extended if the Registrar has ongoing concerns regarding competence to practice.
If, as a regulated member, you have completed some practice within the past 5 years (i.e., >50 but <1250-hour requirement), you will be required to complete a supervised practice period based on the extent of your hours deficiency, as reported over the past five registration renewals. The number of hours will be determined using the following formula:
*where 450 hours refers to the length of supervised practice period that is typically required of regulated members or applicants who have not accrued any practice hours over the preceding five-year period (the typical “maximum” supervised practice period).
NOTE: The duration of supervised practice may be extended if there is ongoing concern regarding competence to practice.
Regulated members who are ≤ 50 hours short of the 1250-hour threshold will be given the option of either:
- completing a supervised practice period of a minimum of 18 hours duration, or
- obtaining an attestation of competence, in a form prescribed by the Registrar, from their employer or from a colleague who is also an ACSLPA regulated member of the same profession.
NOTE: The duration of supervised practice may be extended if the Registrar has ongoing concerns regarding competence to practice.
If you successfully complete the supervised practice period and demonstrate competence to the satisfaction of the Registrar, but continue to fall below the minimum currency threshold of 1250 hours over a five-year period at the time of your next registration renewal, you will be required to:
- Participate in an audit of your CCP submission, and in the interview component of the Practice Assessment phase of the CCP (this is coming into effect in 2023).
- Dependent on the outcome of the interview, you will either exit the assessment phase at this point or you will proceed through the assessment phase components as required. Please refer to the Continuing Competence Program Manual for details.
- This process may be repeated up to a maximum of two renewals prior to requiring another period of supervised practice, the length of which will be determined as per number 3 in Supervised Practice for Re-Entry to Practice above.
NOTE: The Registrar may refer any matter requiring a decision by the Registrar to the Registration Committee or Continuing Competence Committee for advice prior to making a final decision.