August 2023
Dear regulated members,
At this time of year when many Albertan’s’ minds turn to thinking about new beginnings, be that seasons or school years, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves a ACSLPA’s new Registrar and CEO, and collectively as ACSLPA’s senior leadership team. It is with excitement and enthusiasm that we move forward with our council, staff, and committee member colleagues focusing on the priorities outlined in ACSLPA’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan and towards the fulfillment of the College’s mission and vision.
As a result of changes to the Health Professions Act (HPA) implemented by the Government of Alberta over the past several years, ACSLPA’s mission, and that of other regulatory health colleges, has evolved. As a regulatory body, ACSLPA can be thought of as being in the business of administrative decision-making. Following the HPA, ACSLPA:
- makes decisions about qualifications required for registration as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist;
- decides whether individual applicants meet those qualifications and determine whether there are means by which individuals can obtain the necessary entry competencies when they fall short;
- makes decisions regarding continuing competence requirements and whether regulated members meet those requirements;
- receives, responds to, and administers processes regarding complaints submitted about regulated members; and
- sets and enforces minimum standards of practice and provides accompanying guidelines, advisory and position statements to support regulated members in meeting these standards.
As leaders, we take these responsibilities very seriously and continuously work to ensure that how we make and enforce decisions is fair, equitable, proactive, collaborative, and transparent. We rely on regulated members of the professions and public members appointed by government to participate in this decision-making, and we are increasingly seeking input from external stakeholders on issues that impact the recipients of speech-language pathology and audiology services.
As speech-language pathologists ourselves, and having had the great privilege to work closely with audiologists during our careers, we have an understanding of some of the practice environments where regulated members find themselves, including both the rewards and the challenges. We strive to ensure that the regulatory requirements set by ACSLPA are appropriate and commensurate with the level of risk to the public receiving services.
We look forward to meeting and connecting with many of you over the coming months. Please consider joining us for our virtual ACSLPA Forum in October, when we will be discussing regulatory topics with SLPs and audiologists across the province.
Sincerely,
Susan Rafaat, R.SLP Melanie Sicotte, R.SLP
Registrar CEO