Module 1: Summary

• As regulated professions in Alberta, SLPs and Audiologists are accountable to the public and the Minister of Health.
• ACSLPA is the regulatory body for SLPs and Audiologists in Alberta.
• ACSLPA is not a professional association. ACSLPA’s role is to protect and serve the public, not the interests of the members.
• The role of a college, like ACSLPA, is outlined in the HPA and includes duties such as:
  • ensuring that only qualified applicants are registered and issued a permit to practice;
  • maintaining a General Register;
  • establishing, maintaining, and enforcing Standards of Practice and a Code of Ethics; and
  • investigating complaints.

The HPA:

• Is the governing legislation for all health professions in Alberta.
• Lays out consistent rules by which all health professions must provide competent and safe professional services to the public.
• Addresses restricted activities, college governance, registration and renewal, continuing competence, complaints, and more.
• HPA Part 10 contains profession specific schedules for each college, stipulating:
  • the protected titles that can be used by regulated members; and
  • the professions’ practice statements, which describe the services provided by regulated members.

• Only SLPs and Audiologists who have met the requirements for registration, have the competence to provide professional services, and hold a valid practice permit are entitled to use the protected titles of their profession.
• The following protected titles and designations may only be used by regulated members of ACSLPA: speech-language pathologist, speech therapist, speech pathologist, SLP, R.SLP, audiologist, Aud, R.Aud.
• Protected titles can only be used in the province(s) in which a professional is registered; they are not portable between provinces and countries.
• Membership with a provincial, national, or international association does not grant the right to use professional titles.

• SLPs and audiologists may not provide professional services or use the protected titles of the profession unless they are registered with ACSLPA and hold a valid practice permit.
• A practice permit is required regardless of whether a practitioner is engaging in paid or unpaid work, providing clinical or non-clinical services, or whether they are working full-time, part-time, or casual.
• A regulated member’s practice permit must be on display in their workplace or be made available for inspection upon request.
• Regardless of when a practice permit is issued during the registration year (January 1 to December 31), it expires every year on December 31.
• Regulated members wishing to renew their practice permit must submit a complete application for registration and practice permit renewal, including fees and a completed Continuing Competence Program, every year, before the deadline dates specified in the Bylaws.
• Late practice permit renewal submissions cannot be ignored, and extensions cannot be granted.
• Failure to renew will result in practice permit suspension, which means that the regulated member may not work or volunteer in their profession in the new registration year.
• Regulated members are required by law to notify their employer if conditions on their practice permit change (e.g., that their permit is suspended).

• Under the HPA, ACSLPA is accountable for how it exercises its responsibilities.
• The HPA outlines a number of functions that the College must fulfill, including:
  • governing its regulated members in a manner that protects and serves public interest; and
  • providing direction to, and regulating, the practice of the profession by its regulated members.
• The College has a duty and power to protect and serve the public.
• The College is prohibited from involvement in activities related to professional fees, including fee setting or providing guidelines for professional fees.
• ACSLPA’s regulated members also have responsibilities and obligations to conduct themselves in a professional manner under the HPA, including:
  • Demonstrating appropriate knowledge, skill, attitudes, and judgment in the provision of professional services.
  • Practicing in compliance with the Health Professions Act, Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Profession Regulation, Code of Ethics, and Standards of Practice.