Updated September 3, 2020
Under the amended CSHBC Bylaws coming into force June 29, 2020, the Practice Hours requirement of CSHBC’s Quality Assurance & Professional Practice (QAPP) program is launching July 1, 2020.
As outlined in the Practice Hours Requirement section (161) in the amended Bylaws, a Full registrant must, within CSHBC’s three-year cycle:
- Practice a minimum of 750 hours.
- By December 31 in the last year of the College’s three-year cycle, report all practice hours accumulated in the cycle in the Registrant Portal. Hours cannot be carried over from one cycle to the next.
Pro-rated Practice Hours requirement in current cycle
The current three-year cycle runs from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021. As the Practice Hours requirement is launching in the middle of the cycle, the QAPP Committee has approved a pro-rated Practice Hours requirement for the remainder of the cycle, outlined in the following table. Registrants are ethically responsible to ensure they attain the minimum number of practice hours required in a cycle. The requirement varies, depending on the number of professions a registrant is registered in.
| First Full Registration (pro-rated requirement for July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021) | Second Full Registration (pro-rated requirement for July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021) | Third Full Registration (pro-rated requirement for July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021) |
|---|---|---|
|
360 hours |
An additional 125 hours |
An additional 125 hours |
|
Of these, a minimum of 120 hours must be specific to this professional registration |
These hours must be specific to this second registration |
These hours must be specific to this third registration |
Practice Hours requirement in next three-year cycle
The following table outlines the Practice Hours requirement for the next three-year cycle (January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024).
| First Full Registration | Second Full Registration | Third Full Registration |
|---|---|---|
|
750 hours |
An additional 250 hours |
An additional 250 hours |
|
Of these, a minimum of 250 hours must be specific to this professional registration |
These hours must be specific to this second registration |
These hours must be specific to this third registration |
Who needs to attain the required practice hours
The practice hours requirement applies to:
- Full registrants, including those holding Certified Practice certificates.
- Non-practising registrants — those who have held non-practising registration for the full three-year cycle must complete a practice review before resuming practice.
The practice hours requirement does not apply to:
- Conditional registrants
- HIP Interns
- Temporary and Temporary (teaching) registrants
- Retired registrants
Practice Hours descriptions
Practice hours must be reported for each registration that a registrant holds. It is advisable to record practice hours information for each registration separately. There are no maximum allowable hours however there are requirements about the number of hours that must be directly related to the registration class.
For descriptions of practice hour categories, refer to the following:
- Client services provided in person or virtually. Each hour of service may be counted including time spent with clients as well as hours in related services such as documentation, report writing, or making referrals.
- Providing in person or virtual education and training to other registrants, communication health assistants (CHAs), students, and other health professionals.
- Supervising or managing registrants, CHAs, or students in the applicable profession(s). This may include hours as a QAPP Practice Review Assessor or Supervisor.
- Providing profession-specific consulting, advisory, educational, or profession-specific counselling services to clients, families, caregivers.
- Managing or administering profession-specific programs or services.
- Leading or participating in profession-specific research or academic writing.
- Leading or participating in professional activities that impact the practice of the profession (e.g. committee work).
- Performing regulatory, professional association, or policy development work (this is intended for practice or clinically related work – not clerical or administrative work).
- Teaching profession-specific courses.
- Other professional activities that impact the practice of the profession.
Practice hours cannot include hours completed under supervision, including:
- Student practicum hours
- HIP Intern practicum hours
- Hours worked as a Conditional registrant
Documenting and reporting practice hours
Registrants are responsible for maintaining a record of their practice hours and reporting them by December 31 in the last year of the College’s three-year cycle in the Registrant Portal. Please note that CSHBC is working on updating the Registrant Portal to incorporate reporting of practice hours, and changes will be made as soon as possible.
Audits
CSHBC may conduct Practice Hours audits, without notice, to ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of practice hours reported. Inaccuracies or false reporting may be reported to the Inquiry Committee.
Failure to meet the Practice Hours requirements
At the end of the cycle, CSHBC will contact registrants who are deficient in practice hours and provide two options:
- Submit a plan to correct the deficiency in practice hours within three months, or
- Practice under the general supervision of another Full registrant for a period set by the QAPP Committee.
Failure to meet acceptable remedial actions will result in a referral to the Inquiry Committee.
For more information
See the Attaining & Maintaining Practice Competence Standard of Practice (PDF).