Practice hours are a Quality Assurance & Professional Practice (QAPP) Program measure to ensure recency of practice.

All RAUDs, RHIPs, and RSLPs are responsible for attaining the minimum number of practice hours required in CSHBC’s three-year cycle for practice hours: 750 hours over three years for their primary registration and 250 additional hours for each subsequent registration that the registrant holds. The required 250 hours must be directly related to the profession of the additional registration(s).

RAUDs, RHIPs, and RSLPs who were registered as of January 1, 2022, must report 750 practice hours for their primary registration by December 31, 2024. For those registered at any time during the current cycle, your registration approval package will indicate the prorated number of practice hours that you must report by the December 31, 2024 deadline.

Effective January 1, 2023, registrants with two or more registrations will be required to complete and report additional practice hours by December 31, 2024. Registrants will be able to report additional practice hours for two or more registrations as of January 6, 2023.

Renewal of Certified Practice (CP) certificates is contingent on reporting a minimum number of practice hours for each certificate, determined by the QAPP Committee and specific to the area of practice pertaining to that certificate. Registrants must ensure that they attribute the practice hours to the correct CP Certificate.

See Attaining & Maintaining Practice Competence (PDF) and CSHBC Bylaws: Practice Hours Requirement for more information.

The three-year reporting cycles for practice hours and continuing competency credits (CCCs) are aligned. The current cycles for both requirements run from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024.

The required number of practice hours is indicated in your Registrant Portal account. You must report enough practice hours to reduce your balance in the Portal to zero. There is no requirement to report more than the number of hours indicated in the portal. Registrants must ensure that all hours reported reflect true practice hours in their profession(s). For more information, see Acceptable Practice Hours below.

Who needs to attain the required practice hours

The practice hours requirement applies to:

• Full registrants, including those holding CP certificates
• Non-practising registrants — those wishing to convert back to Full registration status will need to demonstrate they have completed and reported the number of practice hours required of Full registrants for the same period. Registrants cannot lawfully practice under the Non-practising registration classification — practice hours must be acquired during a period of Full registration within a three-year cycle
• Conditional registrants – while registrants are not required to report practice hours while holding Conditional registration status, practice hours accumulated while Conditional may be applied to the minimum 750 practice hours if those practice hours were accumulated as a Conditional registrant within the same three-year cycle the registrant became a Full registrant.

The practice hours requirement does not apply to Temporary registrants.

Acceptable practice hours 

Registrants must only report hours that directly relate to the practice of their profession(s). 

Acceptable practice hour categories are as follows:

1. 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
2. Providing in-person or virtual education and training to other registrants, communication health assistants (CHAs), students, and other health professionals
3. Supervising or managing registrants, CHAs, or students in the applicable profession(s). This may include hours as a QAPP Practice Review assessor or supervisor
4. Providing profession-specific consulting, advisory, educational, or profession-specific counselling services to clients, families, and caregivers
5. Managing or administering profession-specific programs or services
6. Leading or participating in profession-specific research or academic writing
7. Leading or participating in professional activities that impact the practice of the profession (e.g., committee work)
8. Performing regulatory, professional association, or policy development work (this is intended for practice or clinically related work – not clerical or administrative work)
9. Teaching profession-specific courses
10. Other professional activities that impact the practice of the profession.

Documenting and reporting practice hours 

All RAUDs, RHIPs, and RSLPs holding Full registration status must report practice hours in the CSHBC Registrant Portal on or before the December 31, 2024 deadline.

Non-practising registrants applying to convert back to Full registration status are required to have their employer(s) confirm their practice hours by providing a Record of Employment or a completed Confirmation of Practice Hours form (PDF). Registrants cannot lawfully practice under the Non-practising registration classification – practice hours can be acquired during a period of Full or Conditional registration within a three-year cycle.

Registrants are responsible for accurately reporting their practice hours and are required to keep proof of their practice hours for one-year post completion of the three-year cycle. Proof of hours may take a variety of forms including, but not limited to:

• record of employment
• business records
• billing information; or
• a log of practice activities

Registrants may be required to participate in a random audit of their practice hours. Audits may be conducted without notice to ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of their reported practice hours. Where there is a finding of deficient practice hours, CSHBC may take action, including reporting the finding to the Inquiry Committee. Findings of false reporting are subject to disciplinary action.

Practice hours deficiency

Important: Registrants who are unlikely to meet the QAPP Program practice hours requirement are strongly encouraged to contact the College well in advance of the December 31, 2024 reporting deadline.

Registrants with deficient practice hours  at the end of a reporting cycle must submit a completed Practice Hours Deficiency Plan form (PDF) no later than February 15, 2025. Any deficiency plans received after this date will be subject to a deficiency plan fee of $200.

Registrants who are unable to meet the practice hours requirement must provide information about why there is a deficiency and how it will be corrected in a deficiency plan. Each plan will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. See the Attaining & Maintaining Practice Competence standard of practice (PDF) for more information about deficiency plans.