APRIL 16, 2010
HIP STUDENTS - REVISED GUIDELINES NOW AVAILABLE
Revised guidelines for Student Hearing Instrument Practitioners are now posted under "Publications". Please consult these guidelines for clarification of program requirements, timelines, and fees. FOR HIP STUDENTS – EXAM DATES Date for next written and practical exams: Written Exam: Friday, October 1st, 2010 Practical Exam: Weekend of November 20th, 2010. Students who have or will have completed their practicum hours and submitted their signed Student Declaration Form are eligible to write the exam and must notify the Registrar at least four weeks prior to the exam date with payment. Upon successfully completing the written exam, students are eligible to participate in the practical exam.
Date for next written and practical exams:
Written Exam: Friday, October 1st, 2010
Practical Exam: Weekend of November 20th, 2010.
Students who have or will have completed their practicum hours and submitted their signed Student Declaration Form are eligible to write the exam and must notify the Registrar at least four weeks prior to the exam date with payment. Upon successfully completing the written exam, students are eligible to participate in the practical exam.
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH SERVICES APRIL 1, 2010
For Immediate Release 2010HSERV0017-000349 SPEECH AND HEARING REGULATORY COLLEGE TAKES EFFECT VICTORIA – Effective today, the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of B.C. is fully responsible for registering and regulating audiology, speech-language pathology and hearing instrument-dispensing professionals under the Health Professions Act, improving accountability and transparency for British Columbians who use their services. “The College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals is the first B.C. regulatory college to encompass three distinct health professions, and one of the first in Canada,” said Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon. “Now that the regulation of these health-care providers is combined into one overarching organization, all British Columbians will have a place to turn to for help with concerns about speech- and hearing-care providers.”
One in 10 British Columbians has a speech, language or hearing problem. There are a wide variety of communication-related issues that speech- and hearing-health professionals can help with, including congenital and acquired hearing disorders, voice and fluency disorders and swallowing problems. The college was officially established on Dec. 15, 2008. It began registering members in early 2010, and as of April 1, 2010, is responsible for setting education and practice standards and for dealing with complaints about professional conduct. Prior to the establishment of the college, audiology and speech-language pathology were unregulated professions in B.C. Hearing-instrument dispensers have been regulated by the Board of Hearing Aid Dealers and Consultants under the Hearing Aid Act since 1971. In 2008, a 12-member temporary board was appointed to govern the college, made up of eight professional members and four public members. In fall 2010, the college will hold its first annual general meeting, at which time eight professional board members will be elected. The four public members will continue to serve until January 2011, at which time their appointments will be reviewed. “For the past 14 months, the college board has engaged professionals and the public in a dialogue that led to the development of bylaws, standards and a governance structure that will ensure our registrants deliver the highest-quality services to British Columbians who have communication and related challenges,” said Linda Rammage, board chair of the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals. To correspond with the start of the college’s full regulatory authority, the Board of Hearing Aid Dealers and Consultants is dissolved, and the Hearing Aid Act is repealed. The college must report annually to the Minister of Health Services, and its records are publicly accessible through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The outcome of disciplinary proceedings that result in actions against college registrants must be publicly posted by the college. College registration and complaint decisions are subject to review by the Health Professions Review Board and the courts. Over the past two years, the Province has made a number of changes to increase accountability and transparency of health professions in B.C., while ensuring that patients have expanded access and choice to health professionals. The Health Professions Act is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation governing health professionals in Canada. Currently, 24 professions are regulated by 21 colleges under this act. More information is available on the Ministry of Health Services website: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/leg/index.html. Media Contact: Bernadette Murphy Media Relations Manager Ministry of Health Services 250 952-1887 (media line) For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. IMPLEMENTATION OF CERTIFIED NON-REGISTRANT (SUPPORT PERSONNEL) INITIATIVE FEBRUARY 2010 In consultation with the Ministry of Health Services (MOHS), the College of Speech and Hearing Professionals of BC (CSHHPBC) has decided to defer implementation of the Certified Non-Registrant (Support Personnel) initiative from April 1, 2010, to a future date to be determined. The CSHPBC will continue working with the MOHS, other Colleges governed by the Health Professions Act, and stakeholders to develop a framework for regulation of individuals working in roles that support CSHHPBC registrants. In the interim, the CSHHPBC will be providing registrants with minimum standards of practice for delegation and supervision of support personnel performing restricted activities. These guidelines will be posted on our website: www.cshhpbc.org and will be in force as of April 1, 2010, until further notice. The CSHHPBC would like to refer those with a particular interest in this initiative to section 5(4) of the Speech and Hearing Health Professionals Regulation. The MOHS has advised the CSHHPBC that this provision, which after April 1, 2010, effectively continues the exemptions set out in section 18 of the Hearing Aid Act, is a temporary measure and will be repealed when Part 4.1 of the Health Professions Act is brought into force. This legislative change, which is part of a larger legislative reform initiative that the government has been in the process of implementing for the past several years, has implications for the ability of unregulated individuals to continue performing ‘restricted activities’ in relation t the provision of hearing health services. Questions about this or other impacts of the government’s legislative reform initiative should be directed to the appropriate area within your organization, e.g.: legal counsel, risk management staff, or professional practice leaders.
In the interim, the CSHHPBC will be providing registrants with minimum standards of practice for delegation and supervision of support personnel performing restricted activities. These guidelines will be posted on our website: www.cshhpbc.org and will be in force as of April 1, 2010, until further notice. The CSHHPBC would like to refer those with a particular interest in this initiative to section 5(4) of the Speech and Hearing Health Professionals Regulation. The MOHS has advised the CSHHPBC that this provision, which after April 1, 2010, effectively continues the exemptions set out in section 18 of the Hearing Aid Act, is a temporary measure and will be repealed when Part 4.1 of the Health Professions Act is brought into force. This legislative change, which is part of a larger legislative reform initiative that the government has been in the process of implementing for the past several years, has implications for the ability of unregulated individuals to continue performing ‘restricted activities’ in relation t the provision of hearing health services. Questions about this or other impacts of the government’s legislative reform initiative should be directed to the appropriate area within your organization, e.g.: legal counsel, risk management staff, or professional practice leaders.
