Alternative
Complaint Resolution Process
12 Process conductor
13 Agreement
14 Confidentiality
15 Leaving the
process
Reinstatement
16 Application
17 Decision
Titles
18 Use of titles
Information
19 Requested information
20 Access to
regulated members information
Transitional
Provisions, Repeals and Coming into Force
21 Transitional provisions
22 Repeal
23 Coming into force
Definitions
1 In this
Regulation,
(a) “College” means College of Hearing Aid
Practitioners of Alberta;
(b) “Complaints Director” means the complaints
director of the College;
(c) “Council” means the council of the College;
(d) “Registrar” means the registrar of the
College;
(e) “Registration Committee” means the
registration committee of the College.
Registers
Register
categories
2 The regulated
members register established by the Council under section 33(1)(a) of the Act
has the following categories:
(a) general register;
(b) temporary register;
(c) student intern register.
Registration
General
register
3(1) An applicant
for registration as a regulated member on the general register must have
obtained a diploma from a hearing aid practitioners education program of at
least 2 years’ duration that is approved by the Council and have successfully
passed a competency examination and a certification examination approved by the
Council.
(2) An applicant for
registration under subsection (1) must have completed the education program
described in that section within 3 years prior to the date that the Registrar
receives a complete application or the applicant must
(a) have provided hearing aid professional
services for at least 1500 hours in the 3 years immediately preceding the
application, or
(b) have successfully completed a refresher
education program approved by the Council within 3 years of the date the
complete application is received by the Registrar.
Student intern register
4(1) An applicant
for registration as a regulated member on the student intern register must be
enrolled as a student in a hearing aid practitioners education program of at
least 2 years’ duration that is approved by the Council and have passed a
competency examination approved by the Council.
(2) A regulated member on the student intern register must
complete the education program within 4 years from the date of registration in
the education program.
(3) On completion of the
requirements described in subsection (1), a regulated member on the student
intern register may be registered on the temporary register.
(4) The registration of a
regulated member who does not meet the requirements of subsection (2) expires 4
years after the date of registration in the education program described in
subsection (1).
(5) A regulated member
registered on the student intern register
(a) may practice only under the supervision of a
regulated member on the general register who is available for consultation
regarding patient care, and
(b) must document all services provided to a
patient and submit the documentation to the supervisor referred to in clause
(a) for review.
Temporary register
5(1) An applicant
who has fulfilled the registration requirements of section 3 except for
completion of the certification examination approved by the Council or who has
successfully completed the educational program described in section 4 may be
registered on the temporary register.
(2) A regulated member on
the temporary register must successfully pass a certification examination
approved by the Council within 2 years of the date the regulated member is
registered on the temporary register.
(3) If a regulated member
on the temporary register successfully completes a certification examination
approved by the Council, the Registrar must remove the regulated member’s name
from the temporary register and enter it on the general register of regulated
members.
(4) The registration of a
regulated member on the temporary register who does not meet the requirements
of subsection (2) expires 2 years after the date the regulated member is
registered on the temporary register.
(5) A person whose registration
on the temporary register is due to expire may apply to the Registration
Committee to extend the registration as a regulated member on the temporary
register for up to one year.
(6) A person whose
registration expires is not eligible to re‑apply for registration as a
regulated member on the temporary register.
(7) A person who is
registered on the temporary register may practice only under the supervision of
a regulated member on the general register who is available for consultation
regarding patient care.
(8) A regulated member who
provides supervision under subsection (7) must, each month, review the patient
care records respecting the services provided in the previous month by the
person registered on the temporary register.
Equivalent jurisdiction
6 An applicant for
registration as a regulated member who is currently registered in good standing
in another jurisdiction recognized by the Council as having qualifications
substantially equivalent to the registration requirements set out in section 3,
4 or 5 may be registered in the appropriate register.
Alternative qualifications
7 An applicant who
does not meet the requirements of section 3, 4, 5 or 6 but whose qualifications
have been determined by the Registration Committee to be substantially
equivalent to the competency requirements of section 3, 4 or 5 may be
registered on the appropriate register.
Additional registration requirements
8(1) In addition
to the other registration requirements in this Regulation, an applicant for
registration as a regulated member must provide evidence of having the type and
amount of liability insurance specified by the Council.
(2) All applicants for
registration as regulated members must provide evidence of having good
character and reputation by submitting any of the following on the request of
the Registrar:
(a) written references from colleagues and,
where applicable, from another jurisdiction in which the applicant is currently
registered;
(b) a statement by the applicant as to whether
the applicant is currently undergoing an unprofessional conduct process or has
previously been disciplined by another regulatory body responsible for the
regulation of hearing aid practitioners or of another profession;
(c) a statement as to whether the applicant has
ever been convicted of a criminal offence;
(d) any other evidence as requested.
Restricted
Activities
Permitted
restricted activities
9(1) The
restricted activities that a regulated member on the general register may
perform for the purposes of fitting hearing aids and cerumen management are
(a) to insert or remove instruments, devices,
fingers or hands beyond the cartilaginous portion of the ear canal, and
(b) to insert into the ear canal
(i) under pressure air, liquid or gas;
(ii) a substance that subsequently solidifies.
(2) Despite subsection (1),
a regulated member may not perform the restricted activities referred to in
subsection (1) in conjunction with providing cerumen management services unless
the regulated member is authorized by the Registrar or Registration Committee
to provide cerumen management.
(3) An authorization under
subsection (2) may only be granted in accordance with the criteria governing
cerumen management approved by the Council.
Restricted activities while supervised
10(1) Subject to
subsection (4), a regulated member on the temporary register may perform a
restricted activity described in section 9 while under the supervision of a
regulated member on the general register who is available for consultation.
(2) Subject to subsection
(4), a regulated member on the student intern register may perform a restricted
activity described in section 9 while under the supervision of a regulated
member on the general register
(a) who is available for consultation, and
(b) who reviews and approves the documentation
created by the student intern on the performance of the restricted activity.
(3) Subject to subsection
(4), a student enrolled in a hearing aid practitioner education program
approved by the Council may perform a restricted activity described in section
9 under the supervision of a regulated member on the general register who is on
site and is available for consultation and for providing assistance while the
restricted activity is performed.
(4) A regulated member who
provides supervision referred to in this section must be authorized, under
section 9, to provide cerumen management services when the regulated member
supervises a regulated member or student in the provision of a restricted
activity in conjunction with providing cerumen management.
Continuing
Competence
Practice
permit
11 A regulated
member applying for renewal of a practice permit must
(a) have been granted a diploma described in
section 3, and successfully completed the educational program described in
section 4 within the 3‑year period immediately preceding the application
for renewal, or
(b) have practised as a hearing aid practitioner
for 1500 working hours in the 3‑year period immediately preceding the
application for renewal and have completed 10 hours of continuing education
courses approved by the Council of which no more than 50% may be courses
related to a manufacturer’s products.
Alternative
Complaint Resolution Process
Process
conductor
12 When a
complainant and an investigated person have agreed to enter into an alternative
complaint resolution process, the Complaints Director must appoint an
individual to conduct the alternative complaint resolution process.
Agreement
13 The person
conducting the alternative complaint resolution process must in consultation
with the complainant and the investigated person establish the procedures for
and objectives of the alternative complaint resolution process, which must be
set out in writing and signed by the complainant, the investigated person and
the representative of the College.
Confidentiality
14 The complainant
and the investigated person must, subject to section 59 of the Act, agree to
treat all information shared during the process as confidential.
Leaving the process
15 The complainant
or the investigated person may withdraw from the alternative complaint
resolution process at any time.
Reinstatement
Application
16(1) A person
whose registration and practice permit have been cancelled under Part 4 of the
Act may apply in writing to the Registrar to have the registration and practice
permit reinstated.
(2) An application under
subsection (1) may not be made earlier than
(a) 5 years after the cancellation, or
(b) one year after an application under clause
(a) is refused.
(3) An applicant must include
in the application evidence of
(a) actions that the applicant has taken since
the cancellation, and
(b) whether the applicant meets the requirements
for registration as a regulated member.
Decision
17(1) An
application under section 16 must be reviewed by the Registration Committee in
accordance with the application for registration process set out in sections 29
and 30 of the Act.
(2) On reviewing an
application in accordance with subsection (1), the Registration Committee must
consider the record of the hearing that cancelled the applicant’s registration
and practice permit and evidence submitted of matters referred to in section
16(3).
(3) The Registration
Committee, on reviewing an application in accordance with subsection (1) may
make one or more of the following orders:
(a) an order refusing the application;
(b) an order directing the Registrar to
reinstate the person’s registration and practice permit, if the person is
eligible for registration as a regulated member in a register referred to in
section 2;
(c) an order directing the Registrar to impose
specified terms and conditions on the person’s practice permit;
(d) an order directing the person making the
application to pay any or all of the College’s expenses incurred in respect of the
application, as calculated in accordance with the bylaws.
(4) Sections 30(3) to (5)
and 32 of the Act and a review in accordance with section 31 of the Act apply to an order under
subsection (3).
Titles
Use
of titles
18 Subject to an
order made under Part 4 of the Act, a ratified settlement or an order made
under section 17(3)(c), members may use the titles set out in section 2 of
Schedule 9 to the Act as follows:
(a) a regulated member on the general register
or on the temporary register may use the title hearing aid practitioner;
(b) a regulated member on the general register
may use the title registered hearing aid practitioner;
(c) a regulated member on the student intern
register may use the title hearing aid student intern.
Information
Requested
information
19(1) A regulated
member must provide the following information on the initial application for
registration, when there are any changes to the information and on request of
the Registrar:
(a) the regulated member’s place of employment,
the employer’s address and phone number;
(b) certification examination number and the
date the certification examination was held;
(c) registration numbers if registered with any
affiliated professional organizations identified by the Council;
(d) the regulated member’s date of birth,
mailing address and home and work phone numbers.
(2) Subject to section
34(1) of the Act, the College may release the information collected under
subsection (1) only
(a) with the consent of the regulated member
whose information it is, or
(b) in a summarized or statistical form so that
it is not possible to relate the information to any particular identifiable
person.
Access to regulated members information
20 The period of
time during which the College is required to provide information under section
119(4) of the Act is 5 years.
Transitional
Provisions, Repeals, and
Coming into Force
Transitional
provisions
21 On the coming
into force of this Regulation, a registered member described in section 6(1) of
Schedule 9 to the Act is deemed to be registered on the regulated members
register in the register category that the Registrar considers appropriate.
Repeal
22 The Hearing Aid Practitioners Regulation
(AR 43/88) is repealed.
Coming into force
23 This Regulation
comes into force on the coming into force of Schedule 9 to the Health
Professions Act.
