Advisory Committee on Health Delivery and Human Resources

Consultation
In response to the Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health the ACHDHR is undertaking a consultation of national and provincial stakeholders on the issue of entry-to-practice credentials. Your assistance in the development of an effective assessment mechanism is greatly appreciated. The following questions will be fundamental in developing a useful process.

1. Describe your understanding of the current process used for the assessment of requests to change entry-to-practice credentials.

2. Describe what is working well and what is not working well with the current process for assessing changes to entry-to-practice credentials.

3. Describe what an ideal process would look like for the assessment of requests to change entry-to-practice credentials.

4. Describe the process currently used by your organization to determine that there is a need for change to an entry-to-practice credential.

5. Describe what you do to validate the need to change entry-to-practice credentials.

6. Describe how governments and other stakeholders can work more effectively throughout a request for credential change process.

Prototype questionnaire for the assessment of proposals to change entry-to-practice credentials

Following is a prototype Assessment Questionnaire that would be used to gather the necessary information to assess a request for a change to an entry-to-practice credential. This Assessment Questionnaire consists of 3 major sections. General comments about the Assessment Questionnaire can be provided in the answer box below. The answer boxes below each question can be used to provide specific feedback if desired.

Your input is appreciated.

Section One: Information Concerning the Change to Entry-To-Practice Credential

1. Who is making the request?

• Name of organization requesting the change in credential.
• Contact Information including contact person, address, telephone, fax, e-mail.

2. Describe the request in detail and how it will change the qualifications for entry-to-practice credentials.

• Name of existing credential.
• Proposed credential.

3. Describe changes in the delivery of health services, scope of practice, or competencies, which relate to this request for a change in an entry-to-practice credential?

• How health delivery (e.g. complexity, demands, resources) has changed?
• How has scope of practice changed?
• Have required competencies changed?

4. What evidence supports the need for a changed entry-to-practice credential?

• Provide detail to support the need for change to entry-to-practice credential.

5. Which stakeholders/constituency have you consulted and what was the nature of the feedback?

• What consultation has been carried out with other groups (e.g. professionals, employers, educational institutions, purchasers of service etc.) potentially affected by the proposed changes?

6. What are the implications should approval for this request be denied?

• Describe in detail who would be affected and what the effect would be.
• Are there alternatives to a change in an entry-to-practice credential to address the concerns?

Section Two: Information Concerning the Impact on the Educational Framework

1. How would this requested change impact the education system?

• What changes are necessary in the educational program?
• What is the cost of implementing changes in the educational program?
• How will current/potential students be affected?
• What effect will changes in the education program have on faculty/ teaching staff? (e.g., education/upgrading required)
• How will clinical placements/practica be affected?
• Will current practitioners need upgrading? If yes, how will this be done and what are the cost implications?

2. How would this change in entry-to-practice credential impact upon educational opportunities for Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities?

Section Three: Information Concerning the Impact on Human Resources and Employers

1. How would this change impact upon Health Human Resources?

• Impact could include: Duties of current practitioners; job assignments; worker flexibility; supervision requirements; supply of practitioners; retention/turnover rates; recruitment?
• Will this change have any effect upon the diversity of the workforce?

2. How would this change impact the ability to attract, license and integrate internationally trained health care providers into the health delivery system?

3. What is the potential impact of the proposed credential change on the delivery of health services?

• Will there be a change required in technology and capital investment?
• What will the cost/benefit analysis be when considering the capital costs, human resources and client outcome factors?
• Will there be a change in the quality of client care and patient safety?