We have been working for quite some time on the changes to the Continuing Competence (CC) program to fulfill the requirements outlined in the Health Professions Act. As this information affects you directly, we want to provide as much notice as possible of the upcoming changes to the program.
The main areas for update at this time are:
- Changes to the CC cycle timing
- How credits will be classified and required
- Introduction of CC audits
- The 2019 CC requirement
- A chance to provide feedback
Changes to the CC cycle timing
Beginning with the 2019 year, the Continuing Competence cycle will be only one year. Currently the cycle is two years, in which you can acquire your 120 credits; however, this does not meet the HPA requirement of an annual commitment to continuing competence.
To minimize the impact on members, the program will simply shift to require you to complete 60 credits in each CC cycle (or membership year).
How credits will be classified and required
Currently the College specifies a required competency and the rest of the credits are deemed self-directed. As of 2019, the College is introducing a third stream of learning: continuing education.
Moving forward, members will be required to fulfill the required competency as set out by the College which will count toward the minimum 30 credits required in the continuing education category. The remaining 30 credits can be self-directed or continuing education credits.
For 2019, credits will remain allocated at a 5 credits per hour.
CC Record Audits will begin in 2019
Beginning in January 2019, the College will begin conducting audits on regulated members’ Continuing Competence (CC) records. This is an enhancement on the validation process (and activities) that will now be called the CC Record Audit process.
The audits will begin by auditing the previous 2017/2018 CC cycle. Regulated members will be randomly selected and will be required to provide all your documentation for the 2017/2018 CC credits you recorded in your profile.
The College has required members to keep their CC records for five years as part of the validation process; and will continue to require members to keep these records for five years moving forward.
If you do not have adequate proof of your 2017/2018 activities, please contact the College to determine how best to proceed. Please note: you cannot change your record. Be very sure that what you’re recording in your profile is true and accurate. If there is an error on your profile, please contact continuingcompetence@collegeofparamedics.org
The Required Competence for 2019
The College is building a professional module that will be offered online through MacEwan University. This will be the requirement for the upcoming CC cycle. More details will be shared through the Pulse, direct messages and online in the New Year. There will be no way to complete this module before January 1, 2019.
Provide Your Feedback
As we continue to work on the additional elements required for a successful Continuing Competence program, we value and appreciate your feedback.
Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us here:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCprogram2018