Mentorship Program
The mentorship program is a requirement of registration with RCASLPNB. All initial registrants, except for Labour Mobility, are granted a Provisional registration and must practice under the RCASLPNB Mentorship Program until all prescribed conditions have been met. This structured mentorship initiative guides Provisional registrants through a period of supportive professional development, fostering their competence, adherence to regulatory standards, and facilitating their integration into the RCASLPNB regulatory framework.
Both mentors and mentees play crucial roles in the mentorship program and stand to gain significant benefits from their participation.
- A mentorship contract must be submitted by the Provisional registrant within 14 days of beginning employment;
- Mentorship is not supervised practice. The Provisional registrant (mentee) is fully accountable for their clinical work and decisions;
- The term of mentorship is a minimum of 3 months (extended if working part-time to ensure 450 patient/client care hours). If a Provisional registrant does not pass the Canadian Entry-to-Practice (CETP) exam, the Mentorship Program will be extended beyond the minimum 3 months and will continue until they pass the CETP exam.
- Mentorship is provided by an experienced Practising registrant of RCASLPNB who meets the criteria for mentors.
- Mentors must provide a total of 24 hours of guidance, which is 2 hours per full-time week of work, or 8 hours monthly.
- Direct observation by the mentor is mandatory.
- A mid-point and final assessment of the mentee’s progress must be submitted to RCASLPNB by the mentor.
You cannot begin your mentorship period or use the professional title “speech-language pathologist”, “speech therapist” or “audiologist” until you are registered with RCASLPNB.
Before you begin your mentorship, you must:
- Secure an offer of employment;
- Find a mentor; and
- Be fully registered with RCASLPNB to practice as a Provisional registrant (i.e., have a RCASLPNB registration number)
Guidelines & Agreements
Mentorship Program Guidelines - Step-by-step overview of the program process.
Agreement Form - Login to Registrant Portal - Submit through the Registrant Portal.
Tracking & Tools
Client Patient Care Tracking Form - Log patient care activities during mentorship
Clinical Reasoning Tool - Support structured decision-making.
Assessment & Goals
Mid-Point and Final Assessment Form - Form for mentor/mentee evaluation checkpoints.
Learning Goals Worksheet
- Set and monitor personal development goals.
FAQs are written with the provisional registrant (i.e., mentee) in mind; however, the information is also useful for mentors and employers of SLPs and audiologists.
| Is being a mentor too time-consuming? | We understand your concerns about time commitments. Mentorship shouldn't take up a huge amount of time. It's more of a friendly check-in to make sure everything's going well and to offer support to new clinicians. This kind of informal mentorship often happens naturally between experienced and new clinicians. While there is some time involved, it's not as intensive as supervising a student. |
| What does mentorship involve? | Mentorship typically includes a weekly chat where the mentee can talk things over with an experienced SLP/Audiologist, using a Clinical Reasoning Tool as a guide. It would also involve 2 session observations or chart reviews per week, depending on the situation, along with a midpoint and endpoint evaluation to ensure the mentee is meeting competencies. Other than that, the mentee can carry on with their regular caseload without direct oversight. |
| If I pass the Canadian Entry-to-Practice (CETP) exam, does that mean my mentorship is over? | No, passing the CETP exam does not automatically end your mentorship. The RCASLPNB Mentorship Program has specific duration requirements that must be met, regardless of when you pass the CETP exam.
If you pass the CETP exam before completing the 3-month period, you are still required to remain in the mentorship program until the minimum 3 months and 450 hours of patient/client care are fulfilled. |
| Can I start my mentorship before I write the Canadian Entry-to-Practice Examination (CETP Exam)? | Yes, you can apply to RCASLPNB, obtain your provisional registration, and begin your mentorship period before writing the CETP Exam. |
| What happens if I've started mentorship and I do not pass the Canadian Entry-to-Practice Examination (CETP Exam)? | As a mentored Provisional registrant, you are legally entitled to work as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist under the RCASLPNB Mentorship Program and have 3 consecutive attempts to pass the Canadian Entry-to-Practice (CETP) exam. If you fail to achieve a passing grade within the 3 consecutive attempts, your licence to practice speech-language pathology or audiology in New Brunswick will be revoked. |
| When do I start my mentorship? | The start date for your mentorship is your first day of employment as a SLP or audiologist, or a date shortly thereafter. You have 14 days from your employment start date to submit your mentorship contract to RCASLPNB. It is very important to note that you can only begin working as an SLP or audiologist after you have your certificate of registration to practice. Therefore, the start date of your mentorship must be a date that occurs after the date you were granted provisional registration. |
| What activities count towards client/patient care? | The 450 client/patient care hours (equivalent to approximately 3 months of full-time employment) required for your mentorship include Direct Patient/Client Care refers to professional activities on behalf of the patient/client including:
Indirect Patient/Client Care would include:
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| Can I have a remote or virtual mentorship? | Yes, the mentee and mentor do not have to be in the same physical location. The interaction required between mentor and mentee for effective mentoring can occur remotely through virtual means (telephone, video, e-mail etc.). Mentors can be external to an employing organization, assuming the employer will allow this kind of arrangement. In all cases, involvement of the employer to facilitate a remote mentorship arrangement is important. For remote or virtual mentorship, determine how you will meet the following requirements with your mentor and discuss what your plan is with your employer:
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| How do I submit my mentorship agreement form and assessment reports? | The mentorship agreement form is available on the Alinity registrant portal. Complete the form and submit it to your mentor(s) for approval; once approved, it is automatically sent to the College. Midterm and final assessments are submitted by the mentor via email (deputy@rcaslpnb.ca) or fax (1-866-455-9642). Online submission through the portal will be available soon. |
| What happens if I change jobs during my mentorship? | If you change jobs, update your employment information in the registrant portal, RCASLPNB permits your designated mentor to continue mentoring you in a new employment setting. However, this must be agreeable to both you and your mentor, as well as your new employer. If this is not feasible, you will need to find a new mentor within 14 days and submit a new mentorship contract. |