Quality Assurance
A minimum of 45 continuing education equivalents (CEEs) over a 3-year cycle is required to maintain a practising registration with RCASLPNB.
Rules
Refer to Rule 14 within the Rules.
Only registrants in at the end of their reporting period (cycle) are required to submit their hours by December 1.
If you are unsure of your CEE cycle, please login to the Registrant Portal and open the tab "Continuing education".
Refer to Rule 14 within the Rules.
Only registrants in at the end of their reporting period (cycle) are required to submit their hours by December 1.
If you are unsure of your CEE cycle, please login to the Registrant Portal and open the tab "Continuing education".
| What are Continuing Education Equivalents (CEEs), and why are they important? | CEEs are units of measurement earned through participation in approved educational activities that contribute to maintaining and enhancing professional skills. A minimum of 45 CEEs over a three-year period is required to maintain registration with RCASLPNB as a practising or provisional registrant. |
| How are CEEs calculated? | One hour of attendance or participation in an approved activity equals one (1) CEE, unless otherwise indicated. Some activities, like completing a university course, can count for more CEEs. Please refer to the list of eligible activities for details. |
| What activities are eligible for earning CEEs? | Eligible activities include educational activities, university/college courses, independent study, presentations, mentorship, committee participation, and more. For a full list, please refer to Appendix A of the RCASLPNB rules. |
| How do I keep track of my CEEs? | Practising and provisional registrants must maintain a list of their education activities and corresponding CEEs. This list must be submitted to RCASLPNB by December 1st at the end of your assigned three-year cycle. You can record all activities and track your CEEs throughout the year in your RCASLPNB registrant profile on the Alinity database system. |
| Are there maximums on the number of CEEs that can be earned in any category? | No, there are no maximums on the number of CEEs that can be earned for each category. You can accumulate an unlimited number of CEEs in each eligible category, as long as the activities meet the requirements outlined by RCASLPNB. |
| Do I need to submit proof of my CEEs when I submit my list? | No, proof of CEEs does not need to be submitted unless you are selected for an audit. However, you should retain proof for at least one year after the end of your three-year cycle |
| What happens if I don't complete the required 45 CEEs by the end of my three-year cycle? | If you are unable to complete the required CEEs due to exceptional circumstances, you may request an extension from the Registration and Competence Committee. The request must be made in writing before December 1st of your cycle's end year. Extensions are granted for up to three months. Please note that if your renewal is not completed by December 1st due to incomplete CEEs, you will be required to pay a $300 late fee. The Registration and Competence Committee may make a recommendation to the Registrar not to renew your registration until such time as the CEE requirement has been met and all fees are paid. |
| What are the consequences of not meeting the CEE requirements? | If you do not meet the CEE requirements by the deadline and have not requested an extension, your registration will not be renewed until the CEEs are completed. Additionally, you may be subject to late and reinstatement fees. In such cases, your employer will be notified that you are not legally entitled to practice until you meet all renewal requirements. |
| Can CEEs be carried over to the next cycle? | No, CEEs cannot be carried over from one cycle to the next. Registrants must accumulate the required CEEs within each three-year cycle. |
| How does the audit process work? | Each year, the Registration & Competence Committee audits at least 10% of registrants who have completed their three-year cycle. Selected registrants must submit proof of their 45 CEEs within 30 days of notification. Failure to provide proof may result in disallowance of CEEs and could lead to a complaint being filed against the registrant. |
| Can I appeal a decision related to CEEs? | Yes, registrants may appeal decisions regarding their CEEs in accordance with Part VI of the Act Incorporating the Regulatory College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. |
Alinity User Guides
Currency Hours
A minimum of 750 currency hours over the most recent 3-year period is required to maintain a practising registration with RCASLPNB.
Refer to Rule 14 within the Rules.
Registrants must declare their currency hours annually at registration renewal and may be subject to random audits and/or an audit at the end of a 3-year cycle (refer to guideline outlining acceptable currency hours of practice).
Registrants are responsible for accurately reporting their professional practice activity hours. Audits may be conducted without notice to ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of reported professional practice activity hours.
If there is a finding of professional practice activity hours deficiency or false reporting, the College may take action including reporting the finding to the Complaints Committee.
| What are currency hours? | Currency refers to the required active practice hours in a given period of time and is considered one indicator of an audiologist/speech-language pathologist's continued competence. Currency hours help to ensure that audiologists and speech-language pathologists working in any capacity in New Brunswick as registered members of RCASLPNB are kept current in their knowledge and/or practice of the profession. Currency hours are obtained through ongoing involvement with the profession of audiology or speech-language pathology within a direct client/patient care or related work capacity. Currency Hours can be obtained through clinical practice, and/or related work in the profession. Currency hours are a registration requirement across all regulated jurisdictions for audiology and speech-language pathology. |
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| When and how do I report currency hours? | You will submit a declaration at registration renewal every year. During renewal, select Update Profile, under Current Employment, you will be asked "Please enter the estimated total practice hours for this employer from 20xx-01-01 to 20xx-12-31." The number of hours can be 0 but cannot exceed 4000. Keep in mind that a whole number must be used. |
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| Do I need to track my hours for each of the categories listed in the Currency Hours guideline? Is there a currency hour tracking form? | No. You are not required to calculate how many hours fall under each category. It is assumed that if you are working and/or volunteering in your profession, the majority of your work hours will fall into one of the categories outlined in the guideline. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can I count CEEs as Currency Hours? | No. Hours of active practice (currency hours) generally do not include hours of continuing education. Professional activities are activities you do in your profession that require you to make judgments or decisions based, in whole or in part, on knowledge of the professional practice of audiology or speech-language pathology. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How do I calculate how many currency hours I have obtained in a year? | You will calculate your currency hours for the year with the following calculation. Hours worked per week - breaks x 52 weeks (subtract vacation time, sick time, leaves, stat holidays, and travel time within your workday) = Currency Hours. Examples: Full-time
Part-time
Management position - full-time
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| How do I report currency hours obtained in December of every year since registration renewal period ends on December 1st ? | Estimate the number of hours you will work in the month of December and include it in your calculations for the year to submit at registration renewal. In January, if there was a significant difference between your estimated hours for December and your actual hours, please notify the registrar with your amended number and the adjustment will be made. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Am I still required to obtain currency hours if I work in private practice, work casual hours, or on parental or sick leave? | Parental / Sick Leaves If you are on parental leave, sick leave, or any other leave but have decided to retain your Practising registration, you will still be required to obtain the 750 currency hours over the 3-year period. If you do not think you will be able to obtain your required hours with your leave, please contact the Registrar to discuss different ways in which you can ensure that you obtain the required hours. There are ways to obtain currency hours, which may include volunteering on RCASLPNB committees. Casual / Private Practice All Practising registrants are required to obtain the required number of currency hours. This works out to an average of 5 hours per week over the year. If you are working less than this and think you will be short on currency hours at the end of the 3-year period, please reach out. There are ways to obtain currency hours, which may include volunteering on RCASLPNB committees. The Registration and Competence Committee may make a recommendation to the Registrar not to renew your registration until such time as the CEE requirement has been met and all fees are paid. |
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| Are Currency Hours replacing the requirement for Continuing Education Equivalents (CEEs)? | No. Currency hours refer to active practice hours in your profession. Acceptable active practice hours are listed in the currency hours guideline, and do not include continuing education equivalents. You are still required to obtain 45 CEEs over your 3-year cycle (A,B,C). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Why do I need to report exact hours on a yearly basis rather than a declaration stating a minimum criterion has been met, subject to auditing? | Counting year by year allows RCASLPNB to monitor trends and contact you if warranted to let you know your hours are about to drop, and work with you to help support you in obtaining the required hours. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If I obtain all 750 required currency hours in my first year, what is the value in continuing to track my currency hours for the remainder of the second and third year other than as an administrative task? | If you obtain all 750 hours in the first year, you will still be required to declare your currency hours for the next 2 years in the 3-year period, as the second and third will be the first and second year of the next 3-year period.Scenario #1Registrant 322 reported 1800 hours in 2023 and decided since she met the minimum 3-year requirement of 750 currency hours in her first year not to declare her currency hours for 2024 and 2025. This decision will affect her next 3-year period which will include the years 2024 and 2025 in her 3-year total. If Registrant 322 goes on unforeseen sick leave in 2026, she may not have declared enough currency hours in the previous 3-year period to cover her for the current 3-year period.
Scenario #2Registrant 322 reported 1800 hours in 2023 and although she met the minimum 3-year requirement of 750 currency hours in her first year, she declared her currency hours for 2024 and 2025. This decision will positively affect their next 3-year period which will include the years 2024 and 2025 in her 3-year calculation. If Registrant 322 goes on unforeseen sick leave in 2026, she will have declared enough currency hours for that 3-year period, which included 2024 and 2025.
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| What proof will I need to provide for currency hours if I am audited? | Yes, registrants may appeal decisions regarding their CEEs in accordance with Part VI of the Act Incorporating the Regulatory College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Are Currency Hours required in other regulated jurisdictions? | Yes. All regulated jurisdictions for audiology and speech-language pathology require a declaration of currency hours at registration renewal. |