Health science professions seek joint regulatory college

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014

Several HSA members are working with their professional associations to encourage the provincial government to regulate their professions under the Health Professions Act, and to create a joint regulatory college to oversee the practice of these health science professions. Approximately 6,000 HSA members would be regulated by this joint college.

This initiative is supported by the BC Society of Laboratory Science, the BC Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, the Cardiac Technologists Association of BC, the BC Ultrasonographers Society, and the BC Society of Respiratory Therapists. Professions represented by these associations are already regulated in many other provinces.

HSA currently represents members from 9 regulated professions. Several professions in addition to those listed above are currently seeking to become regulated professions in BC.
Regulatory colleges are self-governing professional bodies mandated by the government to protect the public and must be autonomous from other professional organizations that primarily seek to represent the interests of their members. Once a regulatory college is mandated it may require its members to be registered or licensed within the province. It assesses annual fees, and in collaboration with other health care stakeholders, establishes standards for continuing professional competency and ongoing quality assurance measures. It also conducts investigations into complaints by the public about registrants.