Professional Predicaments

Answer:

This is particularly relevant in practice areas where clients may seek professionals with extensive experience or advanced training. For example, clinicians may want to draw attention to additional training or experience in a variety of areas, including literacy, voice, or AAC for SLPs, tinnitus, vestibular care, and auditory processing for audiologists, among other topics. However, caution is required to ensure that you abide by ACSLPA’s Standards of Practice and relevant legislation.

In Alberta, the Health Professions Act (HPA) contains definitions and rules regarding the use of a variety of professional titles. Part 7 of the HPA includes provisions that restrict the use of titles, include those of “doctor,” “pathologist,” “regulated,” “registered,” and “specialist,” among others. Section 128(11) includes that:

(11)  No regulated member shall use the term “specialist” or hold himself or herself out to be a specialist in connection with providing a health service unless the regulated member is authorized to use the term “specialist” by a Schedule to this Act or by a regulation made under section 131 or by a bylaw made under section 132 or as otherwise authorized by a council.

Regulated members of ACSLPA are not permitted to use the title of “specialist.”

Section 2 of Schedule 28 of the HPA includes the titles that may be used by SLPs and audiologists. These include “speech-language pathologist,” “speech therapist,” “speech pathologist,” “SLP,” and “R.SLP” for regulated members who are registered as SLPs, and “audiologist,” “Aud,” and “R.Aud” for regulated members who are registered as audiologists. Additional considerations regarding the use of protected titles may be found in ACSLPA’s standard of practice 2.1 Use of Title and advisory statement on Using Your Protected Professional Designation the Right Way. Regulated members with doctoral degrees should consult ACSLPA’s advisory statement on Use of the Title “Doctor” or “Dr,” When Providing a Health Service for information regarding applications for use of those restricted titles.

Having substantial training, experience, or a focused area of practice does not necessarily mean that it is appropriate for a registrant to use an additional title, such as “consultant.”

While “consultant” is not a protected title in Alberta, regulated members must consider ACSLPA’s standards of practice 2.1 Use of Title and 4.5 Advertising and Promotional Communications when representing themselves and their credentials. Care must be taken to communicate your professional identity and credentials clearly and accurately. The use of additional, unregulated designations has the potential to cause confusion or misrepresent varying levels of training or competence when presented to the public. As such, regulated members may wish to consider alternative means of conveying specific experience, which could include identifying specific trainings relevant to a practice area, or describing the amount of experience in a practice area. Examples could include:

• SLP with advanced training in literacy intervention
• Audiologist with extensive experience in tinnitus management
• Providing consultation services in auditory processing
• Focused practice in AAC

It is part of each registrant’s responsibility to understand your professional title and to use it clearly, accurately, and appropriately. Please reach out to an advisor using the Contact Us form to discuss any questions.

Regulated members are reminded that they may contact the College if they have questions or need further clarification. Please do not hesitate to reach out at any time using the Contact Us form.

If there is a conflict or discrepancy with the information or advice set out on this webpage and the information contained in a more official ACSLPA document, then the information contained in the more official ACSLPA document applies and not the information or advice set out here. For the purposes of this disclaimer, ACSLPA’s more official documents include the governing legislation (including the Health Professions Act and the Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist Profession Regulation) as well as ACSLPA’s Bylaws, policies, Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, manuals and/or any other official document approved by Council, a statutory committee or a college official. Persons interacting with ACSLPA are responsible for reviewing and familiarizing themselves with the relevant information contained in ACSLPA’s official documents.