October 2024
Dear registrants,
“The Only Constant in Life Is Change.”- Heraclitus
For me, this statement attributed to Heraclitus is well illustrated by the technological, healthcare system and legislative changes that the Alberta public, and ACSLPA’s registrants and staff have adapted to over the past several years. Most recently at ACSLPA, Council President, Nicole Baumback, announced that the College’s leadership will be evolving this fall. During this season of thanksgiving, I am grateful that ACSLPA will continue to benefit from the experience, knowledge, and wisdom of Susan Rafaat in the role of Deputy Registrar. I am also grateful for the opportunity to continue to advance the work of ACSLPA and fulfill the College’s mandate in my new role as Registrar/CEO.
Change was a motivator for the College’s Registrant Survey this spring. Registrants’ input is needed to help guide the College as it considers how to prevent harm in a quickly changing world that includes increased virtual care, artificial intelligence, and a better understanding of how discrimination negatively impacts health outcomes for equity seeking groups. I greatly appreciate the 297 registrants who responded and provided information about their perceptions of the College’s effectiveness, their experiences with ACSLPA’s regulatory programs, and the current issues being encountered by the public accessing their services and the challenges to them receiving safe, competent, and ethical care. Your responses allowed Pivotal Research to provide Council and staff with representative data to inform College decision-making.
Staff and Council reviewed the results and have undertaken the following activities over the past six months in response to your feedback:
- Staff and the College’s Competence Committee have simplified the Continuing Competence Program (CCP) forms that regulated members will complete this fall when they renew.
- Council approved a preauthorized debit plan that regulated members will have the option to sign up for when they renew this fall. If you choose to sign up, you will pay your 2026 registration and practice permit fees monthly between January and October 2025, and you will not need to pay in November and December 2025 during the holiday season.
- The College updated our Insights article information about fees to assist the public and registrants with understanding ACSLPA’s fees and why they change.
- In order to help registrants learn more about the effectiveness of our complaints processes, ACSLPA continues to publish information about disciplinary agreements, decisions and processes on ACSLPA’s website, and include expanded reporting in the Complaints and Discipline section of the College’s Annual Report.
You can learn more about the results of the survey here.
As always, I invite you to continue to engage with your College. Registrant engagement helps ACSLPA improve our regulatory services. Please know that your feedback matters greatly to myself, College staff, and ACSLPA Council and is vital in these times of rapid change.
Warm regards,
Melanie
Melanie Sicotte, R.SLP
Registrar/CEO