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Supervised Practice Information

The following provides information necessary for supervisors and supervisees as they embark upon the supervised practice period. Please also refer to the Supervised Practice Agreement, which requires review and sign-off by each supervisor and supervisee involved in the supervised practice placement.

Review of ACSLPA’s Standard of Practice 4.4 on Clinical Supervision by both supervisors and supervisees prior to commencing supervised practice is also recommended.

Supervisors and supervisees may find the online course entitled ACSLPA’s Supervised Practice Period for Internationally Educated Applicants of benefit as they embark upon participation in supervised practice.

Definitions

The supervisor is physically present within the environment or virtually present via real-time videoconferencing or audioconferencing. The supervisor is able to observe the supervisee carry out activities and can provide immediate feedback, as necessary.

The supervisor is not physically or virtually present when an activity is being carried out by the supervisee. The supervisor monitors and evaluates the supervisee’s performance of activities by reviewing audio/video recordings, written records, and/or through discussions with the supervisee, clients, family, team members, etc.

Stipulations

The following stipulations apply during the supervised practice period:

A practice permit with the stipulation that the registrant must practice under supervision will be issued for the duration of the period of supervised practice.

The period of supervised practice will allow the registrant to obtain experience in several areas that would be reflective of practice for their profession and to demonstrate that they meet the minimums in the Practice Competencies for Audiologists or Speech-Language Pathologists in Canada (see midterm and final evaluation forms).

The supervised practice period will include:

  • Direct supervision: Observations of direct client contact (i.e., diagnostics/assessment/testing and intervention/treatment/counselling).
  • Indirect supervision: Review of written records, discussion with the supervisee, clients, families, team members, etc.
  • Time spent in other profession related activities (i.e., on-site research, writing, meetings, etc.) may also count towards the total hours required.
  • The majority of hours accrued during the placement should relate to client care, whether they are direct client contact hours or client related activities, and will vary dependent on the client population served and the service delivery model utilized, etc. If you will be teaching, managing and conducting research, please reach out to ACSLPA for more information.

The amount of direct vs. indirect supervision required will be variable and dependent on:

  • client complexity,
  • site,
  • caseload,
  • registrant skills, and experience.

Supervision should be adjusted to meet individualized placement needs.

In order for the supervisor to evaluate the supervisee’s skills and abilities, it is essential that adequate direct supervision takes place during the placement. As a guide:

  • a minimum of 50% combined direct and indirect supervision during the first week of the placement would not be uncommon,
  • supervision may decrease to a low of 5-10% during progressive weeks of the placement, depending on the registrant.
  • a minimum of 25% overall supervision is suggested during evaluation weeks (mid-placement and final week of placement).

It is generally expected that the amount of supervision will decrease over the duration of the placement, however, this is at the discretion of the supervisor based on the needs of the supervisee.

Supervisors should be available by telephone or electronic means to address any questions or concerns that arise during the supervised practice period.

Name and professional designation of the person documenting information regarding the client (i.e., the supervisee) and the name and professional designation of the person taking professional responsibility for the work (i.e., the supervisor) must be documented in the client file. Formal documentation such as reports and letters to clients and to other healthcare providers may be written by the supervisee. Supervisors are expected to review all formal documentation and some contact/chart notes to the midterm evaluation point, at which time they may adjust the schedule for documentation review as they deem fit. Documentation for complex clients should continue to be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The supervisor may wish to read and review formal documentation and sign that this level of review has occurred on each report or they may choose to maintain a log of reviewed documents for accountability purposes.

In discussion with the supervisee, supervisors may require the completion of additional reading and related activities as part of the supervised practice period.

If you have any questions about Supervised Practice or need to get a Supervised Practice Agreement in place, please contact ACSLPA.

FAQs – Getting Ready for Supervised Practice-Things You Need to Know

Once you have received notification that you have fulfilled coursework and clinical practicum hours that meet ACSLPA’s registration requirements, including successful completion of an entry-to-practice exam (if applicable), you will be able to begin a job search. We recommend informing the employer/potential supervisor of your requirements for a supervised practice placement early in the recruitment process so they can determine whether this is something they are able to accommodate.

Most new registrants who are required to complete a period of supervised practice have obtained an offer of employment and the employing agency has agreed to provide a supervisor who is registered with ACSLPA and meets our supervisor requirements (see below). Typically, in these situations registrants are paid during this supervised practice period.

A registrant can also complete their supervised practice in a volunteer capacity under the supervision of an ACSLPA registered speech-language pathologist or audiologist who meets supervisor requirements.

The supervisor must always be approved by ACSLPA prior to commencement of the supervised practice period.

If you are having difficulty finding a supervisor, please contact the ACSLPA office and we can discuss the situation with you.

No, supervised practice typically needs to be completed in Alberta. The only exception to this requirement has been when a registrant has obtained employment in one of the Canadian territories, has sought registration in Alberta, and has access to an ACSLPA approved supervisor. The territories do not currently regulate the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology, and as a result some employers do request that their staff obtain registration with ACSLPA.

Generally, the purpose of the supervised practice is to ensure that new registrants have the knowledge and skills required to practice their profession, while supporting and assisting them to become successful, independent practitioners in Alberta. A key aspect of the supervised practice period is becoming familiar with the practice context in Alberta.

Yes, the supervisor must:

  • Be on the ACSLPA General Register with a valid practice permit with no conditions, unless the Registrar determines that the conditions do not make them ineligible to be a supervisor;
  • Not be subject to a direction due to incapacity under the Health Professions Act or a similar enactment in any jurisdiction, unless the Registrar determines that the person’s incapacity does not make them ineligible to be a supervisor;
  • Have not been found guilty of unprofessional conduct or have agreed that their conduct was unprofessional conduct under the Act or a similar enactment in any jurisdiction, unless:
    • At least 5 years have passed since all conditions arising from the finding are resolved to the satisfaction of the appropriate authority, or
    • The Registrar determines that the person’s conduct does not make them ineligible to be a supervisor;
  • Have a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience in their respective profession with an understanding of the Alberta practice environment (preferably with a minimum of one year of recent experience practicing in Alberta);
  • Be in good standing with ACSLPA;
  • Be available for the duration of the supervised practice period or make alternate arrangements for short term coverage in the event of a planned absence; and
  • Be approved as a supervisor by the Registrar or delegate.

We suggest that you allow at least 10 business days to set up a supervised practice agreement before you actually plan to start work.

ACSLPA staff will prepare the supervision agreement for review and signature by the supervisor(s) and supervisee.

You will need to provide us with:

  • the proposed supervisor’s name(s),
  • the proposed start date,
  • the number of hours to be worked each week,
  • the supervisor and supervisee locations,
  • the name of the employing agency,
  • a description of the type of work that will be completed (i.e., clinical, non-clinical),
  • if the supervision will be completed face-to-face, virtually (typically with both supervisor and supervisee located in Alberta) or a combination thereof.

You will not be able to start working or volunteering until:

  • your supervisor has been approved by the Registrar or their delegate;
  • you have a signed supervision agreement in place; and
  • you are registered with a conditional practice permit, which will be available in MyACSLPA. Also, your name and registration number can be verified on the ACSLPA public register once you are registered with a conditional practice permit.

Your supervisor will be asked to complete a midterm (insert hyperlink to sample midterm eva – not ready to link) and a final (insert hyperlink to sample final eval – not ready to link) evaluation that assesses your performance against the National Speech-Language Pathology Competency Profile or the National Audiology Competency Profile, dependent on your profession.

If necessary, the supervised practice period can be extended if more time is needed to assess the supervisee’s performance, or if the supervisor feels more time is needed for the supervisee to meet requirements.

While direct supervision is not required 100% of the time, should one’s supervisor not be available to answer questions or address concerns, an alternate contact needs to be available on the days when the primary supervisor cannot be reached. Indirect supervision should occur across all clients on the supervisee’s caseload.

Occasionally, a supervisor may express concerns regarding the supervisee’s competency. In some instances, they may choose to terminate the supervisory relationship, in which case the supervisee will be required to find a new supervisor, and a new supervision agreement will need to be created. In these instances, the supervisor will be asked to share the particulars of their concerns with ACSLPA.

We suggest that both the supervisee and supervisor review ACSLPA’s course Supervised Practice Period for Internationally Educated Applicants available on the ACSLPA website.  Supervisees must also complete ACSLPA’s Jurisprudence E-Course  within 30 days of obtaining their registration, and prior to their supervised practice period.

Refer to webpage Supervised Practice Information for information necessary for both supervisees and supervisors as you embark upon the supervised practice period.