Quality Assurance
Continuing Education
A minimum of 45 continuing education equivalents (CEEs) over a 3-year cycle is required to maintain a practising registration with NBASLPA.
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".
Continuing Education FAQs
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 NBASLPA as a practising or provisional registrant.
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.
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 NBASLPA rules.
Practising and provisional registrants must maintain a list of their education activities and corresponding CEEs. This list must be submitted to NBASLPA 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 NBASLPA registrant profile on the Alinity database system.
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 NBASLPA.
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.
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.
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.
No, CEEs cannot be carried over from one cycle to the next. Registrants must accumulate the required CEEs within each three-year cycle.
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.
Yes, registrants may appeal decisions regarding their CEEs in accordance with Part VI of the Act Incorporating the New-Brunswick Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.
Currency Hours
A minimum of 750 currency hours over the most recent 3-year period is required to maintain a practising registration with NBASLPA.
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 Association may take action including reporting the finding to the Complaints Committee.
Currency Hours FAQs
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 NBASLPA 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.
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.
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 (Key Regulatory Documents Area).
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.
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
- 35 hours per week (8-hour days minus lunch breaks) x 52 weeks = 1,820 - 140 hours vacation - 210 hours stat holidays - 70 hours sick time = 1,490 currency hours. You would also subtract travel time, if you travel as part of your work.
Part-time
- 14 hours per week (8-hour days minus lunch breaks) x 52 weeks = 416 - 40 hours sick time = 376 currency hours. You would also subtract travel time, if you travel as part of your work.
Management position - full-time
- 35 hours per week (8-hour days minus lunch breaks) - time spent not related to speech-language pathology or audiology (not under one of the categories in the guideline - ex: 20 hours) = 15 x 52 = 780 - 25 hours sick time - 175 hours vacation time - 210 hours stat holidays = 370 currency hours.
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.
Parental / Sick Leaves
If you are on parental leave, sick leave, or any other leave but have decided to retain your Practising Member 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 NBASLPA committees.
Casual/Private Practice
All Practising Members 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 NBASLPA committees.
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).
Counting year by year allows NBASLPA 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 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 #1
Member 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 Member 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.
| Member | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total must equal 750 | Proof of Currency |
| 322 | 1100 | 0 | 0 | 1100 - Good | None – unless audited |
| Member | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total must equal 750 | Proof of Currency |
| 322 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 – Deficient (sick leave 2026) | Rule 14.2.21 applies |
| Member | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | Total must equal 750 | Proof of Currency |
| 322 | 0 | 0 | 750 | 750 - Good | None – unless audited |
Scenario #2
Member 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 Member 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.
| Member | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total must equal 750 | Proof of Currency |
| 322 | 1100 | 900 | 1000 | 3000 - Good | None – unless audited |
| Member | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total must equal 750 | Proof of Currency |
| 322 | 900 | 1000 | 0 | 1900 - Good | Rule 14.2.21 applies |
| Member | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | Total must equal 750 | Proof of Currency |
| 322 | 1000 | 0 | 0 | 1000 - Good | None – unless audited |
If audited and proof is required, you will be provided with a form that you will need to have signed by your employer attesting to your hours worked in the preceding 3 years.
If you are in private practice and are audited for currency hours, you will need to provide invoices or receipts for the preceding 3 years.
Volunteer hours will be verified by a form that you will need to have signed by your supervisor or committee chair.
Yes. All regulated jurisdictions for audiology and speech-language pathology require a declaration of currency hours at registration renewal.