APGNS Continuing Professional Development

&Competency Assurance Program

(CPD)

David C. Carter, P.Geo, FGC.November 13, 2013

OverviewEssential for a professional geoscientist to engage in lifelong learning;

Mandatory CPD has been adopted in many Canadian professions, including geoscience & engineering;

The Geoscience Profession Act requires members to comply with the Code of Ethics and the Code requires that a professional must practice within their area or scope of competence;

The CPD Program is a vehicle to demonstrate and document professional qualifications and competence;

The APGNS CPD Program is compliant with other Canadian regulatory jurisdictions.

CPD Program RequirementsEach member is required to:

- maintain a record of their CPD activities, and

- report annually.

Each member will receive a CPD report form along with the annual invoice for payment of professional fees (mid-November);

The CPD report must be completed and returned with the member’s renewal payment (Dec 31st).

The DetailsAll members will be expected to accumulate at least 240 CPD hours over 3 years; that is a minimum of 60 CPD hours per year; note that excess hours may be carried over to the next year;

Note that professional practice or work is considered a CPD activity; volunteer participation undertaken in support of the Association (mentorship, participation on Council, Boards, Committees, etc.) is a CPD activity; volunteer participation in the community, particularly where leadership or management is the focus, is also considered an acceptable CPD activity.

StatusThis revision of the APGNS CPD Program has been approved

by Council for introduction in the fall of 2013;

The CPD Program will be posted on the website, discussed in

the GeoGazette, and circulated to the members for discussion

and comments and suggestions;

It is expected that the final CPD Program will be phased in

over several years; CPD report forms will be accepted at any

time; and it may be considered compulsory as early as 2014

or 2015;

The Association, with the Professional Development

Committee, will be identifying opportunities for CPD activities;

It must be noted that members who do not comply with the

CPD Program requirements may be subject to disciplinary

action.

Why CPD?Geoscience is a self-regulating profession; that means that the professional Association is responsible for protection of the public through regulation and registration;

Geoscience is regulated along with engineering in 6 provinces and 2 territorial jurisdictions; there is geoscience-only legislation in Ont, Que & NS; there is no geoscience legislation in PEI or Yukon;

Self-regulating also means that the Association is responsible for setting professional standards of practice and for determining the competence of the members;

Each Association dictates the requirements for Continuing Professional Development of their members and the APGNS CPD Program is consistent with the other CA’s.

CPD Activities (draft)

1. Formal educational activity; structured courses, univ, tech society, etc,;

(1pdh/ contact hr – max 40 hrs);2. Informal educational activity; unstructured, self-directed, seminars, etc;

(1 pdh/2 hr – max 30 hrs);3. Presentations; conferences, meetings, workshops, field trips, etc;

(5 pdh/each hr of pres – max 20 hrs);4A. Participation; public bodies, charitable org, emphasis on leadership, etc;

(1 pdh/hr – max 20hrs);4B. Participation on behalf of the Association; mentoring, Council, Boards, Committees, etc; (1 pdh/hr – max 30 hrs);5. Contributions to knowledge; work on codes, guidelines or standards of practice; (variable based on activity – max 30 hrs);6. Professional Practice; professional practice within the designated stream of expertise & competence; (1 pdh/20 hr of work – max 50 hrs).

Responsibility of the AssociationEnsure the protection of the public through the establishment of ethical standards and professional guidelines and the determination of competent professional geoscience practiceSet admission standards Canadian citizen or entitled to work; members are resident

in NS Academic training based on the CGSB GKE Geoscience work experience, cumulative & progressive Professional references and good character Language proficiency

Register / License members, including corporate practiceInvestigate complaints and discipline or sanction licensed members, based on unprofessional or unethical or incompetent practiceEnforce compliance with legislation; i.e. identify and address illegal (unregistered) practice

Professional Mobility in Canada

To legally practice geoscience in Nova Scotia (or elsewhere in Canada), the individual MUST be registered or licensed in Nova Scotia;

Professional mobility, or transferability, is established under the federal Agreement on Internal Trade, Chapter 7 (AIT);

However, the Association(s) is exempt from accepting professional mobility in the case where there are questions of good character or that involve incompetent practice; so mobility may be a function of the individuals ability to demonstrate CPD with the home Association;

The APGNS CPD Program is intended to function as the basic requirement for determining and documenting competency.

Professional Geoscientists and the Canadian Regulators

Questions? Comments?

By: David C. Carter, P.Geo, FGC.Executive Director & RegistrarGeoscientists Nova Scotia (APGNS)www.geoscientistsns.caregistrar@geoscientistsns.ca