Currency of Practice Experience

Preamble

Registrants must remain qualified, competent and fit to always practise within their scope of practice. There are several ways a registrant can maintain the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to practise safely and ethically. This policy addresses one of those ways: the currency of a registrant’s practice experience related to a defined scope of practice.

Purpose 

This policy describes the minimum requirements for currency of practice experience for persons applying for a licence to practise in Nova Scotia and for those currently licensed in Nova Scotia.

Scope  

This policy defines currency of practice for all registrants licensed in Nova Scotia and for all persons, except associate physicians and physician assistants, applying for licensure in Nova Scotia.

The currency of practice requirements for candidates applying to work as an associate physician on  a Clinical Assistant licence are described in the Clinical Assistant Licence policy¹.

The currency of practice requirements for candidates applying for a Physician Assistant licence are described in the Physician Assistant Licence: Requirements and Conditions policy².

Policy

To be considered current and to maintain currency of practice under a defined scope of practice, a registrant must have engaged in clinical practice for at least 450 hours* of the previous 3 years. 

* 450 hours is derived from a previous policy in which registrants were required to work a minimum of half-time clinical practice for at least 6 months of the previous 3 years. Half-time was calculated with the assumption that full-time practice is 1800 hours per year. Half-time would thus be 900 hours per year. A registrant working half-time for six months would work 450 hours.

1. For Registrants Undergoing an Assessment Satisfactory to the Registrar
   For registrants undergoing an assessment satisfactory to the Registrar, they must have a minimum of 450 hours of independent, unsupervised, discipline-specific practice within 5 years of the date of the College application. The College may verify practice experience through letters of employment.  
2. Unique Scopes of Practice
   The Registrar may, in some circumstances, make a determination on currency of practice and frequency of practice when a registrant’s intended scope is very narrow and poses a low risk to patient safety.
3. Currency of Practice Reporting  
   Information regarding currency of practice is gathered at initial application, during the annual renewal process and at other times as required. During annual renewal of licensure, registrants are required to self-report their currency of practice.
4. Lapses in Currency
   If the registrant reports that they may not be current, or have a practice pattern that may lead to lack of currency, the College will work with them to re-gain or maintain their currency. The College will contact the registrant for details and an internal flag may be added on the College’s database to indicate when they may not be current for clinical practice. 

Resources

1. Clinical Assistant Licence 
2. Physician Assistant Licence: Requirements and Conditions
3. Re-Entry into Practice and/or Change in Clinical Scope of Practice