You can apply to be a Non-practicing Registrant if:
- You are a registrant on the General Register; AND
- You are current with all fees; AND
- You are not under investigation or awaiting hearing or a decision in relation to a complaint or other disciplinary conduct; AND
- You are not subject to any restrictions or conditions on your practice permit.
Please note that currency-in-practice requirements must continue to be met once a non-practicing registrant returns to the general register.
Regulated members who have changed to non-practicing status must complete any outstanding CCP requirements for the year they were last registered and all mandatory College-directed activities during the non-practicing period before they return to General register.
Applicants that wish to take a break from their practice for under 2 years:
- Must submit a Non-practicing Application.
Non-practicing Registrant FAQS:
Under what circumstances should I submit a non-practicing application?
There may be times in your career that you choose to take a break from your practice. This could include a parental leave, travel, or illness. The College provides the opportunity to apply become a non-practicing member for a period of no more than two years.
What is considered a non-practicing year?
If you change you apply to change your status to non-practicing at any point during the registration year, the entire year is considered your first non-practicing year and you can only remain non-practicing for one more registration year. Changing your status during the renewal period (February 1-March 31) will allow you to stay on the non-practicing register for a full two years.
What is the effect on renewal fees if I am a non-practicing registrant?
Applying to be on the non-practicing register greatly reduces your yearly renewal fee (see the fee schedule linked above).
Application Information
All applications must be submitted on our Member Portal. Support for signing up for the member portal as well as how to fill out the application forms can be found on our Member Portal Support page.
Fees for each application type can be found in the College of Acupuncturists of Alberta Fee Schedule (under Operations Policies).
A list of application requirements can be found at the bottom of this page.
Application types may require the following forms or training (according to application requirements as below):
What to Expect During the Submission Process
Once an application has been submitted, the College will review it for completeness.
If the College finds that the application is incomplete or requires further information to reach a decision, the College will contact the applicant to advise them of any further requirements.
If an application is not completed within 3 months of the initial submission, it will be closed and a new application will be required.
Once the College receives a complete application for registration and applicable documents, the College will reach a decision within 20 days.
Once a decision is reached, the College will notify the applicant.
If an application is approved, the College requires that the applicant pay the pro-rated registration fee. At that point, a practice permit will be issued.
For further information, our Registration Policy and Procedure can be found in the Regulatory Policies section on our website.
A new Alberta Graduate:
You can apply to be a Provisional Registrant if:
Applicants that wish to apply for a Provisional Registration:
Provisional Registrant FAQs:
A Provisional Registration is valid for one year. This means you have one year to complete your exams (unless extended by the Registrar) and become a member of the General Register.
A Provisional Registrant is able to practice acupuncture, but must do so with a supervisor.
You are responsible for finding a supervisor and must have a supervisor at all times while you are a Provisional Registrant.
Provisional Applicants applying to be General Applicants:
You can apply to be a Non-practicing Registrant if:
Please note that currency-in-practice requirements must continue to be met once a non-practicing registrant returns to the general register.
Regulated members who have changed to non-practicing status must complete any outstanding CCP requirements for the year they were last registered and all mandatory College-directed activities during the non-practicing period before they return to General register.
Applicants that wish to take a break from their practice for under 2 years:
Non-practicing Registrant FAQS:
Under what circumstances should I submit a non-practicing application?
There may be times in your career that you choose to take a break from your practice. This could include a parental leave, travel, or illness. The College provides the opportunity to apply become a non-practicing member for a period of no more than two years.
What is considered a non-practicing year?
If you change you apply to change your status to non-practicing at any point during the registration year, the entire year is considered your first non-practicing year and you can only remain non-practicing for one more registration year. Changing your status during the renewal period (February 1-March 31) will allow you to stay on the non-practicing register for a full two years.
What is the effect on renewal fees if I am a non-practicing registrant?
Applying to be on the non-practicing register greatly reduces your yearly renewal fee (see the fee schedule linked above).
Applicants that have been on the Non-practicing Register for a period of less than two years that wish to return to the General Register:
Regulated members who have changed to non-practicing status must complete any outstanding CCP requirements for the year they were last registered and all mandatory College-directed activities during the non-practicing period before they return to General register.
Resources
Applicants that have had their practice permit cancelled:
Requirements to reinstate a licence
– Complete all mandatory College-directed activities during the cancelled period.
– Complete all mandatory College-directed activities from previous unregistered years.
– If proof of currency in practice is provided, obtain 15 continuing competence program (CCP) credits*.
– If not current in practice, obtain 20 continuing competence program (CCP) credits* for each previous unregistered year; and successfully complete the Safety, Modalities, and Acupuncture Points Exam.
– If proof of currency in practice is provided, obtain 15 continuing competence program (CCP) credits*.
– If not current in practice, obtain 20 self-selected continuing competence program (CCP) credits* for each previous unregistered year; and successfully complete all components of the Alberta Acupuncturist Registration Examinations.
– Complete all components of the Alberta Acupuncturist Registration Examinations.
*Only credits obtained from a formal program (e.g. courses, seminars, workshops, etc.) are accepted.
Canadian applicants who are not registered in another jurisdiction:
If you are a current registrant in BC, Newfoundland, Ontario, or Quebec, you can apply to be a registrant in Alberta under Alberta’s Labour Mobility Act (LMA).
Current British Columbia, Newfoundland, Ontario, and Quebec Registrants:
After being evaluated and approved by the College, the applicant:
LMA Application FAQs:
The documents the College requires to evaluate and approve an applicant are identified in the Labour Mobility Act as well as the Acupuncturists Profession Regulation. The application checklist below provides detailed information on what these requirements are. A brief summary is provided below:
Resources
Internationally educated applicants:
Education Qualification Assessment FAQs:
The assessment report ensures the education credentials are authentic and verifiable, and allows for the College to compare your credentials to the Alberta equivalent.
There are two acceptable education credential assessment services:
There are two acceptable types of assessments:
The completed assessment can be submitted in the following ways:
Once you have your assessment complete, you can set up a Member Portal account and submit an examination application.
Resources
You can apply to be a Courtesy Registrant if:
Applicants that wish to apply for the Courtesy Register:
If the member’s registration is suspended or cancelled in the other jurisdiction, the courtesy registration is immediately cancelled within Alberta.