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Part of Health data, research and standards

Regulated health professions and regulatory colleges

Learn about the Health Professions Act (HPA) and the regulatory colleges that govern health professions and health professionals in Alberta.

Overview

Alberta regulates a number of health professions under the Health Professions Act (HPA). 

The purpose of regulating a profession under the HPA is to help protect the public from injury or harm associated with the incompetent or unethical provision of health services. The HPA was developed to regulate health professions in a way that allows for non-exclusive, overlapping scopes of practice. No single profession has exclusive ownership of a specific skill or health service, and different professions may provide the same health services.

Governance of health professions

Under the HPA, health professions are governed by regulatory bodies called health professional regulatory colleges (regulatory colleges). These regulatory colleges are legal entities that have been delegated powers and authorities for self-governance. Regulatory colleges are not post-secondary institutions.

There are 29 regulatory colleges established under the HPA. Some colleges regulate a single profession, others regulate a number of professions.

The HPA requires that regulatory colleges carry out governance and regulatory responsibilities in a way that protects and serves the public interest. Regulatory colleges do this by establishing, maintaining and enforcing professional regulations, standards of practice and codes of ethics and setting continuing competence requirements for the regulated health professionals they govern.

Regulatory colleges are also responsible for responding to complaints about their regulated health professionals, including investigating complaints and imposing disciplinary sanctions or remedial action, where appropriate.

The role of regulatory colleges is to protect the public. Registration with a regulatory college is mandatory for health professionals who meet the registration requirements and provide the professional health services of the regulated profession. Health professionals must be registered with their respective regulatory colleges in order to use the title of the regulated health profession.

Some health professions may have a professional association. Professional associations exist as separate entities from regulatory colleges, and have a different role. The role of a professional association is to promote and represent the interest of professionals. Professional associations serve and support their members through education, advocacy, professional liability insurance and member benefits. Membership with a professional association is voluntary.

Regulatory college councils

Councils are the governing bodies of the regulatory colleges. Their role is to manage and oversee their college’s regulatory activities. Councils make professional regulations and bylaws, adopt standards of practice and codes of ethics, set registration and practice permit fees, appoint college officials, and hear reviews or appeals of registration decisions, practice permit renewal decisions and hearing decisions.

Public representation

There are numerous ways to provide public input and support accountability in the governance of health professions under the HPA. One of the key provisions to support professional accountability in the public interest is through public membership on college councils.

All college councils include public members to ensure the public is represented and Albertans’ views are taken into account. Public members have full voting status as members on a college council so the public has significant input into decisions.

The HPA requires 50% public member representation on college councils, complaint review committees and hearing tribunals. This gives Albertans a strong voice and a role in professional oversight.

Learn about the responsibilities and other details of serving on a public agency board by visiting government’s Public agencies, boards and commissions website.

Standards of practice and codes of ethics

The HPA requires that a regulatory college establish, maintain and enforce a code of ethics and standards of practice. These documents, which can be found on a regulatory college’s website, set the minimum standards of professional behaviour and ethical conduct expected of all regulated members of the regulatory college to help ensure that regulated health professionals provide services in a competent, safe and ethical manner. There is typically one document for the code of ethics, and multiple documents for various standards of practice. If a regulated health professional’s conduct does not meet the expectations referenced in these documents, the regulated health professional may be subject to professional disciplinary action.

Complaints or concerns

Having a regulatory college in place means regulated health professionals can be held accountable for care they provide that could be deemed unacceptable or outside the scope of practice of the profession. Albertans can go directly to a regulatory college and file a complaint about a regulated health professional. The regulatory college may then investigate the regulated health professional in question and determine what, if any, corrective or disciplinary action is required.

The HPA sets out the processes to be followed by regulatory colleges when handling complaints and discipline. These processes include the principles of fairness, reasonableness and due process. Unprofessional conduct includes unskilled practice and professional or ethical misconduct, among other offences.

Processes for addressing all complaints may include informal communication and attempts to resolve conflicts, alternative complaint resolution processes and disciplinary hearings.

Restricted activities

Certain health services in Alberta are identified as restricted activities due to the level of risk they pose. A comprehensive list of restricted activities may be found in part 0.1 of the HPA. Most regulated health professionals are authorized to perform one or more particular restricted activities.

Restricted activities can only be provided by those who are legally authorized to do so, thereby helping to ensure that individuals performing these activities possess the necessary education, skillset and competency to provide these health services safely.

Health professions governed under the HPA receive authorization to perform the set of restricted activities set out in the section of the Health Professions Restricted Activity Regulation (HPRAR) that applies to their profession. More than one profession may perform the same restricted activity, if authorized to do so. Some regulated health professionals require supervision to perform restricted activities.

Psychosocial intervention interpretive guide

Some activities may be restricted under certain circumstances. For example, psychosocial interventions are restricted activities only when performed with an intention to treat patients with specific disorders. The Psychosocial Interventions: An Interpretive Guide to the Restricted Activity interpretive guide is intended to help with understanding when psychosocial intervention is a restricted activity and who can perform restricted psychosocial interventions.

Regulatory colleges

Regulatory colleges have the legislated role to ensure all Alberta registered health professionals provide safe, competent and ethical care. Regulatory colleges determine entry to practice qualifications for the profession, approve education programs and issue practice permits to those who meet the legislated and regulatory requirements.

For more information on registration requirements for specific professions, visit the regulatory college’s webpage for the corresponding regulatory college listed below.

Regulated health professions authorized under the HPA – regulatory colleges and regulation

Health professions to be regulated

The HPA has been amended to include Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (DMS) as a regulated profession and establish the Alberta College of Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologists (ACMDTT) as the regulatory college for DMS in addition to the Medical Radiation Technologists and Electroneurophysiology Technologists it currently regulates. Regulations are currently being developed and must be approved to enable the ACMDTT to regulate DMS effective July 6, 2026.

Contact

Connect with us about regulated health professions:
Email: [email protected]

Contact the relevant regulatory college, listed above, for information about a specific regulated profession, including information about registration processes and requirements.

For general comments or questions for the Government of Alberta, use the Contact government page.