HCA Regulation FAQs

The CLHA is the regulatory college for the practical nurse and health care aide professions.

A regulatory college exists to protect the public. We regulate the profession by setting and maintaining standards for registration, practice, and conduct for practical nurses and HCAs.

Learn more about the CLHA

Under the Health Professions Act, a college cannot negotiate wages or hourly rates for HCAs.

This is a separate process that must be managed by employers and unions. For more information on the difference between a regulator, association, and union, please see the info sheet on this topic.

The CLHA has a fee for HCA registration to cover the operational costs of regulating the profession. These fees cover the registration process, the conduct process, and providing support to registrants and employers in the areas of professional practice and policy.

The CLHA operates as a not-for-profit, and this means that the fees are set as low as possible to meet the operational requirements of regulation.

For more information see: Fee Schedule

Health Care Aides will receive information on how to be involved in Council, Committees, and will continue to participate in consultations when available.

In-Progress HCAs are those who were still completing requirements for continued enrollment on the HCA Directory.

• Certified In-Progress (Enrolled): HCAs who have completed coursework for an Alberta HCA program and are waiting to take the Alberta HCA Registration Exam. These individuals were transitioned to the CLHA Provisional Register.
• Certified In-Progress (Applicant): Students who have not completed their coursework for an Alberta HCA program. These individuals were not transitioned to a CLHA register and will need to reapply after completing their coursework.
• Substantially Equivalent In-Progress: HCAs who are currently undergoing a Substantial Equivalence Assessment. These individuals were transitioned to the CLHA Transitional Register.
• Deemed Competent In-Progress: HCAs who are currently undergoing a workplace Competency Assessment Profile (CAP) tool. These individuals were transitioned to the CLHA Transitional Register. Note that the CAP tool will no longer be available after February 2, 2026.
• Deemed Competent In-Progress (Workplace Program): HCAs who are currently in the Workplace Program. These individuals were transitioned to the CLHA Transitional Register.

On February 2, 2026, Active and Enrolled HCAs were transitioned to a regulated register with the College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta (CLHA). In-Progress HCAs were either transitioned to the Transitional or Provisional registers. HCAs on the Transitional and Provisional registers will:

• Be required to practice under supervision. See the CLHA Supervision policy for more information about supervision requirements.
• Have until next year, February 1, 2027, to meet outstanding requirements to move to the General Register. HCAs can apply for an extension due to extenuating circumstances. The CLHA will contact these HCAs about meeting requirements.
• Be allowed to use the protected “Health Care Aide” title after regulation. Only HCAs who appear on a CLHA register will be allowed to use this title after February 2, 2026.
• Need to complete renewal by applicable deadlines.

On February 2, 2026, Health Care Aide (HCA) regulation came into effect. All HCAs enrolled on the HCA Directory at that time were transitioned to the regulated register of the College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta (CLHA). This includes HCAs with a status of Certified, Substantial Equivalence and Deemed Competent as well as HCAs who are “In-Progress” on the Directory.

Upon regulation, all HCAs, no matter where they work, must be regulated and will need to apply for registration with the CLHA.

Regulation means that HCAs are held to common education and practice standards to enter the profession. HCAs  meet requirements for ongoing competence and are held accountable through the professional conduct process.

Regulation is intended to improve public safety through standardization and the delivery of safe, quality care from HCAs.

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) (Chapter 7) states that certified workers must be recognized as qualified to work by a regulatory body in another province or territory that regulates that occupation without having to go through significant additional training, work experience, examination, or assessment, unless an exception has been posted.

HCAs are not regulated in other Canadian jurisdictions at this time and therefore the CFTA does not apply.

HCAs from other provinces coming into Alberta’s regulated system will need to be assessed for substantial equivalence to ensure all the requirements for registration as are met.

A professional’s scope of practice is a combination of what’s allowed in laws and regulatory standards, what’s allowed by the specific employer, and what tasks the professional has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform. It can’t be summarized in a list or a single document.

Under the Health Professions Act (HPA), health professionals do not have exclusive scopes of practice and instead have scopes of practice that adapt to changes and needs within the healthcare system.

This means that there may be an overlap in scope of practice between many healthcare professions including Health Care Aides, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Registered Nurses.

Regulation is not expected to change the current HCA role in Alberta, as long as current duties fall within the HCA scope of practice that will be established in legislation, regulation, and standards. There are several documents available to support the decision-making process, including the guideline, Determining HCA Scope of Practice, and the HCA Practice Decision Making Tool.

Both standards of practice and a code of ethics are legal documents developed by the CLHA in consultation with Alberta Health and stakeholders.

Standards of practice for HCAs are one tool in defining the professional expectations and conduct expected from HCAs in Alberta.

A code of ethics for HCAs defines the values and ethical practice requirements of the profession.

Standards of practice, code of ethics, and employer policies should be aligned to ensure HCAs are working within their scope of practice and required expectations.

Registration involves the assessment of an applicant to determine if they meet the requirements to become a regulated member of the profession.

To register with the CLHA, applicants must submit required documents, which are then reviewed. Then a decision is made whether to issue a practice permit, defer the decision until a certain requirement is met, or to deny the application.

Yes. When a practice permit is issued, the registrant is required to renew that practice permit annually. In addition, there are some requirements for renewal that are expected to maintain a practice permit. These can include meeting the requirements of the continuing competence program, providing declarations of good character and fitness to practice, and paying renewal fees.

A continuing competence program provides a framework to ensure that registrants are continually learning to enhance their skills.

The CLHA is required to implement a continuing competence program for HCAs within 18 months of regulation, although it may be implemented sooner.

The continuing competence program will be specific to the needs of the HCA, but it will be closely aligned with the existing continuing competence program for LPNs.

HCAs are responsible for delivering safe, competent, and ethical care in accordance with the Health Professions Act (HPA). As part of being regulated, HCAs are accountable to the HPA as well as the regulations, standards of practice, and code of ethics of the HCA profession.

The complaint process ensures that professionals regulated under the HPA meet the standards of their profession. The HPA guides and provides the framework in which the CLHA manages and handles complaints.

The regulatory college manages complaints for the protection of the public. The CLHA receives complaints and conducts investigations to determine whether unprofessional conduct has occurred.

Unprofessional conduct is defined in the HPA as a lack of knowledge, skill, or judgement when providing a professional service. Unprofessional conduct is defined as conduct that is in contravention of the HPA, standards of practice, code of ethics, or other relevant legislation or conduct that may harm the integrity of the profession.

A complaint can be submitted to the CLHA when professional practice falls below the expected standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• practice or competency concerns,
• patient safety concerns,
• concerns of fitness to practice,
• breach of privacy/confidentiality,
• theft/fraud/deceit,
• co-worker harassment/bullying, and
• sexual abuse/sexual misconduct.

Anyone can submit a complaint to the CLHA concerning a regulated professional’s practice, conduct, incapacity, or behaviour.

Employers have a legal responsibility to report an HCA if the HCA is suspended, terminated, or resigns during an employer investigation.

HCAs are required to report any unprofessional conduct by another regulated healthcare provider, including another HCA. HCAs are also required to self-report to the CLHA if they are incapacitated and unable to meet the standards of their profession.

For a complaint to be accepted, it must be in writing, dated, and signed. Anonymous complaints are not accepted.

After a complaint is received, the CLHA’s conduct department will open a complaint file. The person making the complaint (the complainant), the investigated HCA, and the HCA’s employer (if the employer is not the complainant) will be contacted to review the complaint and the process.

Every complaint received by the CLHA is investigated. During the investigation process, relevant information and documents will be gathered. The complainant, the investigated HCA, and any relevant witnesses will be interviewed.

The HCA, as a regulated member under the HPA, is obligated to fully participate in the investigation.

A regulated professional can continue to work during the disciplinary process unless otherwise directed.

When reviewing a complaint, it may be determined that the conduct places the public at a significant risk of harm. The Complaints Director may recommend that a practice permit be suspended or put conditions on the permit if the alleged conduct poses significant risk.

Once the investigation is complete, a written investigation report is submitted to the Complaints Director for review. The Complaints Director will determine whether the matter constitutes unprofessional conduct.

Every complaint received is resolved following the guidelines outlined in the HPA. There are several ways to resolve a complaint, including, but not limited to:

• Refer to a disciplinary hearing: A disciplinary hearing is a formal, legal process used to resolve complaints.
• Resolve the complaint by consent resolution: This resolution involves an agreement between all parties involved: the Complaints Director, the complainant, and the Investigated Member. In consent resolution, the member acknowledges the conduct is unprofessional and agrees to the remedial activities to resolve.
• Dismiss the complaint: A complaint may be dismissed if it is trivial, vexatious, or if there is insufficient evidence of unprofessional conduct.