Dental Hygienist Quality Assurance

In accordance with the Health Professions Act, all BC health professions must establish a Quality Assurance Program (QAP). 

In order to satisfy the provisions of the Health Professions Act, the College has replaced its former Continuing Competency Program (“CCP”) with a Quality Assurance Program (“QAP”). The former CCP required registrants to complete 75 continuing competency credits that were entirely self directed within a three-year cycle. Now, the QAP requires registrants to undertake an Assessment Tool to assess their foundational dental hygiene knowledge. Registrants who are unsuccessful at two attempts of the QAP Assessment Tool are paired with an Assessor who undertakes a Professional Performance Assessment of their practice.

Following the assessment phase, registrants are required to develop an individualized learning plan that includes courses or other learning activities to address any areas of weakness identified through the assessment process. Registrants are still required to complete 75 continuing competency (CC) credits per cycle. However, the QAP cycle duration is now five years in recognition of the time and effort that dental hygienists spend in preparing for, and undertaking, the QAP Assessment Tool.

While the Health Professions Act requires the implementation of a QAP program, each College has some flexibility and discretion to develop a program best suited to its own health profession(s).