HSP Professional Development Programs

For education/training commenced between April 1, 2021 and August 21, 2022. Applications accepted up until August 31, 2022. 

The Provincial Ministry of Health and the PEA share a common commitment and goal to sustain a highly trained workforce of health science professionals in the province. Health Science Professionals must achieve and maintain rigorous educational standards to ensure that best practices continue to be achieved.

The Ministry of Health has allocated $3 million for the PEA as a professional development fund for its members.  The funding is to be allocated to training and upgrading skills for HSP members working in professions experiencing shortages or in rural and remote locations, as well as for ongoing required professional development for all HSP members.

The HSP Professional Development Fund is administered by the PEA. All provisions of the HSP Collective Agreement continue to apply, including the leave provisions.

Eligibility 

1. The applicant must be a PEA member covered by the HSPBA Collective Agreement.

2. The application must pertain to education/training commenced between April 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022.

3. The application must serve the purpose of at least one of the following three categories:

• on-going required professional development
• training and upgrading skills for members working in a profession experiencing shortage
• training and upgrading skills for members working in a profession in rural or remote location

4. The education/training must pertain to professional development in a health science professional discipline being practiced in the public health care system.

5. Eligible expenses for reimbursement include tuition fees, registration fees, cost of required books/materials, and other reasonable education-related expenses and may also include the reasonable costs of travel and accommodation if the applicant must travel or temporarily relocate to attend education/training or related clinical placement. A maximum of $2,500 of the $10,000 cap can be used for travel.

For travel within Canada, there is a cap of $500.00 for combined flight and mileage.  For travel to and from the USA, there is a cap of $700.00 CAD for combined flight and ground transportation.

Eligibility for hotel accommodation is based on there being a minimum distance of 25 kilometres between the applicant’s residence and the location of the in-person education/training provider. Eligible hotel accommodation reimbursement is capped at $250.00 CAD per night for the duration of the event, to a maximum of seven nights; If it is necessary to arrive at the education/training location on the day preceding its start time, so as to be able to attend at the start time, eligibility for hotel accommodation reimbursement will include the date immediately preceding the event; If it is necessary to stay at the hotel for the night following the completion of the event because there is no transportation option that permits the applicant to arrive home before 10:30 pm on that date, eligibility for hotel accommodation reimbursement will include that night’s accommodation.

See Funding Guidelines below for the funding cap per member.

6. Applications must be received by August 31, 2022, for this funding period.

Funding Guidelines

1. When an application is deemed to satisfy the eligibility criteria, it will be approved subject to sufficient funding remaining available.

 2. Applicants must disclose if they have received, or anticipate receiving, any funding from any source for any cost related to their application for funding.

 3. HSA will inform successful applicants by letter;

4. Successful applicants must provide detailed receipts for all claimed expenses.  Receipts must be submitted to HSA in a timely manner and, in any event, by the deadline specified in the approval letter.  Reimbursement will only be made following an applicant’s submission of satisfactory receipts.

 5. Following receipt of the applicant’s proof of payment of approved, eligible expenses, the fund will reimburse the applicant for those actual costs, subject to a funding cap of $10,000.00 per member. A member is permitted to make multiple applications to this fund, subject to the $10,000.00 cap per member.

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