Applying for Membership

1) Practicing Membership - Is for qualified persons who work in clinical or community based settings.

To apply you must:

• Have received a four-year degree in kinesiology from a post-secondary educational institution in Canada where the institution and degree meet the standard set by the BCAK, and
• Be employed or wish to be employed or practice in British Columbia as a kinesiologist, and
• Be of good moral character and uphold the BCAK's Professional Standards, and
• Meet the academic, work experience and continuing professional development standards set by the BCAK.

*Professional Practice Liability Insurance (PL and CGL) are mandatory

2) Non-Practicing Membership - Is for qualified professionals who work in healthcare management or other roles where the kinesiologist does not provide direct client care services.

To apply you must:

• Have received a four-year degree in kinesiology from a post-secondary educational institution in Canada where the degree and institution meet the standard set by the BCAK, and
• Not be employed or engaged in the clinical practice of kinesiology in British Columbia, and you meet the requirements of Practicing membership, but you do not wish to become a Practicing Member,
• Be of good moral character and uphold the BCAK's Professional Standards, and
• Meet the work experience and continuing professional development standards set by the BCAK.

*Professional Practice Liability Insurance is not required - BCAK member - group plan insurance is not available

Non-Practicing and Practicing membership applicants complete the same application process and must meet the same academic requirements.

Membership requirements will vary depending on the criteria listed below. Select the one which applies to you from the options below to determine your requirements.

I completed all of my kinesiology education (coursework/degrees) at Post-Secondary institutions in Canada, and

• I am applying within five (5) years after graduation Click here

If you are a current BCAK Academic-student member and have graduated or will soon be graduating (within 2 months) and want to become a Practicing member, a new and separate application process must be completed. This process requires a new user account. using a different email address from your student account. If you wish to use your current email account for your practicing membership, please call or email the office for details.

• I am applying five (5) or more years after graduation Click here

I completed some or all of my kinesiology education (coursework/degrees) at Post-Secondary institutions outside of Canada, and

• I am applying within five (5) years after graduation Click here

• I am applying five (5) or more years after graduation Click here

3) Academic Membership

Is for

(1) Students enrolled in a full time Kinesiology undergraduate or graduate degree program in BC*, which is recognized by the BCAK, and

(2) Post-Secondary Kinesiology department faculty, professor or instructor working BC*, which is recognized by the BCAK.

*Academic members must be of good moral character, abide by the BCAK's Code of Ethics/Conduct and not be working in a professional (practicing or non-practicing) capacity as a kinesiologist, excepting their capacity as a post-secondary student in a work integrated learning placement or co-operative education placement/course, or post-secondary educator as detailed above.

(Professional Practice Liability Insurance is not required or available through the BCAK member group insurance program)

Notes:

• If you are a student and within 60 days of graduation, we recommend you begin your application for Practicing (professional) membership. Call the office if you wish to discuss your options further.
• Academic-student membership is designed for students in the final 2 years of their bachelor's degree program - membership provides access to job postings and other resources to help prepare you for your career.

To determine the requirements for academic membership, select the option below which applies to you.

• I am a full time Kinesiology student at a BC Post-Secondary Educational Institution, but will not be graduating within 60 days Click Here
• I am employed (faculty/professor/instructor) in a Kinesiology department at a BC Post-Secondary Institution Click here

Create a BCAK user account through the BCAK's website. Once a user account is created, follow the links on the welcome page to begin your application.

Tips for creating a user account

• Name - use your 'full legal name', as it appears on your government issued identification or transcripts. This ensures support documents received by the BCAK for your application are correctly allocated. There is the option to enter a 'preferred' first name if you use something other than your legal name on a day to day basis. (Do not capitalize every letter in your name.)
• Contact information - ensure all contact information entered is accurate and kept up to date. Mismatched or incorrect information can result in processing delays and longer response times. You are responsible for maintaining current contact information. You can complete this quickly and easily through your online account - after logging into your account through the BCAK website, select 'Edit Info" under the 'My Account' tab, and make the necessary changes. Tip - Use a personal email address that you check regularly, and not a corporate or institution email address provided by your employer or post-secondary institution you are attending. School and corporate accounts are controlled by the institution/employer, are not personal and can be closed by the organization after completing your education or terminating your employment.
• BCAK communication - The BCAK will communicate with you by e-mail. If your email address is not correct or you no longer have access to the email on record, you will not receive important communications from the BCAK.

Note: Password Reset and Two Factor Authentication (2FA) are available for increased security - Microsoft Outlook email users occasionally report delays in receiving password reset and 2FA authentication emails from the BCAK. BCAK's client management system sends these emails. Microsoft's email system may filter, delay, or blocks autogenerated messages as spam. If you do not receive a reset or 2FA email, ensure emails from the bcak.bc.ca domain are added to your safe sender list so that important emails are received. If you continue to have delays or not receive these emails please contact the BCAK office. This situation can apply to the following domains:

• @live.ca/.com
• @hotmail.ca/.com
• @outlook.ca/.com

Click here to CREATE a user account

Once you have created a user account on the website, you can initiate the application process.

Professional (Practicing and Non-Practicing) Membership Applicants

• An application fee applies to all Practicing and Non-practicing applications. This fee does not include the membership dues, which are paid if your application is approved.
• Two (2) year associate and three (3) year undergraduate degrees do not meet the BCAK standard for Practicing or Non-practicing membership and you will need to have completed a 4-year undergraduate degree (typically 120 credit hours) or equivalent.
• Processing timelines for membership application tasks/steps are estimated below:
  • Degree(s) (diploma/s) submission - Online upload through the application portal. Typical BCAK receipt time, < 2 min for digital document
  • Course Descriptions submission(when required*) - online document upload of course descriptions, or list of links to course descriptions (*applies to those who have completed directed studies courses in BC/Canada and for all internationally educated applicants). Time required, > 1 hour
  • Official Transcripts (Applies only to Canadian educated applicants - see below for International requirements) - Request official transcripts from your post-secondary educational institution(s) and have them sent directly by the institution to the BCAK - Typical BCAK receipt time, Postal mail: 10 to 30 business days, Email or Fax: 7-10 business days
  • Request your criminal record check through BC's Criminal Records Review Program - Completion time: typically less than one hour. Typical BCAK receipt time: Online - 7 to 30 business days after payment; Manually ~30-45business days after payment and submission.

Internationally Educated Professional Membership Applicants

• Foreign Credential Evaluation - ICES comprehensive evaluation, or WES Course-by-Course with ICAP evaluation - Delivery time, approximately 7 Weeks following receipt of all required documents by the review agency.
• English Language Proficiency Exam (required for those not educated in the English language - Completion time, 1 to 2 months, not including your required preparation time.
• Work Experience and/or BCAK Core Course Composite exam - Invigilation centre examination booking ~ 2 weeks, not including your required study/preparation time.

Academic Membership and Corporate Affiliate Applicants

• A user account must be set up and the required documents must be submitted for review. No application fee applies. Payment of the academic membership fee or corporate affiliation fee is required prior to activation of membership or access to benefits.

Review Process Timelines

Following BCAK's receipt of the required supporting documents, your application will enter the review phase. The time required for review of your application will vary depending on category of membership, whether you completed your education in Canada or Internationally (whole or in part) and how long ago your education was completed.

Practicing/Non-Practicing Application Review Timelines

• Approximately 30 days for BC educated applicants graduating within the 2 years of application.
• Approximately 60 days for other Canadian educated applicants graduating within 2 years of application.
• Approximately 60 days for Canadian educated applicants graduating more than 2 years prior to application.
• Approximately 60-90 days for all remaining applicants.

Academic Applicants

• Approximately 7 to 14 days

Once your application review is completed, you will receive notification by email as to the outcome of your review.

• If your application is approved, you will have 30 days to activate and pay your membership dues. If you are not planning to activate and pay your membership dues within 30 days*, you must contact the BCAK office before the 30 day period expires. *Additional requirements may apply if do not complete membership activation and payment within 30 days of approval.
• If your application is not approved, you will be informed which requirements have not been satisfied during the review process and provided general information as to whether the outstanding requirements can be achieved within a reasonable period of time. You have one (1) year from the date you are sent the notice of application review findings to complete any outstanding/additional requirements specified or your application will expire. After this time you will be required to meet the requirements which exist at the current time (new and additional requirements may be required) Review the applicant FAQ - My Grades in the required courses and/or elective courses do not meet the BCAK's requirements, what are my options?

Practicing and Non-Practicing Member Guiding Documents

As a condition of membership in the BCAK you are responsible for and agree to abide by the standards set by the BCAK for conduct and professional practice. You must read and understand the standards and guidelines related to professional conduct including ensuring you remain competent in the the Essential Competencies of Practice, and otherwise act in accordance with the professional practice standards and code of conduct.

Members who breach these standards can be suspended or expelled from the BCAK in accordance with the society's bylaws depending on the severity of the breach. If you have questions on the terminology or expectations, please contact the BCAK office for clarification.

• Guiding Documents Page

Academic Member Guiding Documents

• Code of Ethics
• Good Moral Character Guidelines

Applies to all Members

• All memberships expire on December 31st of the year to which the membership applies. (Memberships do not run for 365 days from the date of membership purchase)
• To continue as a member in good standing, your membership must be renewed by December 31st of the calendar year to which your membership applies.
• Membership Fees

Applies to Practicing and Non-practicing Members

• If you allow your membership to expire (lapse), additional fees may apply. If you allow your membership to lapse for more than 30 days you will need to apply for reinstatement (only available with 3 years of previous membership)
• If you allow your membership to lapse for 3 or more years, you will need to initiate a new membership application and meet the current admission standards.

Reinstatement Policy