Continuing Education Standards Program (CESP)

BCAK supports the philosophy of lifelong learning and has incorporated this premise into its Continuing Education Standards Program (CESP) requirements.

Professional members of the BCAK must demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning as being fundamental to ethical professional practice and social responsibility as a health professional. The purposes are to maintain (1) professional competency related to client care & evidence-based best practices, and (2) public trust of clients in receiving care/services from kinesiologists.

To renew, reinstate or reapply for membership, Practicing members and those wishing to become Practicing members, must be able to provide evidence of completion for a minimum of 20 continuing education credits per calendar year, in accordance with the Continuing Education Standards Program Credit Table.pdf

Terms and Conditions

Previous Course Work - Courses or professional development activities completed prior to becoming a Practicing Member are not eligible for submission at the end of your first year or other years and you cannot carry forward unused hours to the subsequent year.
Course Pre-Approval - Continuing education course pre-approval is not required by the BCAK. Credit allocations are assigned based on the BCAK's current CESP Credit Categories Table. Courses completed must fall within the scope of practice of kinesiology or be directly related to business skill acquisition for the purpose of kinesiology business operations or management.

Exceptions to the Requirements

New members, who have held membership for less than 12 months at the end of their first membership year, are allocated a pro-rated credit requirement based on the start date of their membership.

Pro-rated CESP requirements for new members are based on membership start date as follows:

Start Date in Quarter 1 (Jan – Mar) – 15 credits
Start Date in Quarter 2 (Apr – Jun) – 10 credits
Start Date in Quarter 3 (Jul – Sep) – 5 credits
Start Date in Quarter 4 (Oct – Nov 15) – 0 credits required (New members after November 15th receive a 12+ month membership and when this first membership term expires, 20 credits are required to renew)

Short Term Leave of Absence - Members approved for medical(disability)/maternity/paternity leave who are not working can request to have credit requirements waived for a maximum one year period. If you are planning to take parental leave and will not be working at any time while on leave you can notify the BCAK office within 30 days of starting your leave and qualify for this exemption. If your leave of absence is less than 1 year, the waiver is prorated based on the months of leave completed, Credit waives can be applied over 2 successive membership (calendar) years, starting with the year in which the leave begins if this occurs. Written Notification must be received by the BCAK office within 30 days of beginning your leave of absence if you wish to take advantage of this policy and be granted the credit exemption.

How to Enter Your CESP Credits

Enter and record your completed CESP credits through your BCAK online account.

Follow These Steps to Add Credits

Login to your BCAK "My Account"
Select 'CE Credits' from the menu (in the Member section)
Select 'Add Credits'
Select the credit 'Category' from the drop down menu
Select the 'Activity' from the second drop down menu
Enter the 'Completion Date' for the course or event
Enter a brief note or 'Description' of the event (if appropriate)
Read and confirm "check the box" verifying your CE credit entry complies with the CESP policies, is true and accurate
Click the "Submit" button.

(Repeat these steps for additional entries)

Your CE credit information will remain in your account history for the duration of your membership and an additional period in accordance with the BCAK's Privacy Policy.

Common FAQs

1 - When Should I Record My CESP Credits?

It is recommended credits/courses be recorded through your online account shortly after completion to ensure details are entered correctly. Friendly Reminder: The minimum required credits must be recorded in your account prior to renewing your membership or the system will block your membership renewal and you will not be able to proceed.

2 - Does the BCAK Monitor my Compliance?

Compliance with the CESP is a requirement agreed to by you and forms part of the society's bylaws. Members who do not comply with the requirement may be declined renewal of their membership. The submission of continuing education information through your account is based on the honour system. Fraudulent or misleading entries are a breach of the BCAK's Code of Ethics/Conduct and are grounds for a conduct review and potentially expulsion from the society. The BCAK randomly audits Practicing members to confirm compliance with the program and when/if fraudulent entries are reported to the BCAK or otherwise suspected. In the event of an audit, members will be required to provide sufficient proof the activities reported were in fact completed or performed.

3 - My application has been approved and I graduated this year, why is the system asking me to log continuing education credits?

CE credits must be logged for the previous calendar year in order to complete registration. The system is not able to distinguish a first time registrant from a returning member looking to renew their membership. As a workaround, first time applicants CE requirements are assessed as a part of their application and a CE waiver is automatically applied to their account. Upon application approval, new registrants are asked to confirm this "First year of membership CE credit waiver". To do this:

Click the blue edit button next to the draft credit waiver.

2. A pop-up window will appear. Scroll to the bottom of this popup and check the box next to the text that reads "I hereby confirm the activity submitted complies with the BCAK's Continuing ..." and click SUBMIT.
DO NOT ALTER THE DATE OR ANY OTHER FIELD

3. Once the waiver is confirmed, CREDITS EARNED IN (previous year) will show 20/20 credits and you will be able to proceed to the next step of registration.

4 - I joined part way through the year, am I eligible for pro-rated CESP requirements?

Yes!

The exception to the annual CESP requirements is for new members who, at the end of their first membership year, have a pro-rated requirement depending on your membership start date

The Pro-rated CESP requirements are as follows:

New membership starts in Quarter 1 (Jan – Mar) – 15 credits required
New membership starts in Quarter 2 (Apr – Jun) – 10 credits required
New membership starts in Quarter 3 (Jul – Sep) – 5 credits required
New membership starts in Quarter 4 (Oct – Nov) – 0 credits required

This is not done automatically

You will need to perform the following steps:

Navigate to the My CE credits page. (This link will not work if you are not logged in or a member)
Click the green add a credit button. (A pop up window will appear)
Under categories select "Continuing Education Standards Program (CESP) credit waiver" from the drop down menu.
Under activities, select the appropriate date range.
Select the date you paid your membership dues as the completion date.
In notes: Say "Joined in ______ (Month)"
Check the box and submit the credit.

Click here for more information on our continuing education standards program.

For applicants who began their Practicing Membership application in the previous calendar year and are completing the membership purchase now, please select "first year of membership CE waiver".

5 - Can I carry over credits completed this year if I have more than the requirement?

No, but with one notable exception.

Any continuing education claimed for the purpose of renewal must have been completed during the current calendar year. The exception would be for members who renew early (i.e. before year end) and complete a course after renewing but before the new year.
This can be claimed, but you will need to:

alter the date to the 1st of January in the subsequent calendar year.
Add a note that states "This course was completed after renewal on ______ (the actual completion date)"

Please save proof of course completion in case your continuing education is audited.

e.g.

Renewal completed on December 10th, 2021.
Course completed on December 15th, 2021.
The course can be claimed and the member would
- Change the date to January 1st, 2022
- Add a note saying: This course was completed after renewal on December 15th, 2021.