Alberta Health Services Collective Agreement 2020-2024

LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING #24

BETWEEN

ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES
(hereinafter referred to as the Employer)

- and -

HEALTH SCIENCES ASSOCIATION OF ALBERTA
(hereinafter referred to as the Union)

RE:  PROVISIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST RECRUITMENT/RETENTION INITIATIVE

WHEREAS a Provisional Psychologist must remain under the supervision of a Psychologist within the circumscribed mandate of a supervision plan that has been approved by the Registration committee until such time as they have successfully completed the required one thousand six hundred (1,600) hours of supervised practice;

AND WHEREAS a Provisional Psychologist may be supervised by more than one Psychologist, provided there is one primary supervisor assigned responsibility for the Provisional Psychologist's supervision in each branch of psychology;

AND WHEREAS two (2) supervision evaluation reports are required for each branch of psychology declared (one at the half-way point of the supervision and the other at its completion or termination);

AND WHEREAS any fees or expenses that arise from the supervisory arrangement are the sole responsibility of the supervisee;

The Parties hereby agree to the following in an attempt to address recruitment issues for the Psychologist I classification and Provisional Psychologists hired into the Mental Health Therapist classification:

1. The Employer shall provide up to one thousand six hundred (1,600) hours of supervised practice, including all required reports and evaluations.

2. All requirements of the College of Alberta Psychologists ' Standards for Supervision of Provisional Psychologists will be adhered to.

3. The Employee shall complete a Return of Service Agreement.

4. The utilization of this Letter of Understanding will be based on Employer's operational requirements to ensure ongoing operations are addressed.

5. The Employer shall advise the Union which Employees are party to the terms and conditions of the Letter of Understanding including their FTE and location.

6. The Employer shall submit all Return of Service Agreement to the Union in a timely manner.

This Letter of Understanding will expire March 31, 2024, or upon the date of ratification of the next Collective Agreement, whichever is later.