Title Protection
Last updated on October 11, 2023Reserved Titles
Reserved titles, prescribed under section 12 of the Health Professions Act as being for the exclusive use of registrants of regulatory colleges, are a central and critical public protection element of British Columbia’s health professions regulatory framework.
Section 12.1 of the Health Professions Act expressly prohibits a person other than a registrant of a health professions college from using a reserved title, an abbreviation of the title or an equivalent of the title in another language to describe the person’s work or to imply that the person is a registrant or associated with the college. Contravention of this prohibition is punishable by a fine of not more than $2000 or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
Current Reserved Titles
| Profession | Regulatory Body | Reserved Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture | College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC |
|
| Audiology | College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC |
|
| Chiropractic | College of Chiropractors of BC |
|
| Dental Hygiene | BC College of Oral Health Professionals |
|
| Dental Technology | BC College of Oral Health Professionals |
|
| Dentistry | BC College of Oral Health Professionals |
|
| Denturism | BC College of Oral Health Professionals |
|
| Dietetics | College of Dietitians of BC |
|
| Emergency Medical Assisting | Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board |
|
| Hearing Instrument Dispensing | College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC |
|
| Massage Therapy | College of Massage Therapists of BC |
|
| Medicine | College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC |
|
| Midwifery | BC College of Nurses and Midwives |
|
| Naturopathic medicine | College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC |
|
| Nursing (Licensed Practical) | BC College of Nurses and Midwives |
|
| Nursing (Registered) | BC College of Nurses and Midwives |
|
| Nursing (Registered Psychiatric) | BC College of Nurses and Midwives |
|
| Occupational Therapy | College of Occupational Therapists of BC |
|
| Opticianry | College of Opticians of BC |
|
| Optometry | College of Optometrists of BC |
|
| Pharmacy | College of Pharmacists of BC |
|
| Physical Therapy | College of Physical Therapists of BC |
|
| Podiatric Medicine | College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC |
|
| Psychology | College of Psychologists of BC |
*exceptions in the Psychologists Regulation |
| Speech-Language Pathology | College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC |
|
| Traditional Chinese Medicine | College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC |
|