Updated CPSA Advice to the Profession documents

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CPSA has updated two Advice to the Profession (AtP) documents: Professionalism in Public Forums and Social Media. Several of the updates are the result of regulated members’ feedback from a survey conducted last November when the Government of Alberta signaled an intent to consider legislative changes to safeguard freedom of expression for regulated health professionals.

The survey was conducted to help us better understand current perspectives on the topic and perceptions of CPSA’s role as the regulator.

We received 1,234 responses and, as you may have guessed, they ranged from “CPSA is overstepping” to “CPSA needs to do more”. While the responses were varied, one thing was clear—we needed to do a better job of explicitly outlining our expectations.

These updated AtPs are meant to compliment CPSA’s Standards of Practice and the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) Code of Ethics and Professionalism, ensuring physicians and physician assistants uphold public trust while exercising their rights to free expression and advocacy.

A few highlights of the updated AtPs include:

• Clear definition of professional capacity as it relates to engaging in public forums.
• Guiding principles for balancing freedom of expression with professional responsibility.
• Advice on navigating geopolitical and international conflicts.
• Advice on responding to fraudulent activity.

Please take some time to review the complete documents on our website. We recognize that the boundaries between personal and professional expression aren’t always clear and encourage regulated members with questions to reach out—we’re happy to answer any questions you may have.

Questions or concerns? Email support@cpsa.ca.