Respiratory Therapists (RRT)

NLCHP Portal

To be eligible for a license with the NLCHP, internationally educated applicants who have not graduated from an approved education program must have an assessment of their formal education program and clinical experience to determine if it is similar to the entry to practice requirements for Canadian educated applicants. When you submit an application the NLCHP will complete a preliminary review of your online profile and required document submissions. If your education is similar to that of a Canadian trained respiratory therapist you will be referred to the next stage of the process, a competency assessment performed by the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO). The process is outlined below.

To begin the application process, you must submit the following:

1. Application for Registration– To begin the application process you will be required to complete the online application for registration. The application will provide us with your contact information and give us a general idea of your education and work experience. You will be required to pay a $60.00 non-refundable application fee. Processing the Application for registration may take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the time all requirements are submitted. Please note you are not required to submit documents listed in Step 7 at this point in the application process.

2. Language Fluency: You will need to submit documentation to support the required status of fluency if your first language is not English or your relevant healthcare instruction was not in English. For information on the acceptable tests and scores, please refer to the NLCHP policy- Policy – English Language Proficiency You are unable to progress to the competency assessment by the CRTO until the language benchmarks have been met.

3. Credential Evaluation: You will need to have a Course-by-Course Credential Evaluation and Authentication Report completed from a member of the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada, for example: International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) , International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) or World Education Services (Canada). All reports must be forwarded to the NLCHP directly from the credential evaluation service provider.

4. Official Transcripts/Proof of Education program completion must be sent directly from your educational institution to the NLCHP.

5. Letter of Good Standing: Provide a Verification of Registration/Letter of Good Standing (s): These letters must be sent directly to NLCHP from the Regulatory Body. For more information please see the Policy – Letter of Good Standing. Please provide the jurisdiction (s) with NLCHP’s Request Form: Letter of Good Standing.

6. Letter from your employer confirming that you have practiced 1500 hours in the previous four years.

7. Once NLCHP completes the preliminary review and determines that your education is similar to that of a Canadian trained respiratory therapist, you will be referred to the next stage of the process, the CRTO competency assessment.

This competency assessment is based on the National Competency Framework (NCF). The NCF is a list of entry-to-practice competencies considered essential for the practice of Respiratory Therapy in Newfoundland and Labrador. Please note that the applicant is responsible for all costs, including travel, associated with the competency assessment.

Once the CRTO receives a referral for a competency assessment from the NLCHP, they will contact you regarding next steps, including any additional required documentation. The competency assessment is 2-step process, which includes: the Educational Program Review and Behavioral Descriptive Interview and the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) and the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA).

For additional information on the Competency Assessment, please see the CRTO Guide for Applicants Educated Outside of Canada and the CRTO CSA Assessment Guide.

Following the assessment, if you have demonstrated competency in many but not all required areas, you may need further education to attain these competencies. Completion of a competency assessment is not a guaranteed pathway to licensure. Limited educational resources exist to remediate gaps in knowledge or competency. If formal education is not similar enough to respiratory therapy education in Canada and/or significant gaps are identified in a clinical skills assessment, it may be recommended that you apply for regular entry into the full-time respiratory therapy in any of the approved respiratory therapy education programs across Canada.

If you have demonstrated competency in all required areas, you will then become eligible to write the Health Professionals Testing Canada (HPTC) national certification examination.

8. Once you have passed the HPTC national certification examination, you will be required to provide the following additional documents before a license can be granted:

Certificate of Conduct and Vulnerable Sector Check dated within three months of your application date (originals must be forwarded to NLCHP office after uploading)
Proof of successful completion of RT Exam
Proof of professional liability insurance (PLI)– RTs must have a minimum of $2,000,000 PLI
Certificates of completion of the required online courses:

(1) Custodian-Direct Contact with Personal Health Information available on http://nlchi.skillbuilder.ca/home

(2) Direct Contact with Personal Health Information available on http://nlchi.skillbuilder.ca/home and

(3) Jurisprudence Education for your Health Profession available at chplearning.

*For additional information on regulated RT practice in NL, please visit the NLCHP website and the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Respiratory Therapists ( www.nlcrt.ca). Please note once you become registered with the NLCHP, you are automatically registered with the College.

Please allow four to six weeks to process your application once all your required documentation has been submitted to the NLCHP. NLCHP will notify you by email that your application for registration has been reviewed and request you to login to the NLCHP Portal to pay your registration fees. You will receive an email once your application is approved and your name has been added to the List of Registered Health Professionals. You are then eligible to practice in Newfoundland and Labrador. You are not able to commence employment, which includes orientation until your name has been added to the NLCHP List of Registered Health Professionals.

If any of the documents required are available in a language other than English, you must attach to the original an English copy translated by a certified translator. All costs associated with translation are the responsibility of the applicant.