The CPC program facilitates the professional recognition of CPHI(C) holders, to keep them abreast of continuing developments in the field of environmental public health, and to support their continued professional development.

What are PDHs?

Professional Development Hours (PDHs) is the time spent by the environmental public health
professional outside of regular work duties to develop and maintain the skills, knowledge, and abilities
essential to the profession.

Where do I enter my PDHs?

Visit ciphi.in1touch.org to access the Member Service Centre (MSC). It is recommended to enter activities into the MSC as they take place, rather than wait until the end of the year and try to recall details.

Why is ‘Professional Practice’ no longer included as a PDH entry category?

Unless a member is on extended leave as defined in the PD Model, all members (including those who are unemployed, working part-time, or working out of the field of environmental public health (EPH)) are now expected to obtain 30 PDHs each year.

There is no longer a process required to determine whether a member’s job is considered EPH related. Data entry is simplified.

How many PDHs are required each year?

Regular members are required to submit 30 PDHs annually. See the PD Model for detailed information on obtaining PDHs.

How do I enter my PDHs?

Several resources are available to assist with the PDH entry process:

MSC Portal Entry Guide
Instructional videos on CIPHI YouTube channel
Professional Development Model
PDH Entry Tool

Please include an appropriate level of detail with each entry, so that an auditor can evaluate your entry. Avoid using acronyms in your entries, and be sure to include any attachments, and links, where applicable.

How do I edit an entry?

See the MSC Portal Entry Guide.

Do you need to enter hours in every category?

No, it is not necessary to enter hours in every category. The annual requirement is 30 PDHs and it is recommended to submit additional hours in case some hours might be denied.

What if someone exceeds the number of hours in a particular category, could those hours be transferred to next year?

No, the hours cannot roll over to the next year. The PDHs submitted are only for the year that you accrue the hours that you would submit for.

Is there a deadline to enter my PDHs every year?

Yes. Members must submit their PDHs by midnight (PST) on January 31st of the following year. For example, if you are a regular member in 2024 then you must submit your 2024 PDHs by January 31st, 2025.

I missed the deadline. Can I enter my hours now that the MSC is locked?

No. After the deadline, members can no longer add or edit entries from the previous year. Members are encouraged to enter hours early to avoid any issues.

Members who fail to comply with the requirements of the CPC Program by the deadline will be deemed non-compliant.

Who is eligible for a reduction in hours? How to apply?

Members eligible for a reduction in PDHs are those who are on extended leave. Extended leave is any leave which can be supported by professional documentation. This would include, but is not limited to, parental, disability, and medical leaves.

Members who are unemployed, working part-time, or who are not working in the field of environmental public health are not considered to be on extended leave and are required to fulfill the 30 PDH requirement.

An instructional video is available on the CIPHI YouTube channel to outline the process of submitting a declaration for reduction of PDHs. Review the PD Model for further information.

What do you mean by “outside of regular work duties”?

We mean that the activity you are trying to claim should not be something your routinely do or is normally expected of you. For instance, if you are normally responsible for creating guidance
documents for staff, this would not be eligible for entry as a PDH.

Compliance with the CPC Program and Reinstatement

What are the consequences for non-compliance with the CPC Program?

A progressive compliance cycle was implemented in 2019. Members who are non-compliant with the CPC Program (e.g. do not enter any or enough PDHs, or are audited and determined to not have met the CPC Program requirements) will be placed in Step 1 of the cycle. A second failure within a 5-year time period will result in consequences being applied.

Further information on the Progressive Compliance Cycle can be found in National Operating Policy 23.

What are the consequences of a second audit failure within a 5-year time period?

Membership in CIPHI is terminated. If member is subject to mandatory membership, their CPHI(C) credential will be suspended. See National Operating Policy 22 and National Operating Policy 25 and for further information.

How does CIPHI monitor participation in the CPC Program?

The Council of Professional Experience (CoPE) performs audits of a minimum of 5% of the regular membership each year to verify compliance with the CPC Program. Members are randomly selected for audits. Those selected will be notified and provided with the outcome at the end of the audit.

All members who do not submit the minimum required number of PDHs before the annual deadline are automatically deemed to be non-compliant.

How do I submit an application for reinstatement?

Please contact CIPHI office at office@ciphi.ca.

Website

Who do I contact if I’m having difficulty to log in?

Contact CIPHI office at office@ciphi.ca.

Who do I contact if I have questions about my payment and receipt?

Contact CIPHI office at office@ciphi.ca.

How to change your password?

Sign into the MSC, click on “Signed as YourName” in the top right hand corner and select “Edit Profile”.

Students/Retirees

Are students required to submit PDH?

No, students are not required to submit PDH, not until they become certified.

Are retired members expected to submit 30 PDHs?

No, retired members are not required to submit hours. If a retired member has returned to the workforce and holds a regular membership, they are required to submit PDHs.

Discipline Specific Competencies

What is a Discipline Specific Competency?

Discipline specific competencies describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for continued development after receiving the CPHI(C) in the field of Environmental Public Health. Activities submitted in the Member Service Centre (MSC) must align with at least one of these competencies.

For more information and to review the competencies, please review the Discipline Specific Competencies document.

Education

How do I calculate the number of PDH for attending a conference or a workshop?

Only include the actual education hours. Do not include lunch, breaks, or social events. For example, a typical conference day could run from 9 am – 5 pm but only count for 7 PDHs due to a lunch break.

Provide sufficient details to be assessed by an auditor in the description text box. See example below.

Three-day conference focused on food safety and climate change. Agenda attached. Various presenters, approximately 6 hours per day for the three days once lunch and breaks were removed.

What information should I include when I am submitting for a conference I have attended?

You should provide as much detail as possible including what sessions/presentations you attended and what dates/times you participated in the conference. All information justifying the hours should be clear in your submission. Please include the agenda or web link with the conference agenda to support your submission.

How do I submit PDH for attending a conference and also presenting at the conference?

If you prepared a presentation and it took 4 hours then presented for 1 hour then you can claim 5 hours in total under the category of publishing and presenting. This assumes it was the first time presenting and the presentation isn’t part of your regular work duties. Make sure to add sufficient details in the description such as research dates, the date of presenting and time spent for both research and presenting.

Any time spent as a delegate at the conference should be included in a separate entry, under education (make sure to exclude lunch, breaks and social events from hours submitted).

Can you claim PDHs for watching a webinar or reading archive material?

Yes, you can read archived materials or watch a webinar even at a later date. Please include the following details:

The date of the original webinar and the date that you viewed it in the description
The description, any supporting documentation, name of the webinar/archive material, who hosted the webinar
The link whenever possible.

Provide sufficient details to be assessed by an auditor in the description text box. See example below.

Watched the recording of the webinar that was originally hosted on January 5, 2024 from 1-2pm. The webinar was presented by John Snow from XYZ Health Authority. The webinar provided
insights into climate change impacts on food safety. There is no external link available.

What if I listened to a podcast related to Public Health, can I claim that as PDHs?

Yes, if it is something that can enhance your professional skills and environmental public health knowledge. Ensure to include sufficient details in the description.

What information is needed when I have participated in self-directed studies?

You must provide adequate information for an Auditor to confirm the activity meets the intent of one or more of the discipline specific competencies. You must include detail on what materials you used during your self-directed learning (e.g. specific journal article titles, book title, web links) and the dates you watched them.

What if my coworkers hosted an air quality training inhouse does that count as education?

Yes, if it is something that can enhance your skills and environmental public health knowledge. Ensure to include sufficient details in the description.

Can I claim PDHs for employer required training such as Code of Conduct or Worksite Emergency Training (e.g. “Code Red”)?

No, these courses are not linked to the Discipline Specific Competencies and are considered to be part of your professional practice making them ineligible for submission.

Participation

I see that you have a new change for mentoring, does mentoring include job shadowing?

Yes, the mentoring category is now combined with job shadowing. A maximum of 10 PDH can be submitted for formal mentoring and/or job shadowing (example: Practicum coordination, mentoring a
new EPHP, leading job shadowing).

Can I add one entry if I take a student out in the field to job shadow multiple times?

Yes, ensure to provide sufficient details in the description such as date, times, total hours, what did you do and add the student’s initials.

Does the time spent on a hockey board committee count or does the committee have to be Public Health Related?

Committees have to be Public Health related to be included under the category of Service on Committees and Boards and the committee must also draw upon your professional expertise so a
hockey committee would not fit there. However, this would count as a contribution to the community, which includes any type of service to your community.

Can I claim the hours spent at a staff meeting as PDHs?

Potentially.

In general, the overall staff meeting is intended as part of your professional practice and is not eligible. However, some hours may be eligible if the staff meeting includes an education component (i.e. observing a presentation on a new, emerging issue or training on an environmental public health related topic).

You must provide adequate details for their eligibility to be assessed, this should include the topic area and time spent on the education component. These hours must be claimed under the “Education” category.

Short Term CIPHI Activities

What category do I enter under if I was an examiner for the BoC exam (written or oral)?

Enter all hours spent as a BoC examiner under Participation-Service on Committees and Boards- CIPHI Related Committee/Board. Include the date and times of exam sessions, as well as date and time of any pre-exam meetings, preparation, and/or written exam marking. Also include the CIPHI branch that you
examined for.

What category do I add an examiner for a Mock Oral Exam?

Enter all hours spent preparing questions and/or being part of a panel for the Mock Oral Exam under Participation – Contributions to the Profession.

How do I record hours spent promoting the EPHP profession through job or health fairs?

If this is outside your normal job duties, you can claim these hours under Participation – Contributions to the Profession.

Publishing & Presenting

Can you include the time to gather research for a presentation?

Yes, as long as it is the first time you are presenting. You can only submit once for the delivery and presentation. So, if you added changes to the presentation or presented more than once then you
cannot add those hours.

For example, if you developed a presentation in 7 hours, presented it for 1 hour and it was the first time presenting, you may claim 8 hours for that work. However, should you offer the same or slightly different presentation again, it cannot be claimed for PDHs.

Can I claim presenting hours if I am an instructor at a college or university?

No, if teaching is a part of your job then the hours spent teaching are part of your professional practice rendering them ineligible for submission.

If you can adequately qualify specific instances that are
outside your regular job duties, the hours may be eligible. An example of this would include the time spent to prepare or to present materials to an audience outside your usual classes that warranted the creation or addition of new content that you were previously unfamiliar.

Can I claim presenting hours twice if I presented at two separate events?

No. You can only submit PDHs for the first instance of presenting.

If you are required to substantially change the materials and subsequently present, these hours will be eligible. If this is the case, you must submit adequate information for an auditor to assess the eligibility of the subsequent presentation’s eligibility.

Reflection and Wellness

What can I include in a learning plan or reflective practice entry?

A learning plan involves an assessment of one’s existing skills and knowledge and an evaluation of what additional educational activities could be undertaken to build their skills and knowledge.
An example might include completing the CIPHI Learning Plan template.

Reflective practice includes taking the time to review and assess your career, your education, an event or situation. Examples might include reflective journaling or writing a narrative of a tough environmental public health situation. Ensure to include in your entry sufficient details of what your reflective practice was.

Note: It is not required to provide a copy of the journal or learning plan.

I see you have a new category called Reflection and Wellness, how do you define Wellness?

Wellness activities are generally activities that strengthen the self, can support working relationships, and one’s overall ability to conduct work. Wellness can be different for everyone, it could include sessions on mental health, or mindfulness; or even things like taking a walk, exercising, yoga and more. Attending education on wellness topics should also be included here, unless clearly part of a discipline specific competency.

Activity Approvals

Does CoPE do activity approvals and assign PDHs?

No. CoPE no longer issues CPC codes or assigns PDHs to activities submitted by organizations.

Members must ensure their activity aligns with one or more of the Discipline Specific Competencies. They are required to calculate the appropriate number of PDHs for their activity, using the resources provided.

A list of environmental public health organizations providing educational opportunities has been created. Organizations may apply to be on this list, and members can use this list to help them access PDH opportunities.

More details on the process, including the application form for organizations to be on the educational opportunity providers list, can be found at

https://ciphi.ca/professional-development/professional-development-hours-pdhs/.

Committee Members Contact Information

Who are the CoPE reps and how can I contact them?

Karen Hann, Chair, NL: chair@cope.ciphi.ca

Cameron Weighill, Past Chair, ON: cameron.weighill@york.ca

Stacey Sowa, BC/YT: stacey.sowa@islandhealth.ca

Jennifer Guth, AB/NU: cope@ciphi.ab.ca

Garth Gosselin, NTL: garth.gosselin@ahs.ca

Debbie Hylton, ON: debbie.hylton@toronto.ca

Wendy Pons, ON: wpons@conestogac.on.ca

Jessica Crawley, NB/QC: jessica.nbcope@gmail.com