Privacy Policy

Last reviewed January 6, 2015

Our commitment to protection of privacy

The Alberta College of Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologists (the College) is governed by provincial privacy legislation, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The College is committed to following the guidelines set out in PIPA to ensure that personal information about our members and other individuals with whom we interact is protected. We have developed this Privacy Policy to ensure compliance with PIPA.

What is “personal information”?

Personal information is information about an “identifiable” individual. It includes information such as personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, home address, home phone number, home e-mail address), educational background, work experience, opinions or evaluations. Personal information is distinguished from business contact information (e.g., an individual’s business address and telephone number), which is not protected by privacy legislation.

What personal information does the College collect?

The College collects the information that it requires in order to carry out its functions under the Health Professions Act (the HPA), the Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologists Profession Regulation (the Regulation), and College Bylaws. The information that we collect is information that the College requires to fulfill its duties as a regulatory body.

Examples of personal information that the College might collect about our members include the following:

Personal contact information, including home address and telephone number
Information submitted when applying for membership or for renewal of membership, such as written references, educational history, and examination results
Financial information, such credit card numbers
Information received and obtained as a result of a complaint

The College also collects personal information from complainants and other individuals involved in complaints, investigations, and discipline proceedings.

Usually, the College will collect personal information directly from our members or other individuals. The College will only collect information from a third party if we first obtain consent or if the College is authorized by law to collect personal information from a third party.

The College collects personal information from third parties regarding complaints, investigations and disciplinary proceedings brought regarding the conduct of a member. In such circumstances, the College exercises its authority under the HPA to collect information from various individuals such as the investigated member, complainants or witnesses, whether or not the personal information relates to the person providing it to the College.

How does the College use personal information?

The College uses personal information to fulfill its mandate to regulate the profession under the HPA, Regulation and Bylaws.

Examples of how personal information is used include the following:

To assess whether applicants meet the initial requirements for registration with the College
To complete entries in the College’s Register of members
To assess whether applicants are eligible to have their practice permit renewed or reinstated
To communicate with members about registration, discipline, or other matters relating to the regulation of the profession
To provide information, newsletters, and notices to our members
To facilitate payment of fees
To facilitate complaints
To carry out the College’s regulatory duties under the HPA, including regarding inspections and reviews
To carry out functions related to registration, discipline, or professional regulation

Is personal information shared with anyone other than College employees and volunteers?

For the most part, the College uses personal information for internal purposes. Therefore, it is primarily the College’s employees and Committee members who will have access to personal information.

However, external consultants or contractors may also have access to personal information if access is necessary for the performance of their duties. For example, the College’s accountants and auditors may have access to information about our membership when providing accounting services and conducting their annual audit. In addition, our computer consultants may have access to personal information from time to time.

We may also be required to disclose personal information to an external party without first obtaining consent for disclosure where such disclosure is required or permitted by PIPA, or other legislation. For example, disclosure of personal information may occur during the complaints process or pursuant to direction by Alberta Health for the purpose of workforce planning and policy development. As well, information provided to the College by a member or about a member collected for purposes related to registration as a member may need to be verified by the College and information may be disclosed to a third party for this purpose. However, disclosure without consent will only occur if it is authorized by PIPA or another statute such as the HPA.

The public can verify a member’s registration status through the public register located on the home page of the College website as well as by contacting the College. The verifying information provided to the public includes the following:

The full name of the member
The member’s unique registration number
Whether the member’s registration is restricted to a period of time and, if so, the period of time
Any conditions imposed on the member’s practice permit
The status of the member’s practice permit, including whether it is suspended or cancelled
The member’s practice specialization recognized by the College and
The member’s additional and enhanced practice authorizations

Subject to the HPA and any direction by a Hearing Tribunal, the College may publish or distribute any information about the nature of a complaint against a member and the decision with respect to the professional conduct process and hearings.

The College may also disclose personal information as authorized by law, including under the following circumstances:

In response to a subpoena, warrant, or court order
Pursuant to a lawful request by a government agency
To report fraudulent activity or other deceptive practices to another professional regulatory body, or to a governmental or law enforcement agency
To act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of members or of the public

How do we protect your privacy?

We protect your privacy by undertaking rigorous confidentiality and information security measures.

All office staff and committee members coming into contact with personal information are trained to safeguard the information and follow strict confidentiality policies.

In addition, we ensure the security of the personal information in our possession by taking the following measures:

We implement physical safeguards for personal information, ensuring that areas in which information is stored are reasonably secure.
We implement technical safeguards such as password protection to secure personal information that is stored in electronic form.
We implement administrative safeguards by restricting access to personal information to those with a need to access the information.
We only retain information for as long as we require it. Information about our members is retained for a minimum period of 10 years after membership ceases, at which time the information may be rendered non-identifying, or securely destroyed.

Accessing and correcting personal information

Generally, you have the right to access records containing your personal information. The College will give individuals access to the personal information we hold about them subject to certain lawful restrictions (such as where your information would reveal personal information about another individual or where the information is being collected for an investigation pursuant to the HPA). We may charge a reasonable fee for such requests.

We rely on our members and other individuals to notify us if there is a change in their personal information. In addition, you may request correction of an error or omission in personal information held by the College. If an individual requests that the College correct an error or omission, we will do so, subject to legal limitations.

All requests for access and correction must be in writing and must set out in sufficient detail the scope of the request. Requests should be delivered to the College’s Privacy Officer.

We will respond to your concerns

Please address any concerns to the College’s designated Privacy Officer at 780.487.6130.

Privacy Officer	Judy Clarke
Mailing address	Suite 800, 4445 Calgary Trail, Edmonton AB T6H 5R7
Email	jclarke@acmdtt.com
Telephone	780.487.6130