What are the cons to becoming a self regulated profession?
Once regulated the profession falls under the control of the Department of Health to some extent and also to cabinet which is most always made up of members of the House of Assembly. If, for example, we as a profession felt that we needed to make a change to the regulations of the college, we would need approval of cabinet. The most important con to becoming self regulated is cost. There are many costs associated with the process. The initial cost of setting up a college is substantial. This involves many hours in lawyers’ fees because it is a legal process. Of course, increased numbers reduces the cost. The legislation committee recommends joining the NSAMRT for this and other reasons. There are also ongoing costs of running a college on a day to day basis. These costs are associated with needing to pay a part time registrar, and operating a “store front”. All self regulating health professions need to have an address where a people can call or present themselves in person to get info
