Professional Chemist
Encyclopedia
Professional Chemist is the term for registered or licensed chemist
s in Canada
who are permitted to offer their professional services directly to the public. The Professional Chemist designation is commonly abbreviated to P.Chem. when added as a suffix after a persons name.
The term Professional Chemist and the actual practice of professional chemistry is legally defined and protected by the government . In some jurisdictions only registered or licensed Professional Chemists or Chartered Chemists are permitted to use the title, or to practice Professional Chemistry.
The earmark that distinguishes a licensed/registered Professional Chemist is the authority to sign and seal or "stamp" chemistry documents (reports, drawings and calculations) for a study, estimate, design or analysis, thus taking legal responsibility for it.
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Chemists are not registered in a specific discipline but are prohibited by the Code of Ethics from practicing beyond their training and experience. Breaches of the code are often sufficient grounds for enforcement, which may include the suspension or loss of license, as well as financial penalties and now, through recent changes to Canadian law, could also result in jail time should negligence be shown to have played a part in any incident in which there is loss of human life. Some examples of a professional chemist would be an oilfield chemist, drilling fluids chemist, environmental chemist, biochemist, a pharmacist.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
s in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
who are permitted to offer their professional services directly to the public. The Professional Chemist designation is commonly abbreviated to P.Chem. when added as a suffix after a persons name.
The term Professional Chemist and the actual practice of professional chemistry is legally defined and protected by the government . In some jurisdictions only registered or licensed Professional Chemists or Chartered Chemists are permitted to use the title, or to practice Professional Chemistry.
The earmark that distinguishes a licensed/registered Professional Chemist is the authority to sign and seal or "stamp" chemistry documents (reports, drawings and calculations) for a study, estimate, design or analysis, thus taking legal responsibility for it.
Registration and regulation
Each province has specific procedures and requirements for license or registration. Each license is valid only in the province from which it was granted. Many Professional Chemists maintain licenses in several provinces for this reason. The licensing procedure varies, but the general process is:- Graduate with a degree from an accredited university program in chemistry.
- Accumulate a certain amount of chemistry experience. This can range from two to five years depending on the province.
The "Chemist" title
The title "Chemist" is legally protected in some provinces, meaning that is it unlawful to use it to offer chemistry services to the public unless permission is specifically granted by that province through a Professional Chemist license. With legal documentation, this is commonly referred to as the Right to Title. A licensed Professional has the option of wearing a Chemists' RingChemists' Ring
The Chemists' Ring is a ring worn by a chemist who has earned the designation of "Professional Chemist" through the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta . The Ring is seen by Professional Chemists as a symbol that the wearer meets the trust and ethical requirements of the ACPA...
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Unlicensed practice
Since the regulation of the practice of chemistry is performed by the individual provinces in Canada, areas of chemistry which are an exception to mandatory regulatory requirements are a) a professor teaching chemistry in an accredited program or b) military personnel currently actively licensed with the Canadian Government.Chemists are not registered in a specific discipline but are prohibited by the Code of Ethics from practicing beyond their training and experience. Breaches of the code are often sufficient grounds for enforcement, which may include the suspension or loss of license, as well as financial penalties and now, through recent changes to Canadian law, could also result in jail time should negligence be shown to have played a part in any incident in which there is loss of human life. Some examples of a professional chemist would be an oilfield chemist, drilling fluids chemist, environmental chemist, biochemist, a pharmacist.