Professional Associations
Professional associations are voluntary organizations featuring members of that profession, primarily operating to promote the interests of their profession. This includes things like:
- Providing networking opportunities for members,
- Hosting conferences, seminars, or workshops,
- Maintaining job boards,
- Providing professional liability insurance at group discounted rates, and
- Lobbying government to influence policy in furtherance of the economic, employment, professional and political interests of their members.
Membership with an association is voluntary.
Difference Between Professional Associations and Regulatory Bodies
While professional associations serve the interests of their members, regulatory bodies are created by the government to serve the interests of the public. Regulators protect the public by:
- Setting the requirements for practitioners to enter the profession at initial registration,
- Setting the ongoing requirements for registrants to continue practising the profession,
- Investigating complaints, and
- Developing and maintaining a disciplinary process.
Unlike professional association memberships, registration with a regulatory body is mandatory in order to practise the profession or use the title in the jurisdiction of the regulator.