This stage of your professional development focuses on making sure you have a certain amount and a specific range of experiences in your profession. The chart in Appendix 1 prescribes the seven areas in which professional development may be appropriate for someone who is not yet a professional member of APEGGA. Five of these areas are covered by your experience, as it is defined by the Board of Examiners. The other two areas are additional technical skills training, which may be sought by you or demanded by your employer, and knowledge of law and ethics, which will be separately tested by the Board of Examiners.

Once you have become a professional member of APEGGA, you will be required to define your individual scope of practice and the skills needed for your professional specialization. You must also develop a plan for ongoing professional development and document your activities as part of that plan. These activities are described in detail as part of APEGGA's manual, Continuing Professional Development Program: A Guideline for Professional Members. Copies of this guideline are available from the APEGGA offices or from the APEGGA website at www.apegga.org. You will be expected to understand the guideline requirements in your fourth year after graduation and to submit a plan for your first year as a professional, as part of your application for professional membership.