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Specialist Recognition Criteria in Ontario

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Approved by Council: April 2005
Reviewed and Updated: November 2011, September 2022, April 2023, July 2023

 

Purpose

In order to practise medicine in Ontario, an individual must hold a valid certificate of registration issued by the College. Specialty recognition is distinct from registration.

The Ontario Regulation 114/94 provides that no member shall use a term, title or designation relating to a specialty or subspecialty of the profession in respect of their practice of the profession unless the member has been,

  1. certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) in a specialty or subspecialty of the profession to which the term, title or designation relates;
  2. certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) in a specialty or subspecialty of the profession to which the term, title or designation relates; or
  3. formally recognized in writing by the College as specialist in the specialty or subspecialty of the profession to which the term, title or designation

This policy sets out the criteria that a physician must meet in order to be recognized as a specialist by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

 

Scope

This policy applies to individuals who have met the criteria for registration and have been issued a certificate of registration to practise medicine in Ontario.

Under this policy, the College will recognize specialty titles only in areas for which specialties and sub-specialties are granted by the RCPSC and the CFPC.

This policy does not apply to physicians who hold certification by RCPSC or the CFPC who are requesting sub-specialist recognition at a time when the sub-specialty examination is available.

Specialist recognition granted under paragraph 3 above is tied to the physician’s practice in Ontario and will automatically expire upon expiry of the physician’s certificate of registration.

The determination as to which specialists should be paid as specialists under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan will be made by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care of Ontario.

 

Policy

A physician who meets any of the requirements below will be recognized by the College as a specialist:

  1. holds certification by the RCPSC; or
  2. holds certification in family medicine by the CFPC; or
  3. holds specialist certification, obtained by examination, by the Collège des médecins du Québec; or
  4. holds certification by a specialty member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and:
    1. ABMS certification was obtained by examination, and
    2. ABMS certification was obtained following successful completion of postgraduate specialty training in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME); or
  5. holds a restricted certificate of registration authorizing academic practice in Ontario, and:
    1. has successfully completed specialty training and obtained certification as a specialist by the certifying body in the country where the individual completed their training, by an organization outside of North America that recognizes medical specialties, and
    2. the organization which recognized the applicant as a medical specialist did so using standards that are substantially similar to the standards of the RCPSC or the CFPC, and
    3. holds a full-time academic appointment at a medical school in Ontario at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor or full professor; or
  6. holds a restricted certificate of registration that has been issued under the College’s Academic Registration policy, and:
    1. has completed a minimum of five years of clinical practice in an academic setting in Ontario, and
    2. has provided evidence of satisfactory clinical performance, knowledge, skill, judgement, and professional conduct from the medical school where the academic appointment was held; or
  7. has completed a minimum of one year of independent or supervised practice in Ontario, and:
    1. has successfully completed specialty training and obtained certification as a specialist by the certifying body in the country where the individual completed their training by an organization outside of North America that recognizes medical specialties, and
    2. the organization which recognized the applicant as a medical specialist did so using standards that are substantially similar to the standards of the RCPSC or the CFPC, and
    3. has successfully completed a practice assessment that has been directed by the Registration Committee1; or
  8. holds a restricted certificate of registration in Ontario that has been issued under the College’s Alternative Pathways to Registration for Physicians Trained in the United States policy, and:
    1. has received written confirmation from a US Specialty Board of eligibility to take the certification examination on the basis of satisfactory completion of a residency program accredited by the ACGME within the last five years; or
  9. holds a restricted certificate of registration in Ontario that has been issued under the College’s Restricted Certificates of Registration for Exam Eligible Candidates policy, and:
    1. has received written confirmation from the RCPSC of current eligibility, with no pre-conditions, to take the certification examination on the basis of satisfactory completion of a RCPSC-accredited residency program in Canada or a RCPSC recognized program outside of Canada; or
  10. holds a restricted certificate of registration in Ontario that has been issued under the College’s Restricted Certificates of Registration for Exam Eligible Candidates policy, and:
    1. has received written confirmation from the CFPC of current eligibility, with no pre-conditions, to take the certification on the basis of satisfactory completion of a CFPC-accredited residency program in Canada or a CFPC recognized program outside of Canada.
  11. holds a restricted certificate of registration in Ontario that has been issued under the College’s Recognition of RCPSC Subspecialist Affiliate Status. 2
 

Endnotes

1. The physician shall be solely responsible for payment of all fees, costs, charges, expenses, etc. arising from request for specialist recognition.

2. Physicians who have been granted Subspecialist Affiliate status from RCPSC must only identify themselves as specialists in the subspecialty in which their Subspecialist Affiliate attestation was granted. CPSO does not recognize these physicians in a primary/core specialty.