Action Plan Guidelines

Guidelines for the Preparation of an Action Plan for Medical Licensure in Canada

What is an action plan?

An Action Plan for medical licensure in Canada is a schedule of medical examinations and related activities. It sets out the steps applicants will take in order to meet Canadian certification and licensure requirements in a medical specialty or in family medicine in the province or territory where they will practice medicine.

Applicants must be informed about national certification with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), the Collège des médecins, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), along with the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC). The applicant must be fully informed about standard medical licensure in Canada.

• RCPSC or CFPC certification is a standard requirement for full licensure in Canada.
• The LMCC is a standard requirement for full licensure in Canada.

What is the required format?

The action plan can be presented as a written letter or a memo in point format. It must include the steps you will take to achieve certification in a specialty, subspecialty or family medicine, and a full/independent medical licence. The action plan does not need to be more than one page. See the "I need help with my Action Plan. Who can I talk to? Section, below. 

Why do I need an action plan?

• To ensure you obtain RCPSC or CFPC certification and full / independent licensure so you can practice medicine in Canada.
• To ensure you obtain the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC), issued upon completion of all Medical Council of Canada (MCC) examinations.
• To ensure you are informed of alternate pathways to licensure in Ontario and British Columbia and are aware of the restrictions and conditions attached to those pathways;
• To address the issue that many residency training programs in the United States are shorter in number of years than Canadian residency training programs and they do not fully meet the Objectives of Training and Specialty Training Requirements (STRs) of the RCPSC. You need a plan to meet the STRs.

Where do I get the information I need to write an action plan?

Refer to the following web sites to prepare your practicable action plan:

Some of the hyperlinks provided are to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the  Official Languages Act. The material found there is therefore in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

• Provincial and territorial licensing authorities - Members of Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC)
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Objectives of Training and Specialty Training Requirements
• Preliminary Assessment of Training
  Evaluation of an Additional Specialty

Preliminary Assessment of Training by the RCPSC. Assessment of specialty training is required to gain access to the RCPSC examinations. All residency training must be assessed by the RCPSC to determine if it meets the Objectives of Training and Specialty Training Requirements. When pursuing a subspecialty, applicants should be aware that additional evaluation by the RCPSC will be required.

• College of Family Physicians of Canada
• Exams and Certification
• Medical Council of Canada
• About the examinations
• Collège des médecins

What plan should I make for a Preliminary or Transitional Year?

If you do not yet have a specialty training position, but you do know the specialty you will be pursuing, create an action plan for that speciality.  If you do not know what specialty you will be pursuing, the action plan can be deferred to the following year. In that case, provide a short statement describing your intentions for obtaining a residency position the following year.

What do I need to show in my Action Plan for Registration in Ontario?

The following information is important for applicants (who are residents of Ontario only) to assist them in preparing their action plans for licensure in Ontario.

Physician registration in Ontario may not require the LMCC or RCPSC/CFPC certification. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) has registration policies applicable to physicians with training and credentials from certain approved jurisdictions, including the United States. All registration requests submitted under these policies and pathways require review and approval by the College's Registration Committee.

Your action plan must include:

• A description of which policy(ies) and pathways you will pursue;
• A list of which qualifying exams (MCC or USMLE) you intend to take, with expected dates;
• A list of which specialty certification exams (CFPC, Royal College or US board) you intend to take, with expected dates;
• A statement confirming that you understand the conditions and restrictions involved in registration under these policies and pathways, including details about what those conditions are;
• A declaration of the approximate date you will be in possession of a Practice Certificate in Ontario.

Hint: Key CPSO policies of relevance to physicians in residency training in the US include:

• The Policy on Acceptable Qualifying Examinations, which recognizes certain medical qualifying examinations in the United States and Quebec as acceptable alternatives to the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Parts 1 and 2.
• Alternative Pathways to Registration: Physicians who are US specialty board certified and who have passed all the USMLEs and/or are ECFMG certified may seek registration with the CPSO without RCSPC or CFPC certification or the LMCC.
• Restricted Certificates of Registration: This policy enables physicians who are eligible for, but have not yet completed, the MCC, RCPSC or CFPC exams to be granted a restricted certificate of registration authorizing practice while the exams or other requirements are completed.

You are required to contact HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency for assistance with preparing your action plan. Advisors offer individualized assistance to physicians through the licensing and certification process. See below "I need help with my Action Plan. Who can I talk to?"

What do I need to show in my Action Plan for registration in British Columbia?

Physician registration in British Columbia may not require the LMCC or RCPSC/CFPC certification. The following information is important for applicants (who are residents of British Columbia only) to assist them in preparing their action plans for licensure in British Columbia.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC), in its bylaws, recognizes the USMLEs as equivalent to the LMCC.

The action plan to obtain physician registration in British Columbia must include:

• a description of which route to licensure you will use; and
• a statement regarding any conditions and restrictions involved in provisional registration by the CPSBC, including details about what those conditions are; and
• a declaration of the approximate date you will be in possession of a full and independent medical licence in British Columbia.

I need help with my Action Plan. Who can I talk to?

Residents of Ontario must contact HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency. Contact Information:

Email: opportunity@healthforceontario.ca

Telephone: (866) 535-7779 or 416-862-4755

Facsimile: (416) 862-4819

Residents of British Columbia must contact Ms. Yvonne Attwood at HealthMatchBC. Contact Information:

Email: YvonneA@healthmatchbc.org

Telephone: (604) 714-2271

Facsimile: (604) 736-5963

Other applicants can contact the Program Administrator at Health Canada by email j1visa@hc-sc.gc.ca or facsimile 613 948 8081.