Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada) is a regulatory college which acts as a national, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada
Formation	1929; 94 years ago (1929)
Type	Medical royal college
Legal status	active
Purpose	oversee medical education and professional development, advocate and public voice, network
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Region served	Canada
Membership	medical specialists
Official language	English, French
Website	www.royalcollege.ca

The Royal College is an association of physicians concerned with setting national standards for medical education and continuing professional development in Canada for 80 medical specialties.^[1][2][3][4] As such, the Royal College is neither a licensing nor a disciplinary body.^[5] Instead, it is a regulatory authority that helps ensure that the training and evaluation of medical and surgical specialists and two special programs maintain certain standards of quality.^[6]

All specialists in Canada, with the exception of family physicians, must be certified by the Royal College before they obtain a provincial or territorial licence to practise.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} The only exception is in the province of Quebec, where the Royal College shares the responsibility for certifying physicians with the Collège des médecins du Québec.^[16]

To become certified, a physician must pass Royal College examinations. Access to these examinations is usually gained by completing a Royal College-accredited residency program at a Canadian university. Access is also available for medical residents who complete a Royal College-recognized residency program in the United States.^[17] Certain international training programs approved by the Royal College provide limited access to Royal College examinations.^[17]

Since its founding, the Royal College has been granted the patronage of the Canadian monarch, currently Charles III.

History

 

The Royal College headquarters at 774 Echo Drive in Ottawa, Canada

 

Coat of Arms

In June 1929, a special Act of Parliament established the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to oversee postgraduate medical education in Canada.^[18][19] At first, the Royal College offered just two specialty qualifications: Fellowship in general medicine and Fellowship in general surgery. By 2014, the Royal College had expanded its activities to recognize 80 disciplines, granting Fellowships in 30 specialties, 35 subspecialties, two special programs and 13 Areas of Focused Competence (AFC-diplomas).^{[citation needed]}

From the 1940s to the 1970s, the Royal College conducted examinations at two levels in most specialties: Fellowship, the higher qualification, or Certification, a lesser designation. In 1972, the Royal College abolished this dual standard and began to offer a single certification that continues today: Fellowship.^[20]

In 1968, the Royal College established the McLaughlin Examination and Research Centre at the University of Alberta and Laval University to research and develop modern techniques for evaluating specialist physicians.^[21] In 1987, the Royal College merged the centre into a bilingual McLaughlin Centre based in Ottawa, Ontario.^[22]

Since the mid-1980s, the Royal College has broadened its activities to study areas of special interest in Canadian healthcare, including injury prevention^[23][24][25] and patient safety.^[26] In 2005, the Royal College set a specific goal to improve the health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.^[27][28][29]

Today, the headquarters for the Royal College is located at 774 Echo Drive in Ottawa, Ontario.^[30] The building, constructed in 1921, was formerly the monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood.^[31]

Objectives

The work of the Royal College centres around its prime objective — to ensure the highest possible standards of specialist training and specialist care. The Royal College undertakes work under the following six areas:^{[citation needed]}

• Prescribes the requirements for specialty education in 80 areas of medical, surgical and laboratory medicine plus two special programs,
• Accredits specialty residency programs,
• Assesses the acceptability of residents' education,
• Conducts certifying examinations,
• Administers the Maintenance of Certification Program, a mandatory continuing professional development program for all members,^[32][33] and
• Sets standards for professional and ethical conduct among its members.^[34][35][36]

Membership

In 2014 the Royal College had more than 44,000 members worldwide, including Fellows, residents, and honorary, retired, and emeritus members.^[37] However, about 90% of certified physicians decide to become Fellows within two years of their certification.^{[citation needed]}

Fellows of the Royal College use the designation FRCPC (Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians of Canada) or FRCSC (Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Canada) depending on their qualifications.^[38][39] Since 1997, the Royal College has also offered category of resident membership called "resident affiliate” in an attempt to engage residents at an early stage of their careers. Those who choose to join the Royal College receive complimentary membership during the time they are registered in a Royal College-accredited residency program. Approximately 2,000 members are designated as resident members.^{[citation needed]}

The Royal College website includes a directory of all current and retired Fellows.^[40]

International medical graduates

An international medical graduate is someone who has completed his or her medical training outside of Canada or the United States and whose medical training is recognized by the World Health Organization. There are 29 international jurisdictions that the Royal College has assessed and deemed as having met Royal College criteria.^[41] For the graduates of these particular jurisdictions, the College assesses their training to determine the extent to which they have successfully met and completed the Royal College training requirements. When the training is deemed comparable and acceptable, the IMGs are ruled eligible to take the Royal College certification examination. Success at the certification examination will lead to Royal College certification. The Royal College accepts training from some international jurisdictions that have similar residency training accreditation systems to Canada.^[42]

Work with other medical organizations

The Royal College maintains close working relations with the 17 Canadian university medical schools, numerous national professional associations, voluntary health organizations and governmental agencies where it has a respected and influential voice in discussions affecting medical education, medical research and the delivery of high-quality health care to Canadians.^[43][44][45] In some cases, the Royal College accredits training programs conjointly with other professional organizations.^[46] In addition, Royal College training programs are sometimes cited as requirements for specific levels of remuneration for resident physicians.^[47]

The Royal College co-sponsored the 10th Annual International Conference on Medical Regulation, which took place at the Ottawa Convention Centre in Ontario, Canada in October 2012.^[48]

Continuing professional development

The Royal College develops and administers a continuing professional development program called Maintenance of Certification (MOC) that requires Fellows to engage in certain activities to maintain their competence throughout their careers.^{[49][16][50][51]} Introduced in 2000, MOC is a core service delivered by the Royal College and is also open to health care professionals who are not Fellows and not physicians. The program awards credits to participants who engage in learning activities that enhance their practice.^[52][53][54] Elements of the MOC Program are recognized by medical associations in other countries, including the American Medical Association (which allows its members to convert certain MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 credits)^[55] and the American College of Physicians.^[56]

CanMEDS

In 1996, the Royal College adopted CanMEDS, a medical education framework it developed that emphasizes the essential competencies of a physician.^[57][58] Revised in 2005, the CanMEDS competencies have now been integrated into the Royal College's accreditation standards, objectives of training, final in-training evaluations, exam blueprints, and the Maintenance of Certification program. All 17 medical schools in Canada also use the framework to assess the abilities of their residents.^[59][60][61] The Royal College is now updating the framework to further align it with a competency-based approach to medical education.^[62] The revised CanMEDS framework launched in 2015.^[63]

Since its creation, CanMEDS has been adopted and adapted around the world. CanMEDS is an educational framework identifying and describing seven roles that lead to optimal health and health care outcomes: medical expert (central role), communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar and professional.^[64][65] The overarching goal of CanMEDS is to improve patient care.^[66]

Competency-based medical education

Competency-based medical education, or CBME, is an outcomes-based approach to the design, implementation, assessment and evaluation of a medical education program using an organizing framework of competencies.^[67][68] In 2012, the Royal College began a multi-year plan to design, develop, implement and sustain a program of CBME.^[69] Under CBME, medical education (for residents in training and specialist physicians who pursue lifelong learning) progresses not according to how much time a resident or certified physician has practised certain skills, as has been the case in the past in Canada. Instead, it progresses under a system in which residents and certified physicians must achieve and demonstrate core competency levels called "milestones” before they move on, receive credit or are otherwise recognized by the system.^[70][71]

In 2013, the Royal College announced Competence by Design, the name that the organization has given to its reorientation toward a CBME model of learning and assessment^[72] (The CanMEDS Framework, first introduced in 1997, sets out the competencies and principles considered essential for Canadian physicians^[73]). As of 2014, the Royal College's move toward CBME and Competence by Design was received with mixed reactions from Royal College Fellows.^[74]

Health and educational policy work

The Royal College engages regularly in work to affect health policy, especially in the areas of physician employment and resident duty hours.^{[citation needed]}

Physician employment: In 2013, the Royal College released the results of a Canada-wide study that showed an increasing number of specialists cannot find jobs relevant to their skills and training.^{[75][76][77][78]}

Resident Duty Hours: In 2013 the National Steering Committee on Resident Duty Hours, hosted by the Royal College with funding from Health Canada, released a report called Fatigue, Risk and Excellence: Toward a Pan-Canadian consensus on resident duty hours.^[79][80][81] The steering committee's research process and subsequent report were widely received as robust and a major step forward in the controversial debate about duty hours.^[82][83][84]

Awards and grants

The Royal College's awards and grants program distributes $1 million a year in awards, grants, fellowships and visiting professorships. Awards recognize the importance and potential impact of specialist physicians' work and categories include original research, personal achievements and visiting professorships. Grants support professional development and research, with categories covering continuing professional development grants, travelling fellowships and medical education grants.

Among the more notable Royal College awards is the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award which recognizes physicians and surgeons who, while providing health care or emergency medical services, go beyond the accepted norms of routine practice, which may include exposure to personal risk.^[85] The award is named in honour of Dr. Lucille Teasdale and Dr. Piero Corti, a physician couple who devoted their professional careers to healing, teaching, and improving the condition of the population residing in the poverty stricken Gulu region of Uganda.^[86] Past recipients have worked throughout the world, including in Africa, Europe and South America.^[87][88][89]

The International Medical Educator of the Year Award is given to an international medical educator who has demonstrated lasting impact and a commitment to enhancing ethics and humanism in residency education. In 2019, the prize was awarded to Dr. Melchor Sánchez Mendiola, MD, MHPE, PhD, from National Autonomous University of Mexico.^[90]

See also

• Canadian Medical Association
• Medical Council of Canada
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
• Royal College of Physicians
• Royal College of Surgeons
• College of Family Physicians of Canada
• Collège des médecins du Québec

References

1. "Health week: Status quo budgets, living wills and outmoded clinical practice – iPolitics". 7 February 2014.
2. . The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
3. . www.saskimmigrationcanada.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-01-28. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
4. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
5. The Toronto Notes 2012: Comprehensive Medical Reference and Review for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 and the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 2. Toronto Notes for Medical Students. 29 July 2018. ISBN 9780980939774 – via Google Books.
6. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
7. "College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick – Licensure in New Brunswick". www.cpsnb.org.
8. Council, Yukon Medical. "Yukon Medical Council – Physician Licensing". www.yukonmedicalcouncil.ca.
9. "Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons". www.plasticsurgery.ca. Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
10. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
11. . www.healthmatchbc.org. Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
12. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
14. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
15. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2014-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
16. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
17. "| Qualifying to Practice Medicine in Ontario | International Medical Graduates | Applicant Information | College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario". Cpso.on.ca. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
18. Inc., Advanced Solutions International. "Home". www.cpsnl.ca. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
19. "Professionalism". Office of Professional Affairs.
20. Dinsdale, Henry B. (2004). The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: The evolution of Specialty Medicine: 1979–2004. Self published. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-9692155-6-1.
21. Corbet, Elise A. (1990). Frontiers of Medicine: A History of Medical Education and Research at the University of Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press. ISBN 9780888642318.
22. Shephard, David AE (1985). The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 1960–1980: the pursuit of unity. The College= Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada. ISBN 9780969215509.
23. "Error" (PDF). www.cma.ca.
24. "Parachute – Preventing Injuries. Saving Lives". www.parachutecanada.org.
25. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
26. "Royal College supports new federal patient safety legislation". www.newswire.ca.
27. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
28. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
29. Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
30. "Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada". ottawa.cioc.ca.
31. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
32. Parboosingh, John T.; Gondocz, S. Tunde (1 September 1993). "The Maintenance of Competence Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada". JAMA. 270 (9): 1093. doi:10.1001/jama.1993.03510090077016. PMID 8350455.
33. Peck C, McCall M, McLaren B, Rotem T (2000). "Continuing medical education and continuing professional development: international comparisons". BMJ. 320 (7232): 432–5. doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7232.432. PMC 1117549. PMID 10669451.
34. Bailey, Patricia G. "Medical Ethics".
35. "Continuing Medical Education – College of Medicine – University of Saskatchewan" (PDF). www.usask.ca.
36. Translation, Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Research and Knowledge (17 October 2005). "Publications in Ethics – CIHR". www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
37. [1]^{[dead link]}
38. Klostranec, Jesse M (2012). Toronto Notes 2012: Comprehensive medical reference and review for MCCQE I and USMLE II. . Toronto Notes for Medical Students Inc. ISBN 9780980939774.
39. Subburaj, V.V.K. Handy General Knowledge 2007. ISBN 9788172540753. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
40. . Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
41. Health Force Ontario. "International Medical Graduate Living in Ontario".
42. . Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
43. "COS Receives High Praise for 2013 RCPSC Accreditation Review". Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
44. [2]^{[dead link]}
45. Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine. "Data". Retrieved 12 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
46. The College of Family Physicians of Canada. "Family physicians and other specialists: Working and learning together. Conjoint Discussion Paper".
47. . Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
48. . BUKSA Strategic Conference Services. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
49. The Governor General of Canada His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston. "Convocation of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada". Retrieved 9 October 2012.
50. Canadian Psychiatric Association. . Archived from the original on 2007-10-25.
51. Klostranec, Jesse M. (2012). Toronto Notes 2012: Comprehensive medical reference and review for MCCQE I and USMLE II. Toronto Notes for Medical Students Inc. ISBN 9780980939774.
52. University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. "Quick Tips for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program" (PDF).
53. Canadian Fertility; Andrology Society. . Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
54. College of Physicians of Nova Scotia. "Welcome to the Nova Scotia College of Family Physicians". Retrieved 5 February 2014.
55. American Medical Association. "Agreement with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada".
56. "MKSAP 16—your go-to source for RCPSC MOC credit". American College of Physicians.
57. Sophia Chou; Gary Cole; Kevin McLaughlin; Jocelyn Lockye (12 August 2008). "CanMEDS evaluation in Canadian postgraduate training programmes: tools used and programme director satisfaction". Medical Education. 42 (9): 879–886. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03111.x. PMID 18715485. S2CID 26119178.
58. Frank, Jason R. (2004). "The CanMEDS project: the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada moves medical education into the 21st century". The Evolution of Specialty Medicine: 109–24.
59. Queens University School of Medicine. "The CanMEDS Roles". Queens University School of Medicine.
60. Fred Trompa, Myrra Vernooij-Dassena, b, Richard Grola, Anneke Kramera, Ben Bottemaa (October 2012). "Assessment of CanMEDS roles in postgraduate training: The validation of the Compass". Patient Education and Counseling. 89 (1): 199–204. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2012.06.028. PMID 22796085.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
61. Cornelia Fluit; Sanneke Bolhuis; Richard Grol; Marieke Ham; Remco Feskens; Roland Laan; Michel Wensing (2012). "Evaluation and feedback for effective clinical teaching in postgraduate medical education: Validation of an assessment instrument incorporating the CanMEDS roles". Medical Teacher. 34 (11): 893–901. doi:10.3109/0142159x.2012.699114. PMID 22816979. S2CID 30569175.
62. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-10-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
63. "The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada :: CanMEDS Framework".
64. Jonathan Sherbino; Jason R. Frank; Leslie Flynn; Linda Snell (December 2011). ""Intrinsic Roles" rather than "armour": renaming the "non-medical expert roles" of the CanMEDS framework to match their intent". Advances in Health Sciences Education. 16 (5): 695–697. doi:10.1007/s10459-011-9318-z. PMID 21850502. S2CID 22802024.
65. ason R. Frank; Deborah Danoff (2007). "The CanMEDS 2005 physician competency framework". Medical Teacher. 29 (7): 642–647. doi:10.1080/01421590701746983. PMID 18236250. S2CID 2396441.
66. Frank, J. R. (2005). The CanMEDS 2005 physician competency framework. Ottawa: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
67. Jason R. Frank; Linda S. Snell; et al. (2010). "Competency-based medical education: theory to practise". Medical Teacher. 32 (8): 638–645. doi:10.3109/0142159x.2010.501190. PMID 20662574. S2CID 1526320.
68. William F. Iobst; Jonathan Sherbino; et al. (2010). "Competency-based medical education in postgraduate medical education". Medical Teacher. 32 (8): 651–656. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.475.7292. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2010.500709. PMID 20662576. S2CID 23851627.
69. "Residents prepare for switch to competency-based medical education" (PDF). Canadian Medical Association Journal. July 5, 2013.
70. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
71. William F. Iobst; Kelly J. Caverzagie (November 2013). "Milestones and Competency-Based Medical Education". Gastroenterology. 145 (5): 921–924. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2013.09.029. PMID 24056125.
72. . University of Calgary Medicine (n.d.) Postgraduate Medical Education http://medicine.ucalgary.ca/pgme/home/accreditation-2015/canmeds-2015-info. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
73. McGill University. . Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
74. . Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
75. "Health Human Resource Planning in Canada, Physician and Nursing Workforce Issues—Summary Report". Policy Research Networks Inc.^{[permanent dead link]}
76. "More than one in six new specialists can't find work: Royal College". Canadian Medical Association. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
77. "Study shows growing number of new specialist physicians can't find jobs in Canada". www.newswire.ca.
78. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
79. "Fatigue, Riask & Excellence: Toward a Pan-Canadian Consensus on Resident Duty Hours" (PDF). Standing Committee on Resident Duty Hours. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
80. . Canadian Association of Internes and Residents. Archived from the original on 2013-07-14. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
81. "More sleep urged for residency doctors". Globe and Mail. 27 June 2013.
82. Lemire, Francine (July 2013). "Duty Hours and Professional Responsibility". Canadian Family Physician. 59 (7): 804. PMC 3710057. PMID 23851554.
83. "Changes needed to reduce fatigue of Canada's medical residents: report". CTV News.
84. "The end of 24-hour residency shifts?" (PDF). Canadian Medical Association Journal.
85. . Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-03-18.
86. . HLWIKI International. Archived from the original on 2017-06-11. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
87. "Dedicated surgeon in Angola receives Teasdale-Corti award". Retrieved 11 March 2012.
88. "Chamberlain Froese wins prestigious humanitarian award from Royal College". McMaster University.
89. "IMHL Class 4 participant Joanne Liu Named Winner of 2013 Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award". McGill University. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
90. "The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada :: International Medical Educator of the Year Award". www.royalcollege.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-14.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

• Official website  
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba