Colleges Registration and Licensure Processes Dr. A.J. Jack Burak, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

College’s Registration and Licensure Processes

• Dr. A.J. Jack Burak, Deputy Registrar

College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC

Physician Recruitment and Retention Stakeholder Summit Richmond, BC – March 5, 2015

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Overview of presentation

• Clarification of College’s mandate
• Statutory legislation governing the College’s activities
• Brief review of College’s registration/licensure requirements for applicants,

focusing on IMG applicants

• Dispelling myths about the College as a barrier to recruitment of physicians

to BC

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Basic facts regarding College’s roles

• College is not engaged in or responsible for

recruitment and retention (R & R) activities for BC; however, the College supports a provincial HHR strategy

• Physician supply, mix, and distribution is the

responsibility of the Ministry of Health through its 6 designated Health Authorities, in collaboration with the UBC faculty of medicine

• College does not determine the number of

UBC medical school spots

• College does not determine the number of

postgraduate residency training spots in BC

• College participation in today’s summit is in an

advisory capacity to the summit’s planning committee and today’s summit

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Mandate Protect the public by establishing and endorsing high standards of medical practice by licensed physicians in BC. Vision Serving the public through excellence and professionalism in medical practice

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College’s legislative authority

• Section 16(1)(a) of the Health Professions Act (HPA):

“To serve and protect the public”

• College’s objectives for registration (HPA s.16(2)(g)):

“To establish and employ registration procedures that are transparent,

• bjective, impartial and fair”
• College Bylaws (pursuant to the HPA) – section 2-3
• HPA requirements for registration of a person defined in sections 19 and 20

including classes of registration and conditions or requirements – in essence, the College must register a person who: – holds the necessary academic qualifications and training, – is of good character, and – pays the required registration and licensure fees

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Dispelling myths about the College

• 1. Insufficient information available to applicants and registrants

– College website has improved – lots of information available regarding registration and licensure processes including timelines – Improvements are ongoing – a KPI of the College’s business plan – Contact and work with Health Match BC

• 2. Registration processes are too onerous and time consuming

– New streamlined process for Canadian postgraduate-trained MDs; registered/licensed in another Canadian province/territory on the full class equivalent (i.e. no limits and conditions) – Online registration coming to BC in early 2016 – via the Medical Council of Canada’s Application for Registration Canada – accessed through the portal www.physiciansapply.ca – Criminal record checks mandatory in BC; not in many other P/Ts

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Dispelling myths about the College

• 3. Requirements to attend the College for personal interviews

– Online orientation coming soon for those eligible for full class of registration (in-person interviews will not be necessary for many) – On an interim basis, select applicants eligible for full class of registration can opt for telephone interview/orientation

• 4. Family practice IMGs cannot obtain registration/licensure in a timely

fashion – Reciprocal recognition of PG training by CFPC for award of CCFP without examination (currently for UK, USA, Ireland & Australia only) eliminates requirement to undergo a practice ready assessment prior to registration; this is a Canadian national registration standard (FMRAC) – For everyone else, including South African trained Family Physicians - New program: Practice Ready Assessment – BC (PRA-BC) – first iteration of 15 IMG candidates to begin in April 2015

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Dispelling myths about the College

• 5. Immigration issues are complex, frustrating and expensive

– Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s requirements are not set by the College – the College is legally required to follow them

• 6. Supervision of provisional class IMG registrants is not standardized

across BC – College has a consistent set of expectations and assessment tools with standardized reporting requirements

• 7. Moving from provisional to full class registration is protracted,

complex and expensive – Legislative requirements clearly outlined in the Bylaws and usually straightforward – National certifying bodies (CFPC/RCPSC) and MCC set the costs for their examinations

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Dispelling myths about the College

• 8. The College has a negative bias towards IMG physicians

– 30% of all actively practising physicians in BC are IMGs as compared to an average of 22% to 25% in the other 9 provinces – At any given time, approximately 700 College registrants are provisionally registered IMG general practitioners and specialists (roughly 50:50) – Most provisionally registered IMGs move to full registration and licensure within three to five years following their commencement of practice in BC

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Summary

• College registration processes are legislatively defined by the Health

Professions Act and its Bylaws made pursuant to the HPA

• College mandate is public protection

– Due diligence is required to ensure that all registrants are highly skilled and competent practitioners – There are no shortcuts to the College’s legislative requirements as the medical regulator and thus applicants for registration must undergo a robust and comprehensive review—this process by necessity will always take time – Despite these requirements, the College is working proactively to decrease registration times and unnecessary bureaucracy where possible: “Right Touch Registration” – striking the right balance

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Questions?