Eligibility Requirements
Physician
General information on Registration (Licensing), Canadian examinations, and Immigration requirements is provided in this section to assist physicians seeking employment in British Columbia.
The College of Physicians & Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) is the licensing body for family practitioners and specialist physicians in British Columbia. Additionally there are three bodies involved in the credentialling of physicians in Canada.
- The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) is a national organization responsible for setting standards for specialties in Canada.
- The College of Family Physicians of Canada & Surgeons of BC (CFPC) is a national organization of physicians providing certification in family medicine.
- The Medical Council of Canada is the national organization responsible for establishing and promoting a qualification in medicine known as the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC).
Licensure
Requirements for a Full Registration as a Specialist
All candidates for full licensure must meet the following requirements:
- Graduated in medicine from a university or medical school approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) Council.
- Be Licentiates of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC).
- Hold a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) Certification in your specialty.
- Satisfy the Registrar that they are a permanently residing in British Columbia or will be imminently.
- Must be a Canadian Citizen or satisfy the Registrar that they are legally entitled to live and work in Canada.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada assesses the postgraduate training credentials of physicians wishing to write their exams. Not all physicians are deemed eligible to write the exams. At the present time, assessment requests will be considered from candidates who have completed their specialty training in Canada or the United States. Requests for assessments will also be considered for some specialties from Australia*, New Zealand*, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. For detailed information, please visit the Royal College's website at www.rcpsc.medical.org to determine if your qualifications meet their criteria. Please note that the dates listed in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's website are the training commencement dates. The assessment generally takes 18-24 months.
Requirements for a Provisional Registration as a Specialist
Foreign physicians frequently do not meet the requirements for full registration, however, they may be considered for provisional registration. Once working on a provisional license, physicians are expected to aspire to complete the requirements for a full license as outlined above if they plan to stay in British Columbia long term. Provisional licenses may be renewed annually.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia assesses the eligibility of foreign physicians for provisional registration based on the following criteria:
- Graduated in medicine from a university or medical school approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) Council.
- Successful completion of at least the first portion of the Medical Council of Canada examinations; referred to as either the "Evaluating Exam" or the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE).
- Deemed eligibility to write the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada exams.
- Specialists trained in the United States must be board certified in the United States.
For candidates deemed eligible by the CPSBC for temporary licensure in BC, a job offer from an underserved community, which has been unable to attract a suitable Canadian candidate, is required for temporary registration. Health Match BC posts vacancies from underserved communities in the province on our website. Our experienced recruitment consultants can assist physicians in matching their professional needs and lifestyle preferences with the various employment opportunities.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada assesses the postgraduate training credentials of physicians wishing to write their exams. Not all physicians are deemed eligible to write the exams. At the present time, assessment requests will be considered from candidates who have completed their specialty training in Canada or the United States. Requests for assessments will also be considered for some specialties from Australia*, New Zealand*, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. For detailed information, please visit the Royal College's website at www.rcpsc.medical.org to determine if your qualifications meet their criteria. Please note that the dates listed in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's website are the training commencement dates. The assessment generally takes 18-24 months.
For detailed information about the registration criteria and the application process, please visit the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia website at www.cpsbc.ca
Examinations
To be eligible for full registration to practice medicine in British Columbia, physicians must attain the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC). To become a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada, physicians need to successfully complete three Canadian examinations administered by the Medical Council of Canada.
The three exams are comprised of the following:
- Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)
- Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part 1
- Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part 2
Biochemistry student Stephanie Sellers has received a prestigious BC Cancer Agency award to conduct breast cancer research.
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