Clinical currency and retraining

Clinical currency

Clinical practice is defined as direct patient care for the purpose of making a diagnosis and/or providing treatment. This includes diagnostic specialties such as pathology and radiology, and the specialty of public health and preventive medicine.

According to section 6-13 of the CPSBC Bylaws, a licensee must have practised clinically in their field for a minimum of 960 hours over the preceding three-year period (24 weeks full-time) to be considered current.

Research, teaching, administration and medical regulation do not constitute clinical practice.

Retraining process for obtaining or regaining clinical currency

Applicants and licensees looking to obtain or regain currency for independent clinical practice, as defined in sections 6-13, 6-14 and 6-15 of the CPSBC Bylaws, must contact CPSBC and undergo a retraining process, to be deemed current in clinical practice.

The retraining process is available to:

full (family, specialty, podiatric surgeon) and osteopathic classes
- current or former licensees who held licensure where they practised independently
- applicants for an independent practice class where, absent currency, they are eligible for licensure in the full class
surgical assistant class
- current or former licensees who held licensure in the surgical assistant class
- surgical assistant applicants where, absent currency, are eligible for licensure in the full class
associate physician class
- associate physician applicants who have secured a position in an accredited associate physician program within a health authority

The process is outlined in the Change of Scope/Return to Practice licensing policy.

CPSBC will review the applicant or licensee's circumstances, which include:

past clinical practice
the length of the absence from clinical practice
continuing professional development
the anticipated future scope of practice

The applicant or licensee will develop an individualized retraining plan, satisfactory to and approved by CPSBC. For associate physician licence applicants, the retraining plan will be developed by the applicant and health authority.

Once the retraining plan has been successfully completed and accepted by CPSBC, the applicant or licensee will be considered current in clinical practice and must maintain that currency going forward.

Frequently asked questions

In January of each year, CPSBC requires licensees to self-report the total number of clinical hours they worked in the previous year on their annual licence renewal form.

If a licensee provides a response that indicates they may not be current in clinical practice, CPSBC will contact the licensee about the requirements of section 6-13 of the CPSBC Bylaws.

If a licensee has not practised within the scope of their class of licence for at least 24 weeks, or 960 hours within the preceding three years, CPSBC may change their status to “not current in practice.”

The status indicates the licensee is not current for clinical practice and may not bill MSP, refer, and/or prescribe to patients.

CPSBC’s primary function is to ensure licensees are qualified, competent, fit for clinical practice, and meet expected professional standards.

All licensees are required to consistently maintain the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to deliver the best possible care to patients.

This status is to ensure patient safety. It immediately disables the licensee's ability to electronically bill MSP, refer, and/or prescribe.

The status will also be reflected on a licensee's certificate of professional conduct, and shared with other organizations, including medical regulatory authorities and health authorities.

If a licensee has a “not current in practice” status they must contact the CPSBC in advance of commencing any clinical practice to determine the appropriate next steps. The licensee may be required to successfully compete education or retraining specified by the registrar.