Academic

Academic

Academic registration may be granted to physicians appointed to an academic position at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine. 

The eligible academic positions are:

  • assistant
  • associate 
  • full professor (tenure or partner stream)
  • clinical assistant professor 
  • clinical associate professor
  • clinical professor

Scope and conditions

Academic registration may be granted for:

  • a research position where the clinical practice component is not greater than 40%,
  • partner institution appointments as defined and approved by the dean of the UBC Faculty of Medicine where the clinical practice component is not greater than 40%
  • a position where the clinical practice component allows adequate academic output, as determined by the Registration Committee

Academic registration is limited to the practice of medicine in the medical school, department or hospital that the academic appointment relates to and is immediately cancelled if the academic appointment is terminated.

Requirements

To be granted academic registration, an applicant must

  • have a medical degree, from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools which includes a Canadian sponsor note
  • either
    • have certification that is recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) unless otherwise waived by the registration committee in exceptional circumstances, and
    • meet at least one of the following requirements:
      • if a specialist, have completed either, postgraduate training which has led to certification as a specialist by an international accrediting body acceptable to the RCPSC and the registration committee, or certification as a specialist in the jurisdiction where the applicant practised immediately prior to applying for registration acceptable to the registration committee
      • if a family practitioner, have satisfactory postgraduate training in family medicine and certification consistent with the applicant’s defined responsibilities and acceptable to the registration committee
  • submit a request for registration from the Dean of the Faculty of medicine and the relevant UBC department head
  • meet the College’s English language proficiency requirements
  • have Canadian citizenship, be a permanent resident or be legally able to live and work in British Columbia

How to apply

Registration is a multi-step process that takes an average of six weeks.

The College needs to receive a letter from UBC confirming your position as an associate or full professor, and that your clinical component is not greater than 40%, or for a position where the clinical practice component allows adequate academic output, as determined by the Registration Committee.

Family practice

You need to contact the CFPC to obtain academic certification prior to being granted registration and licensure in BC, unless this requirement is waived by the Registration Committee in exceptional circumstances.

CFPC website

Specialty practice

You need to contact the RCPSC to obtain academic certification prior to being granted registration and licensure in BC, unless this requirement is waived by the Registration Committee in exceptional circumstances.

RCPSC website

By obtaining academic certification with the CFPC or the RCPSC, you will not be required to write the traditional examinations to gain CFPC or RCPSC certification. Furthermore, you may remain in the academic class indefinitely; however, your academic licensure with the College will be rescinded if you leave your academic position with UBC.

Applicants who meet the requirements for registration and licensure in the academic class should complete an Application for Medical Registration (AMR) through physiciansapply.ca.

This should be completed no more than three months prior to their intended start date.

physiciansapply.ca website

The AMR is downloaded directly to the College’s database for review.

College staff will review the UBC letter, academic certification from the CFPC or the RCPSC, and the AMR for eligibility. Depending on the application, the applicant file may be presented to the Registration Committee for further review.

Once College staff confirms the applicant meets the eligibility requirements, the applicant will be assigned a file manager.

The file manager will email the secondary application package to the applicant.

The applicant submits to the College a completed secondary application along with all required documentation. The file manager will review the completed application to ensure that no additional follow-up is required.

If no additional follow-up is required, the file manager will submit the applicant file for a final review and approval. The review process can take up to one week.

Once the application is reviewed and approved, the applicant will be directed to pay licensure fees. Following the payment of fees, a licence will be issued within three business days.

Maintaining the licence

Ongoing registration and licensure in the academic is maintained by

  • satisfactory completion of the annual licence renewal form,
  • online payment of the annual licence renewal fee as detailed in Schedule A of the College Bylaws,
  • payment of any other outstanding fine, fee, penalty fee, debt, levy or costs owed to the College,
  • ongoing compliance with continuing competency requirements,
  • ongoing professional liability coverage or protection, and
  • provision of certificates of professional conduct, where applicable.

The annual licence renewal process is accessed through the registrant portal. Registrants will be notified by email of the licence renewal process in late December or early January each year.

Penalties and fines

Registrants must complete the annual licensure process by March 1 to avoid a $500 penalty. The penalty increases by $100 increments each month until the process is completed.

Failure to complete the annual licensure process will also result in the suspension of a registrant’s licence on April 1. The licence will be reinstated when the annual licence renewal form is completed to the satisfaction of the College, and online payment of all outstanding fees and penalties are made.

For more information about the requirements for registration and licensure, refer to:

Registration policies arrow_right_alt
Learn more about the policies that the Registration Committee uses to consider applications