Family practice

Family practice

Registration in the full – family class permits a registrant to practise family medicine within the scope of their education, qualifications and experience. A registrant in the full class is responsible and accountable for their medical practice.

Requirements

To be eligible for registration and licensure in the full – family class, 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
  • be a licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) or have successfully completed licensing examinations in a non-Canadian jurisdiction acceptable to the Registration Committee
  • 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
  • meet at least one of the following requirements:
    • have obtained certification with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
    • be a graduate of a Canadian medical school in 1992 or earlier, who has provided evidence of satisfactory completion of one year of internship recognized by the registration committee
    • if postgraduate training was completed between 1993 and July 1, 2010, have successfully completed a minimum of two years of accredited postgraduate training, recognized by the registration committee
      1. that was comprised of a basic core of 44 weeks, consisting of eight weeks in each of medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics, and four weeks in each of psychiatry, emergency medicine and family practice, and
      2. at least one year of which must have been completed in Canada if the applicant is not a graduate of a Canadian medical school
    • have completed five years of family practice in British Columbia, and successfully completed an assessment of competency satisfactory to the registration committee if a registrant was
      1. registered on the temporary register under the former enactment on May 31, 2009 and registered in the provisional class effective June 1, 2009, or
      2. approved for such registration before June 1, 2009

How to apply

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

Applications are addressed based on the order in which they are received and the intended start date.

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

Once College staff confirms that 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.

Applicants who hold an active full unrestricted licence in another Canadian jurisdiction may be eligible for a fast-tracked secondary application package.

The applicant submits to the College a fully 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 full – family class 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: