Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada) is a regulatory college which acts as a national, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada.
Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada | |
Formation | 1929; 95 years ago (1929) |
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Type | Medical royal college |
Legal status | active |
Purpose | oversee medical education and professional development, advocate and public voice, network |
Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
Region served | Canada |
Membership | medical specialists |
Official language | English, French |
Website | www |
The Royal College is an association of physicians concerned with setting national standards for medical education and continuing professional development in Canada for 80 medical specialties.[1][2][3][4] As such, the Royal College is neither a licensing nor a disciplinary body.[5] Instead, it is a regulatory authority that helps ensure that the training and evaluation of medical and surgical specialists and two special programs maintain certain standards of quality.[6]
All specialists in Canada, with the exception of family physicians, must be certified by the Royal College before they obtain a provincial or territorial licence to practise.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The only exception is in the province of Quebec, where the Royal College shares the responsibility for certifying physicians with the Collège des médecins du Québec.[16]
To become certified, a physician must pass Royal College examinations. Access to these examinations is usually gained by completing a Royal College-accredited residency program at a Canadian university. Access is also available for medical residents who complete a Royal College-recognized residency program in the United States.[17] Certain international training programs approved by the Royal College provide limited access to Royal College examinations.[17]
Since its founding, the Royal College has been granted the patronage of the Canadian monarch, currently Charles III.