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 which includes a Canadian sponsor note
  • meet the CPSBC 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 ºÚÁÏÉç of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
    • be a graduate of a Canadian medical school before July 1, 2010 and have successfully completed a one-year internship or accredited training, satisfactory to the Registration Committee
    • have completed accredited postgraduate training in a training program accredited by the ACGME and achieved certification with the American Board of Family Medicine or the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, satisfactory to the Registration Committee
    • have completed accredited postgraduate training in a training program accredited by the American Osteopathic Association and achieved certification with the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, satisfactory to the Registration Committee
  • if accredited postgraduate training was completed in Canada, applicants are required to have obtained certification with the CFPC and have obtained the LMCC
  • 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
    • registered on the temporary register under the former enactment on May 31, 2009 and registered in the provisional class effective June 1, 2009, or
    • 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 no more than three months prior to their intended start date.

The AMR is downloaded directly to the CPSBC database for review.

Once CPSBC 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 a fully completed secondary application along with all required documentation to CPSBC.

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 CPSBC Bylaws,
  • payment of any other outstanding fine, fee, penalty fee, debt, levy or costs owed to the CPSBC,
  • 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 CPSBC, and online payment of all outstanding fees and penalties are made.

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