Registration FAQs

• You need to send us your signed consent form with all the information about where to send the Certificate(s), and pay a fee (CPCs are free for post-graduate trainees registered with this College).
• More information and Consent for a Certificate of Professional Conduct Form.

• Name of practitioner
• Dates and category of registration/practice permit
• Credentials recognized by the Council of the CPSA
• Status of registration
• Dates and particulars of any:
  • Suspension of revocation of practice permit
  • Conditions or limitations of practice permit
  • Findings of professional misconduct, incompetence, impairment, or conduct unbecoming of a member of this College
  • Reprimand with consent or imposed by a Hearing Committee
  • Any remedies or sanctions imposed as a result of a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence, impairment or conduct unbecoming
  • Voluntary withdrawals from practice or from a register and reasons, if known by the CPSA
• Open complaints, including unresolved Notice(s) to Practitioner

• Contact the appropriate College directly.

• An individual (Canadian or non-Canadian) who graduated from a medical school outside of Canada or the United States.

• Check our eligibility requirements for independent practice and follow our application steps.

• IMGs are required to have education comparable to the level of graduates from Canadian medical schools, and experience in health care systems similar in size and scope to ones in Canada.
• For IMGs who do not have the required level of education and experience, Alberta has an International Medical Graduate program. Further details are available at http://www.aimg.ca/.

• The length of the process varies and is dependent on the information and supporting documentation submitted by the applicant, and the completeness and timeliness of this information.
• For IMGs, the average timeline to complete the full registration process is about 6 – 8 months. Additional time may be required to obtain a work visa, complete immigration requirements, etc.

Yes, but each province has a different process for reviewing IMG applications. Your first step should be to establish a physiciansapply.ca account, then contact each College directly:

• College of Physicians & Surgeons of B.C. 
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba
• College of Physicians & Surgeons N.B.
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of N.S.
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario
• College of Physicians & Surgeons PEI
• Collège des médecins du Québec 
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Saskatchewan
• Government of the Northwest Territories
• Yukon Medical Council

• No. An Alberta practice permit is valid only in Alberta.

• Every physician practicing in Alberta is required to have professional liability coverage.

• Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I (MCCQE Part I) 
• Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II (MCCQE Part II) 

• Upon successful completion of the MCCQE Part I and MCCQE Part II, the candidate receives the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) and is included in the Canadian Medical Register.
• The LMCC is a prerequisite for the General Register. Those who do not have the LMCC may be eligible to apply for the Provisional Register. Eligibility requirements for Independent Practice, including Locums
• For more information or to apply for an MCC exam, go to physiciansapply.ca

Registration on the Provisional Register is time limited and is valid for a maximum of six years. 

Your practice permit will continue to be valid while we update our process. The College is currently updating the process of moving from the Provisional Register to the General Register to align with the existing Regulations.

Details on your Provisional Registration can be found in your Registration Understanding Agreement. If you don’t have your copy available, contact physician.inquires@cpsa.ab.ca  to obtain a copy.

Make sure your credentials are up to date with the College and that we have your latest contact details. Keep an eye on your email and mailbox. We will be contacting all Provisional Registrants individually with your next steps and timelines.

Provincial law limits registration on the Provisional Register to a maximum of six years. We will review your status as you notify us of new certifications, or when you near your five or six year anniversary on the Provisional Register. We may ask you for information at that time to help us determine your eligibility for the General Register.

Each physician’s situation is assessed individually. Here are a few things we consider:

1. Outstanding matter(s) with the CPSA, such as:
   • open complaint or intervention with one of the CPSA departments
   • non-compliance with the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) rules or practice restrictions or conditions
   • outstanding credentials that have not been source verified
2. Not completing at least five years of satisfactory practice in Alberta while on the Provisional Register
3. Lack of evidence of good character
4. History of serious professional conduct issues with the CPSA which have resulted in:
   • a disciplinary hearing with a finding of professional misconduct
   • a formal agreement with the CPSA or imposed practice restrictions to address professional conduct issues
   • failure to remediate quality of care issues with the Continuing Competence Program

• Obtain your Canadian credentials, including certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the Collège des Médecins du Québec (CMQ) and the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC).
• Update us with any new credentials you have obtained by contacting us at registration@cpsa.ab.ca.
• Remain in good standing with the CPSA Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct.
• Stay up-to-date with your Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

You will be required to undergo a successful Summative Assessment by the CPSA to maintain your registration in Alberta and to be transferred to the General Register.

Physicians on the Provisional Register who were exempt from the Preliminary Clinical Assessment (PCA) part of their initial Practice Readiness Assessment are exempt from the Summative Assessment (e.g. academic appointments). We’ll review their file near the expiry of their provisional registration to confirm they still meet all the requirements for transfer, including being in satisfactory practice.

The Summative Assessment is a final pass/fail assessment of a physician’s medical knowledge and procedural skills, clinical decision making skills, communication and professionalism to ensure the physician is fully competent to join the General Register. The assessment takes place over a period of 3-4 days at the physician’s practice location(s) and the cost is the responsibility of the physician undergoing the assessment.

Specialists’ Summative Assessments are individualized to their practice but may share similar components to Summative Assessments for Family Physicians, noted below.

The Summative Assessment for Family Physicians will include the following components:

• Practice questionnaire
• Direct observation
• Chart stimulated recall
• Mini Clinical Examination (Mini-CEX)
• Multi-source feedback
• MD Snapshot reports

A committee of physicians will consider the assessor’s findings and assessment reports and make a recommendation of a “pass” or “fail” to the CPSA Assistant Registrar for Registration.  The final decision will be made by the CPSA Assistant Registrar for Registration, who will contact the physician with the outcome and next steps.

You can prepare by being familiar with these resources and using them appropriately in your clinical practice:

• Bugs and Drugs
• College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) Priority Topics and Key Features (99 topics)
• Towards Optimized Practice (TOP) Clinical Practice Guideline for Alberta
• Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Clinical Practice Guidelines Infobase
• College of Family Physicians of Canada Clinical (CFPC) Clinical Practice Guidelines and Periodic Health Examinations
• Choosing Wisely Alberta (Alberta Medical Association)
• Alberta College of Family Physicians Helpful Resources
• 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain (McMaster National Pain Centre)

The Summative Assessment ensures physicians are providing safe and competent care to their patients.  Physicians who fail the Summative Assessment will have their registration and practice permit cancelled.  There is an appeal process for registration decisions under Section 31 of the Health Professions Act.

• Submit the Registration and Status Change and Custody of Patient Records forms to the College. You will receive confirmation of receipt from the College.
• You can choose to:

1. Pay the renewal fee for the next registration year (January 1 – December 31) to keep your practice permit active,
2. Voluntarily erase your name from the Alberta Medical Register (your practice permit status will be inactive),
3. Retire from practice,
4. Close your practice, or
5. Take a leave of absence.

• For more information call 780-969-4925, toll-free (Alberta only) 1-800-320-8624 ext. 4925 or email memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca

• Give your patients ample notice, generally 90 days. Leave your contact information with your patients, the College and your coworkers if you work in a shared practice. If you are in solo practice, post this information outside your office and include it in your phone message. Make arrangements for another physician to take over care of your patients, if possible, and to follow-up any investigations you’ve ordered. Ensure your patient records are accessible and secure. Safely dispose of any medication, equipment and supplies, and return Triplicate Prescription forms to the College.
• Refer to the CPSA Standards of Practice for Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice, Patient Record Retention and Terminating the Physician-Patient Relationship in Office-Based Settings.
• Also see the Alberta Medical Association’s resource Managing Office Biomedical Waste.

• To keep your professional corporation permit, you must maintain an active Alberta medical practice permit (January 1 to December 31) and have a registered Alberta office address (i.e., lawyer, accountant)  where your incorporating documentation is held.
• Submit an address change to the College using the Professional Corporation Address Change Form.

• Submit a Notification of Change Form or email us at memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca

• Give your patients ample notice, generally 90 days. Leave your contact information with your patients and your coworkers if you work in a shared practice. If you are in solo practice, post this information outside your office and include it in your phone message.
• For patients not following you to your new practice location, make arrangements for another physician to take over their care, if possible, and to follow-up any investigations you’ve ordered. Ensure their medical records are accessible and secure, either with you in storage or by formal agreement in the custody of your former physician partner(s) or clinic. Safely dispose of any medication, equipment and supplies, and return Triplicate Prescription forms to the College.
• Refer to the CPSA Standards of Practice for Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice, Patient Record Retention and Terminating the Physician-Patient Relationship in office-based settings.
• Also see the Alberta Medical Association’s resource Managing Office Biomedical Waste.

• If the move will affect your professional corporation’s address, submit a Professional Corporation Address Change Form

• Complete the PAP Enrolment Form and fax to: 780-426-0805 or mail to: College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, 2700 – 10020  100 Street NW, Edmonton AB  T5J 0N3.
• Your PAP enrollment form must be received before November 15 to use PAP to renew for the following year.

• You must renew your registration annually by December 31 each year to continue practising medicine in Alberta and billing the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
• If you have been out of practice for more than three years, you will need to re-apply for registration.
• Professional Corporation permits must also be renewed annually by December 31.
• For more information, email memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca

Physicians must renew their registration by December 1 each year to avoid late payment penalties and possible suspension. The renewal process includes:

• payment of annual fees,
• possession of liability coverage/insurance, and
• completion of the online annual renewal form (RIF).

• The RIF ensures we have up-to-date information about your practice, including your contact information and whether or not you are accepting new patients. A portion of this information is posted on the CPSA website to help Albertans who are looking for a doctor. We are also required by the Alberta Government to keep accurate data about physician resources in Alberta.

• The CPSA has a broader range of programs and services than most provincial medical regulators, all supporting good medical practice. A few examples are Practice Readiness Assessments, the Infection Prevention and Control Program and the Physician Health Monitoring Program.
• Every year, we publish a breakdown of what your annual fee pays for in the Renewal Information Form and in The Messenger newsletter.

• You can print it from your online practice profile.
• The benefit of an online practice permit is you can access it anywhere you have a web connection. Online practice permits save printing and mailing costs too.
• If you can’t access your practice permit, email us at memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca; or call 780-969-4925.

• University of Alberta: http://www.med.ualberta.ca/programs/residency
• University of Calgary: http://medicine.ucalgary.ca/pgme/

• The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) at carms.ca, or through the Alberta IMG program

• Alberta International Medical Graduates program: http://www.aimg.ca/

• See our Professional Corporation page for more information & FAQs

• We only accept applications for independent practice registration through physiciansapply. Please read these steps before going to physiciansapply to start the application process.

• Submit a Registration Status Change
• Contact the College at 780-969-4925 or 1-800‑320‑8624 ext. 4925, or email memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca for more information.

• Give your patients ample notice, generally 90 days. Leave your contact information with the College, and your coworkers if you work in a shared practice. Make arrangements for another physician to take over care of your patients, if possible, and to follow-up any investigations you’ve ordered. Ensure your patient records are accessible and secure for at least 10 years. Safely dispose of any medication, equipment and supplies, and return Triplicate Prescription forms to the College.
• Refer to the CPSA Standards of Practice for Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice, Patient Record Retention and Terminating the Physician-Patient Relationship in office-based settings.
• Also see the Alberta Medical Association’s resource Managing Office Biomedical Waste.

• To keep your professional corporation permit, you must maintain an active Alberta medical practice permit (January 1 to December 31) and have a registered Alberta office address (i.e., lawyer, accountant) where incorporating documentation is held. Submit an address change to the College using the Professional Corporation Address Change Form or email professionalcorporations@cpsa.ab
• Retiring physicians cannot hold a professional corporation permit. Only registered members are allowed to maintain a professional corporation if they continue to pay the permit renewal fees each year.
• Although your permit with the College will be cancelled, your professional corporation can continue unimpeded with the Corporate Registry. Please contact your lawyer or accountant for more information.
• Alberta Health will be notified of the cancellation of your Professional Corporation permit.

• To be eligible for re-registration on a temporary or permanent basis, you must have maintained your skills and remained in good standing.
• Provide the College with the following items:
  1. A detailed description of your work history, including photocopies of documents detailing qualifications you obtained since leaving Alberta;
  2. Certificate(s) of Professional Conduct from each jurisdiction in which you practiced or trained since you left Alberta, dated within 90 days of your start date: please ensure certificates are issued directly to the CPSA, from each jurisdiction; and
  3. Your Alberta contact information using the Notification of Change Form

• Physicians who have been away from clinical practice for more than three years may be required to complete an assessment and/or retraining as determined by the Registrar.
• Provide the College with the following items:

1. Written notification (by mail or via email) at least two months prior to your return;
2. A detailed description of your work history, including photocopies of documents detailing qualifications you obtained since leaving Alberta;
3. Certificate(s) of Professional Conduct from each jurisdiction in which you practiced or trained since you left Alberta, dated within 90 days of your start date: please ensure certificates are issued directly to the CPSA, from each jurisdiction;
4. Your exact day of return. Please note, we cannot backdate your registration;
5. Your Alberta contact information using the Notification of Change Form; and
6. Payment of applicable fees.

• Contact the Registration department for more information. In Edmonton and area call 780-969-4924, toll-free (in Alberta) 1-800-561-3899 ext 4924 or email registration@cpsa.ab.ca.

• Provide the College with the following items:

1. Written notification (by mail or via email) at least two months prior to your return;
2. A detailed description of your work history, including photocopies of documents detailing qualifications you obtained since leaving Alberta;
3. Certificate(s) of Professional Conduct from each jurisdiction you practiced or trained in since you left Alberta, dated within 90 days of your start date: please ensure certificates are issued directly to the CPSA, from each jurisdiction;
4. Your exact day of return;
5. Your Alberta contact information using the Notification of Change Form; and
6. Payment of applicable fees.

• Contact the Registration department for more information. In Edmonton and area call 780-969-4924, toll free (in Alberta) 1-800-561-3899 ext 4924 or email registration@cpsa.ab.ca.

• Submit a request in writing and provide the appropriate documentation from the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or
• Submit a request in writing and provide documentation from the appropriate jurisdiction that verifies accredited training and equivalent experience in a field of medicine that also meets the requirements of the RCPSC.
• For more information, contact the College at 780- 969-4924, toll free at 1-800-320-8624 ext. 4924 or email registration@cpsa.ab.ca.

• The College only recognizes specialties approved by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

• Go to your online practice profile. You will need your Registration ID, birth date and password to login.
• You can also print your practice permit and professional corporation permit from your online practice profile.

• Submit a Notification of Change Form or email memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca

• Under Alberta’s Health Professions Act, the College is required to provide the public with basic information about our members: this includes a public address.

• To ensure addresses are entered correctly, special software is needed that will work with the College’s database. Although we are looking to have this option in place soon, it is not currently available. Physicians who need to update their address can send an email to: memberinquiries@cpsa.ab.ca

• Unfortunately, no. Our current database allows only one, so we ask physicians to choose the work address where they spend the majority of their time.