Accreditation

Accredited Specialty Residency Programs

• General Standards of Accreditation – The Descriptors – This ‘blue book’ includes Canada-wide standards developed by the RCPSC and its partners to evaluate and accredit residency programs sponsored by a university.
  • A Standards – General Standards Applicable to the University and Affiliated Sites (July 2011/Editorial Revision – July 2012)
  • B Standards – General Standards Applicable to all Residency Programs (January 2011/Editorial Revision – July 2012)
  • Annotated General Standards of Accreditation – B Standards (January 2011/Editorial Revision – July 2012)
  • Accreditation Committee Position Papers – Papers that expand on certain aspects of our general standards of accreditation
• Categories of Accreditation – New Terminology (April 2012)

Areas of Focused Competence (AFC) (Diploma) Accredited Programs 

The following resources provide information about the RCPSC accreditation process for AFC (diploma) programs.

• C Standards – General Standards for Areas of Focused Competence (AFC) Programs (November 2011) – These standards were developed by the RCPSC to evaluate and accredit AFC programs sponsored by a university. 

Accredited Family Medicine Residency Programs

The CFPC accredits residency training programs in Family Medicine and Enhanced Skills, categories 1 and 2, at all 17 medical schools in Canada. Residency training programs in Palliative Medicine are currently conjointly accredited by the CFPC and the RCPSC. 

The purpose of the accreditation of residency programs by the CFPC Accreditation Committee is two fold: to attest to the educational quality of accredited programs and to ensure sufficient uniformity and portability to allow residents from across Canada to qualify for the CFPC examinations as residency eligible candidates. 

The Red Book outlines the standards used by the CFPC to accredit Family Medicine and Enhanced Skills residency programs based in departments of family medicine at Canadian university faculties of medicine.

To ensure that programs always strive for excellence and make progress towards addressing weaknesses identified during the most recent accreditation visit, the following reviews are conducted periodically during the eight-year cycle:

Mini Review

This review is conducted by one reviewer over a half-day period approximately 18 to 24 months after the accreditation visit. An internal report is subsequently produced and reviewed by the Accreditation Committee. All mini reviews are made available to the College(s) during their formal accreditation visits.Internal Review

The goal of an internal review is to prepare programs for a future mandated internal or external review or for an upcoming accreditation visit. These reviews are generally conducted 18 to 24 months prior to the mandated review or accreditation visit. The review mimics formal reviews mandated by the RCPSC and CFPC and is conducted by three reviewers (two faculty and one resident) over a half-day to a full day. An internal report is produced and reviewed by the Accreditation Committee. Results of the review are provided to the program director of the program being reviewed and the reviewers receive feedback on the quality of the review from the Chair of the Accreditation Committee. All internal reviews are made available to the College(s) during their formal accreditation visits.

Mandated Internal or External Review

This type of review is carried out by three reviewers over a full day period. A report is produced, reviewed by the Accreditation Committee and forwarded to the respective College(s). Reviewers for mandated internal reviews are appointed by the Chair of the Accreditation Committee while reviewers for a mandated external review are appointed by the RCPSC and CFPC.