Physician Recruitment Information
Requirements for Practice

A number of requirements exist to ensure physicians are ready to begin practice. These include:

Examinations – Examination requirements for qualification of Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) and inclusion in the Canadian Medical Register are outlined.

Liability coverage – The Ontario Medical Insurance offers liability coverage for physicians. Coverage must be purchased before practice begins.
Licensing – The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) is the licensing authority for physicians in Ontario. It is the responsibility of the College to ensure that physicians requesting licensure meet the requirements for registration. The College is also responsible for setting and monitoring standards of medical practice and investigating complaints about physicians.

Professional associations – The Ontario Medical Association is the professional organization representing the physicians in the Province of Ontario. The responsibilities of the OMA include negotiating on behalf of physicians, member representation, advocating for a better quality health care system, physician and family health, and co-managing the physician services budget.

Registration to bill – New physicians must register with the Ontario Health Insurance Plan  to claim fees for insured fee-for-service services.
Licensing
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has the responsibility within the province of Ontario for:
  • Licensing physicians,
  • Setting and monitoring standards of medical practice, and
  • Investigating complaints about physicians.

In addition to these three prime areas of responsibility, the College is often approached for advice on ethical, medical-legal, and general quality of care matters.

The College operates under the authority of the Medical Professions Act and applicable regulations and bylaws.
Funding for College operations comes almost entirely from various fees paid by physicians, their professional corporations, or their facilities. The College also manages several quality-assurance programs on a cost-basis grant from the Ontario government.

At the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Registration Department is responsible for, among other things, issuing Ontario licenses to eligible physicians and establishing professional corporations.

To be eligible for licensure with the College you must:
  • Immediately be proceeding forthwith into the practice of medicine in Ontario;
  • Satisfy the Registrar of your ability to communicate in one of Canada’s official languages; and
Satisfy the Registrar that you are of good character and reputation, that your name has not been struck off the register of any licensing authority, and that you are not or have not been suspended by any licensing authority or tribunal in Canada or elsewhere.
Examinations

Leading to Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) and inclusion in the Canadian Medical Register
Examination requirements for the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) Evaluating and Qualifying Exams is available for viewing at the Medical Council of Canada.

Information pamphlets, application forms and texts on Objectives for the Qualifying Examination and Objectives of the Considerations of the Legal, Ethical, and Organizational Aspects of the Practice of Medicine are available through the Medical Council of Canada.

International Medical Graduates
Ontario’s Official Immigration Website for Health Care Professionals: www.HealthForceOntario.com

Ontario’s Official Immigration Website provides basic general information for adult immigrants and is published in several languages, including English. Information includes details on:
  • The first few days (temporary accommodation, immigrant-serving organizations, etc.),
  • Living in Ontario (weather, telephone calls, mail, shopping etc.),
  • Money and banking (Canadian money, cheques, debit cards and credit cards, financial institutions, taxes, etc.),
  • Housing (types, renting, buying, property insurance, etc.),
  • Transportation (in and between cities, driving and buying a motor vehicle, etc.),
  • Employment (social insurance number, finding employment, standards and regulation, employment insurance, etc.),
  • Education (Ontario’s school system, English as a second language, post-secondary education, etc.),
  • Health care (Ontario Health Plan Insurance, hospitals, dentists, etc.),
  • Rights and responsibilities (Canadian legal system, police, lawyers, human rights, etc.), and
  • Staying in Canada (citizenship, deportation, sponsorship, etc.).

PHYSICIAN SUPPORT PROGRAM
Physician Health Program (PHP)

The Physician Health Program, offered through the (link: Ontario Medical Association works with physicians, residents and their families in times of health and sickness, serenity and stress, and from early professional life to retirement. The program provides confidential referral and counseling services for physicians and their families, as well as preventive “learning and living” education workshops, seminars and retreats.

Access to assistance is available through a 24-hour confidential line (1- Confidential Toll-Free line: 1-800-851-6606 Confidential Fax Line: 416-340-2860 you can call for confidential help in a crisis – or, even better, before small problems become big ones.

Typical situations include marital or family problems, work-related and career issues, depression, alcohol and drug dependencies, child or elder care issues, financial concerns, concern about a colleague or medical-legal issues.
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