Ontario Practice Ready Assessment Program PRA 2023

HAMLET GUNNESS - MEMBER OF CICC

(416) 604 2669

Blog

BY GUNNESS & ASSOCIATES

March 22, 2023

The Ontario Practice Ready Assessment Program PRA 2023, Ontario has revived its plans for a program that accelerates the recruitment of foreign-trained doctors. The self-regulating body for Ontario’s medical profession proposes a 12-week program for internationally trained physicians in Ontario in a submission submitted to the minister of health in December 2022.

Seven Canadian provinces use Practice Ready Assessment (PRA) programs to help with the licensing of internationally trained doctors who completed their training and worked independently abroad. Canadian provinces using PRA for internationally trained doctors are:

Practice-Ready Assessment for BC Physicians (PRA-BC)
Alberta Practice Readiness Assessment (PRA-AB)
International Physician Practice Assessment for Saskatchewan (SIPPA)
The International Medical Graduate Program at the University of Manitoba (PRA MB – Family Practice & PRA MB – Specialty Practice)
College of Physicians of Quebec
Practice Ready Assessment – Newfoundland and Labrador (PRA-NL)
Practice Ready Assessment Program for Nova Scotia (NSPRAP)

As of right now, the pan-Canadian framework of the NAC is not offering practice assessments for the following provinces and territories: Ontario, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.

Practice Ready Assessment Program PRA for BC Physicians (PRA-BC)

British Columbia launched an assessment program for family doctors with foreign training who completed their family medicine residencies outside of Canada in 2015. Practice Ready Assessment – British Columbia (PRA-BC) is a program that offers qualified family doctors another path to BC licensure.

Alberta Practice Readiness Assessment (PRA-AB)

For IMGs without any required Canadian credentials, the last step of the other path to independent practice in Alberta is a Practice Readiness Assessment (PRA-AB). An IMG must pass a two-part assessment of their clinical competence, chart management, and professionalism once registering with CPSA in order to be admitted to the Provisional Register. A Canadian medical graduate must take and pass a portion of this assessment in order to join the Provisional Register if they failed a national examination.

The steps that you have to take before a PRA-AB Assessment are listed below. Once these are completed, the CPSA finds an assessor for you and sets up the assessment times.

Submit a Review of Qualifications for Independent Practice
Apply for the TDM exam
Secure AHS sponsorship
Submit your supporting documents
Start the PRA-AB

International Physician Practice Assessment for Saskatchewan (SIPPA)

A competency assessment program for “practice readiness” is the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA). SIPPA was established in operation in 2011 to make sure that doctors with foreign training who want to practice medicine in Saskatchewan have the necessary clinical knowledge and expertise to offer high-quality patient care.

A provincial oversight committee with representatives from the provincial government, sakdocs/Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA), and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan encourages SIPPA’s activities under the direction of the College of Medicine. (CPSS).

The International Medical Graduate Program at the University of Manitoba (PRA MB – Family Practice & PRA MB – Specialty Practice)

The International Medical Graduate (IMG) program at the University of Manitoba allows you to join the many other graduates currently living and working in Manitoba as family doctors or specialists. Be a part of a vibrant medical community that is improving Manitobans’ lives for the long term.

College of Physicians of Quebec

To promote physician workforce mobility between Quebec and France, the Collège des médecins du Québec, France’s Conseil national de l’Ordre des médecins, and the French Minister for Health and Sports signed an agreement on the mutual recognition of physicians’ professional qualifications on November 27, 2009. (Quebec-France MRA).

An international medical graduate (clinician or Quebec-France MRA) must complete an assessment period that demonstrates their clinical competence in the context of medical practice in Quebec in order to ensure the protection of the public. This is an essential phase in the process of obtaining a restrictive permit in Quebec.

Practice Ready Assessment – Newfoundland and Labrador (PRA-NL)

A candidate is put on the Education Register and assessed for readiness to practice under a provisional medical license in Newfoundland and Labrador during the 12-week Practice Ready Assessment – Newfoundland and Labrador (PRA-NL).

Before submitting an application to PRA-NL, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (CPSNL) must determine that you are qualified for a Family Medicine provisional licensing. Without this eligibility, do not reapply.

Practice Ready Assessment Program for Nova Scotia (NSPRAP)

The Nova Scotia Practice Ready Assessment Program (NSPRAP) is a program to assess international medical graduates (IMGs) who want to practice family medicine in Nova Scotia to make sure they have the required clinical skills and knowledge to provide high-quality patient care.

The Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness (DHW) provides financial assistance for NSPRAP, which operates under the direction of the Dalhousie Department of Family Medicine (DFM) in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSH) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia. (CPSNS).

How can a foreign doctor get licensed in Canada?

Medical graduates who meet the set criteria receive the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC), a medical qualification. The LMCC is a part of the Canadian Standard, which defines the requirements doctors must meet before they may apply for a full license to independently practice medicine in Canada. It is not a license to practice medicine. An application for medical registration needs to be filed by a medical regulatory authority (MRA) once a candidate meets all of the requirements specified by that MRA.