A letter of support from the relevant sponsoring parent specialty and from the national specialty society
The processing fee.
Any supporting documentation should be referenced it in the appropriate section, clearly labeled and appended to the application. Estimates may be provided if definitive data is not available; they must be clearly identified and the method for estimation explained.
Applications must be fully completed. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant.
Submitting your application
Please submit your application by email to cos@royalcollege.ca in Word format.
Associate Director, Specialty Standards, Policy and Development
Office of Education
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
c/o Administrator, Committee on Specialties (COS)
774 Echo Drive
Ottawa, ON K1S 5N8
Identification of applicant
If you are the primary applicant and there are any changes in your contact information during the application process, please notify the Office of Education, Committee on Specialties (COS) Administrator by e-mail cos@royalcollege.ca. All correspondence from the Office of Education will be sent to the primary contact person for the application.
Fee Structure
The following fees will be introduced as part of a cost-recovery business model:
Application Fee for review by Committee on Specialties: $12,500 (per application)
The application fee is to be paid in full up front. Reimbursement of application fees will not be provided should an application be rejected by COS.
Program Fee for Accreditation: $2000 (per program/school)
Credentialing Fee: $350 (per candidate, including PER)
Assessment Fee: $500 (per candidate, including PER)
Annual Dues: $425
Please note that the Royal College does not provide clerical support or financial assistance to complete the application.
Timelines
It is estimated that an application for an AFC would typically take 12 months to be processed. Meetings of the COS are usually held twice a year, in fall and in spring, at which time applications for new AFC are reviewed.
The deadline for expressing interest in applying for a diploma will be six months prior to the COS meeting. This means an initial expression of interest by May 1st for the October meeting, and October 1st for the April meeting. This timeline will allow the Office of Education to review draft iterations of the application and to work with the applicant to ensure the application is complete.
The deadlines for submitting the final application is two months prior to the meeting, to ensure time for the COS reviewer to review the application prior to the meeting:
February 1st, in order to be reviewed at the April meeting or
September 1st, to in order to be reviewed at the October meeting
Questions?
Detailed instructions for the applicants, including more details regarding the AFC (diploma) discipline category, are included in the application form. To find out more about how a new specialty, subspecialty or AFC (diploma) is evaluated, read the Criteria for Royal College Recognition (2010). The Diplomas Administrator is available to answer questions regarding the AFC (diploma) category or the application process, and can be reached by e-mail: cos@royalcollege.ca or by telephone at 613-730-8177, ext. 395 or 1-800-668-3740, ext. 395.
