CPD activities you can record

Want to know what types of activities and international activities are eligible for each section of the MOC program? Review these examples to find out!

Have you met your section minimums?
You must now document at least 25 credits in each section — 1, 2 and 3 — of the Maintenance of Certification Program before your five-year cycle ends. (This is a cycle requirement, not an annual one, so you have five years to achieve these credit minimums.)

Verify your credits
Log in to your MAINPORT ePortfolio to check how many credits you still need to achieve your 25-credit section minimums. Your MAINPORT dashboard credit counter provides a snapshot of this information. Log in often to check your status!

Sample dashboard credit counter

MOC Section Requirements

Total credits applied toward 25 credit/section/cycle requirement

The requirement to obtain at least 40 credits per year and at least 400 credits in total per cycle still applies.

at least 400 credits for per cycle
at least 25 credits in each of the three MOC sections (this is a cycle requirement not an annual one)
at least 40 credits per year

Here are some examples of CPD activities you may already participate in which are included in the MOC Program:

What types of activities can I report in Section 1?

Participation in Section 1 accredited group learning activities = one (1) credit per hour of participation (no maximum). Information on unaccredited group learning activities is available below.

You may participate in accredited group learning activities held in Canada and outside Canada.

In Canada, this includes participation as an attendee/learner in:

Accredited conferences, courses, seminars and workshops approved by a Royal College accredited CPD provider. Some of these accredited group learning activities are listed here . Note that this is not an exhaustive list therefore, remember that Section 1 accreditation is recognized when the following statement is on the program materials: “ This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by (accredited provider’s name). ”
Other accredited live group learning activities such as: conferences, short duration courses, seminars and workshops, held in Canada, but developed by an Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) - accredited physician organization (such as a university, academy, specialty society, or hospital department);
Accredited web-based group learning activities approved by a Royal College accredited CPD provider.
Accredited hospital rounds, tumour boards, M&M rounds, journal clubs, and small group learning activities that meet the accreditation standards as defined by the Royal College, and have been registered at the Royal College (look for the accreditation statement which confirms MOC Section 1 approval). For more information regarding how you can get your various rounds, journal clubs and small group learning activities accredited, please click here.

Outside Canada, this includes, participation as an attendee/learner in:

Live group learning activities such as conferences, short duration courses, seminars and, workshops that have been developed by a university, academy, college, academic institution or physician organization.
Group learning (live only) activities held within the European Union and the non-European Union countries represented at the UEMS as members and accredited by UEMS-EACCME® for ECMECs® (European CME credits).
Group learning activities (live and online) accredited by EBAC for EBAC CPD credits.
Group learning activities (live and online) accredited by a QCHP-AD accredited CPD provider for QCHP CPD credit.

Learn more about international CPD activities and credit agreements .

Unaccredited activities

Participation in Section 1 unaccredited group learning activities = 0.5 credit per hour of participation (50 credits maximum per cycle).

Unaccredited activities include participation as a learner/attendee in: Rounds, journal clubs, small-group activities or conferences that have not been submitted for accreditation and have no industry sponsorship.

What types of activities can I report in Section 2?

Examples of Section 2 activities include participation in:

Post-grad Fellowship program: a one-year Fellowship program is deemed equivalent to 100 credits per year – recorded in your MAINPORT ePortfolio as four (4) entries of 25 credits each.
PhD or Master’s Program: can be submitted at 25 credits per course under Formal Course.
Other types of Formal Courses: participation as a learner in other types of formal courses is eligible for 25 credits per course ( These are usually developed in collaboration with a university, community college, specialty (e.g. diploma program) or other educational organizations. These require a formal registration process and provide a transcript or certificate of completion. This type of course can lead to the achievement of a formal designation or certificate and usually occur over a period of time usually equivalent to one term at a university but not less than 6 weeks. Note that other courses that are shorter in duration are more typical of a Section 1 accredited group learning activity (provided it meets the section criteria ) and would be submitted at one (1) credit per hour.
Participation as a learner in activities such as Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), and Basic Life Support (BLS) are eligible for two (2) credits per hour under Traineeship.
Activities such as doing additional research and acquiring new learning/knowledge while:
- Addressing clinical or academic questions;
- Doing research and preparation for formal teaching activities or presentations;
- Doing research for the development and submission of a clinical scenario for inclusion in an oral examination or an MCQ or SAQ for a written examination;
- Doing research for grant applications, writing a publication or article;
- Addressing medical-professional administrative or systems-related questions;
- Addressing other CanMEDS roles.
The learning acquired during the research and preparation for these can be submitted as Personal Learning Projects (PLPs) where you will earn two (2) credits per hour.
Reading Journal Articles: For each journal article that you read and have deemed has had a significant impact on your learning or practice can be recorded individually and receive one (1) credit per article.
Listening/viewing podcasts, audiotapes, videotapes, and reviewing enduring materials or scanning the internet (such as Medscape, UpToDate, etc.) = 0.5 credit per topic searched.
InfoPOEMs = 0.25 per activity.
Certain committees are eligible for 15 credits per year/per committee. This can be submitted as a Quality Care/Patient Safety Committee activity. ( Note that the purpose or activity of the committee - working group, task force or similar title - must be to improve or enhance the quality, safety, or effectiveness of the health care system. They must have a formal structure with an appointment process and defined terms of reference and must also meet on a regular schedule. )
Developing clinical practice guidelines with your colleagues or participating in activities or groups that set clinical care standards for your hospital can earn you 20 credits per year
Developing Curriculum - at the undergraduate, postgraduate or professional practice level – can earn you 15 credits per year.
Examination process - for provincial or national certification processes or systems (such as setting the exam standards, being an examiner) can earn you 15 credits per year as an Examination Development activity.
Peer reviewing journal articles, reviewing research grant applications can earn you 15 credits per year as a Peer Review activity. The 15 credits are eligible for your yearly contributions.
Creating assessment strategies or reviewing your peers or colleagues can earn you 15 credits per year as a Peer Review activity. The 15 credits are eligible for your yearly contributions.
Other Systems Learning Activities such as Patient Safety Initiatives, Quality of Care initiatives, Clinical Performance Standard Setting Activities, Assessments strategies for learners or education programs , can earn you 15 credits for the year.

What types of activities can I report in Section 3?

Explore our quality improvement tools and guidelines in the Essential Guidance on Quality Improvement page eligible for MOC Section 3 Credits.

Participation in Section 3 activities = three(3) credits per hour of assessment. This means that to achieve 25 credits in Section 3 you need to complete just over 8 hours of assessment during your five-year cycle.

The time you spend reviewing and reflecting on your data and getting peer feedback counts for Section 3 credits in the following activity examples:

Completing MCC 360, the national multi-source feedback process to obtain insights into your performance as a communicator, collaborator and professional.
Reviewing your annual teaching evaluations (this includes assessments you receive over the year for teaching medical students, residents or practicing physicians in formal CME settings).
Participating in an annual performance review, 360° assessment or any other type of workplace assessment related to practice domains including communication, leadership or managerial ability.
Reviewing feedback you received from your peers after writing peer reviewed journal articles.
Conducting chart review or other practice assessments.
Completing CPSO’s QI Program (see their website for details) for those practising in Ontario
Completing the Post QI Reflective Reporting Tool (PDF) helps you describe the practice change and quality domains targeted, in addition to listing data indicators used to measure improvements.

You may participate in accredited assessment activities in Canada and outside Canada.

Some of these accredited self-assessment programs are available here . The CMPA also has accredited medico-legal self-assessment programs available on their website.

Outside Canada, this includes:

CME in Support of MOC assessment activities completed after November 1, 2019. These activities are accredited under the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)’s “ CME in Support of MOC ” program for the following American Specialty Certifying Boards:
To see a list of eligible activities login to your MAINPORT ePortfolio account and search for accredited SAP programs or visit the ACCME CME Finder and search for activities registered for MOC for any or all of the boards listed above.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) assessment activities completed after November 1, 2020. These activities are developed and accredited by the American College of Surgeons and provide individualized feedback.
To see a list of eligible self-assessment programs login to your MAINPORT ePortfolio account and search for accredited SAP programs, use the advance search function to search by provider name, and select American College of Surgeons from the list of providers.
Or visit the ACS and search for activities with this accreditation statement in the Continuing Medical Education Credit Information box featured in the program materials:
“Through an agreement between the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, MOC Program participants may record completed self-assessment programs or simulation activities developed and accredited by the American College of Surgeons in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.”
The American College of Radiology (ACR) assessment activities completed after March 1, 2021. These activities are developed and accredited by the American College of Radiology and provide individualized feedback.
To see a list of eligible self-assessment programs login to your MAINPORT ePortfolio account and search for accredited SAP programs, use the advance search function to search by provider name, and select American College of Radiology from the list of providers.
Or visit the ACR and search for activities with this accreditation statement in the Continuing Medical Education Credit Information box featured in the program materials:
“Through an agreement between the American College of Radiology and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, MOC Program participants may record completed self-assessment programs or simulation activities developed and accredited by the American College of Radiology in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.”
Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) assessment activities accredited by a Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) accredited CPD provider for QCHP CPD credit.

Learn more about international CPD activities and credit agreements .

For information about recent changes to the MOC Program, please review the Frequently Asked Questions .

For more personalized support, please contact the Royal College Services Centre or your local CPD Educator .