MOC Program regulations and policies for Fellows
The Royal College's MOC Program has a number of regulations and policies designed to ensure the highest standards in specialty medicine.
2. Program regulations
2.1 MOC and Fellowship
2.1.1 Participation in the MOC Program is mandatory for admission to and renewal of Fellowship in the Royal College, and for use of the designations FRCPC and FRCSC (Bylaw No. 19, Article 5.2.3).
2.2 Registration and participation
2.2.1 All active Fellows are automatically registered in the MOC Program subsequent to becoming members and are required to meet all MOC Program requirements.
2.2.2 Fellows whose work involves the practice of clinical, laboratory or community medicine are required to participate in the MOC Program. Fellows whose professional work involves activities referred to as related professional activities are also required to participate in the MOC Program.
2.2.3 Fellows admitted as Medical Scientists or through the Academic Certification route are required to participate in the MOC Program.
2.2.4 Submission of continuing professional development activities completed in each year of a cycle must be submitted using MAINPORT ePortfolio to the Royal College by January 31 for the previous year.
2.2.5 Records related to continuing professional development activities will remain confidential.
2.3 Exemptions
2.3.1 Fellows who are fully retired from clinical practice and all related professional activities are exempt from the MOC Program.
2.3.2 Royal College Honorary Fellows are not required to participate in the program.
2.3.3 Resident Affiliates of the Royal College are encouraged but not required to participate in the program. As of July 1, 2013, Resident Affiliates who document learning activities in MAINPORT ePortfolio during their residency program can transfer up to 75 credits (25 in each of the MOC Program categories of Group Learning, Self-Learning and Assessment) into their first five-year Maintenance of Certification (MOC) cycle following certification. Learn more
2.4 MOC Program requirements
2.4.1 Fellows participating in the MOC Program are required to complete a minimum of 40 credits in each year of a cycle by selecting and completing learning activities included in the Framework of Continuing Professional Development Activities.
2.4.2 Every Fellow participating in the MOC Program is required to complete a minimum of 400 credits during a five-year cycle.
2.4.3 Beginning with new (or next) MOC cycles starting on or after January 1, 2014, all Fellows and MOC Program participants will also be required to complete a minimum of 25 credits in each MOC Program section during their five-year cycle. Learn more
2.4.4 Fellows participating in the MOC Program are responsible for reporting completed continuing professional development activities and documenting learning outcomes through their MAINPORT ePortfolio.
2.4.5 Fellows participating in the MOC Program can review the number of credits documented and applied in their MAINPORT ePortfolio at any time of an active cycle.
2.5 MOC Program cycle
2.5.1 The MOC Program cycle is five years.
2.5.2 Each cycle begins January 1 and concludes December 31 of the cycle’s final year.
2.5.3 A bonus period may be provided to Fellows who join the Royal College as members and begin their first MOC cycle after the January 1 commencement date. All activities completed and reported during the bonus period contribute to the program requirements of reporting a cycle minimum of 400 credits and a cycle minimum of 25 credits in each MOC Program section. Specialists who are not members of the Royal College may be eligible for a bonus period depending on their date of registration.
2.5.4 Specialists absent from practice or related professional activities for more than four months but less than one year (e.g., medical or family leave) are eligible for a one-year extension to their cycle if they have not completed the program requirements of a cycle minimum of 400 credits and a cycle minimum of 25 credits in each MOC Program section by the end of the cycle. Specialists are requested to notify the Royal College Services Centre in writing during the year the leave occurs to ensure they are eligible for a cycle extension.
2.5.5 Specialists absent from practice or related professional activities for a period of more than one year (e.g., medical or family leave) will be granted a new cycle subsequent to returning to part-time or full-time practice or related professional activities. Specialists are requested to notify the Royal College Services Centre in writing during the year of the leave.
2.5.6 A completion certificate will be available online when a Fellow participating in the MOC Program completes a MOC cycle.
2.6 Royal College Directory
2.6.1 The Royal College Directory is a public register the College maintains on its website.
2.6.2 The Royal College Directory includes the Fellow’s name and certified specialties, information on whether the Fellow is participating in the MOC Program, and other information as prescribed by the Royal College in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
2.7 Credit validation
2.7.1 Each year specialists who report continuing professional development activities to the Royal College for a previous year may be selected to participate in credit validation and submit evidence (relevant to individual sections in the Framework of Continuing Professional Development Activities) supporting these activities to the Royal College’s Office of Specialty Education.
2.7.2 If a specialist does not submit evidence that validates self-reported activities, these activities and credits will be removed from their submissions.
3. Program policies
3.1 Non-adherence policies
3.1.1 Fellows participating in the MOC Program are required to report a minimum of 40 credits of continuing professional development in each year of a cycle. Fellows who fail to meet the requirement will be notified by the Royal College at the end of each year of non-adherence and will be provided with information on how to seek assistance through the Royal College Services Centre to enhance their understanding of the MOC Program and select relevant continuing professional development activities. All Fellows who are non-adherent will also be informed on how they can report learning activities completed in past years of their current cycle through the process of credit validation.
3.1.2 After the third year of failing to report any learning activities, according to MOC Program regulations, the Fellow’s status on the Royal College Directory will state that the member has “not yet started to participate in the MOC Program.” Upon reporting completed continuing professional development activities, a Fellow’s status on the Directory will be updated to reflect his/her participation in the program.
3.2 Non-compliance policies
3.2.1 Fellows who have not met the minimum requirement of 400 credits and who have not registered a minimum of 25 credits in each MOC Program section* by the end of their five-year cycle will be subject to having their Fellowship terminated for non-compliance with the MOC Program (Bylaw No. 19, Article 7.1.3). This is applicable to Fellows with cycles starting on or after January 1, 2014. Fellows subject to having their Fellowship terminated for non-compliance with the MOC Program will be provided with an opportunity to appeal the impending removal of their Fellowship.
3.3 Leave of absence policies (medical or family leave)
3.3.1 Fellows participating in the MOC Program who leave practice for more than four months and return to part-time or full-time practice within one year are automatically eligible to have their cycle extended by one year if they have not met the program requirements of a cycle minimum of 400 credits and a cycle minimum of 25 credits in each MOC Program section by the end of that cycle.
3.3.2 Fellows participating in the MOC Program who leave practice for more than one year are given a new cycle when they return to part-time or full-time practice. The new cycle begins on January 1 of the year following their return to practice.
3.4 International maintenance of certification programs policy
3.4.1 International Fellows may be eligible to participate in an alternative maintenance of certification or recertification program recognized by the Royal College in lieu of participating in the Royal College’s International MOC Program.
Contact us
cpd@royalcollege.ca
Royal College Services Centre 1-800-461-9598/ 613-730-6243
For MAINPORT ePortfolio enquiries, please contact cpd@royalcollege.ca
