How to join a committee

Volunteers are an integral component of the Royal College’s success. More than 3,000 individuals, mainly Royal College Fellows, contribute their time and expertise each year. Committee work is a central part of what the Royal College does.

Specialty Committee appointments

Specialty committee chairs, vice-chairs and members are appointed by the Royal College. Specialty committees have a two-year mandate, which begins on the first of July. The Royal College may appoint a new chair, vice-chair or member of a specialty committee at any time.

All appointees must be a Royal College fellow in good standing. They must also have certification, clinical and educational expertise relevant to the specific specialty or subspecialty.

Volunteer identification process

The Royal College volunteer identification process for standing committees of Council takes place annually in the fall, with new committee members being officially appointed at the February Council meeting. Other volunteer roles (such as volunteering at our annual ICRE conference, or with examinations) are on different cycles and the Royal College may be seeking volunteers for these roles at various points during the year.

Interested potential new Royal College volunteers are asked to complete the Volunteer Profile Form.

Volunteer roles range from assisting with events to sitting on Council, and many activities in between. Many Royal College roles must be filled by members (i.e., Fellows) due to provisions in the bylaws, however there are also roles for residents on most committees. Some committees have roles that are skill and interest-based and need not be filled by Fellows (for example, the History and Heritage Advisory Committee has non-Fellow members who are researchers within the field of history of medicine.)

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Royal College.