Applications and National Consultations: Active
We are committed to transparency of discipline recognition and committee decision-making. On this page you will find:
- Open national consultations.
- The status of current applications for the recognition of new subspecialties
- The status of current applications for the recognition of new AFCs
- Information regarding the development of documents in recognized disciplines
- The status of current applications for changes to existing disciplines
View the approved documents for recognized disciplines.
National Consultations
The Royal College regularly conducts consultations on pending decisions regarding the recognition of new disciplines and major changes to existing disciplines to ensure that the point of view of its stakeholders is taken into consideration and to avoid unintended consequences to the system of specialty medicine. Feedback from each consultation is presented to the Committee on Specialties (COS) at their next meeting. The COS values the feedback from consultations as it helps the committee to make critical decisions of importance to the entire system of specialty medicine.
Consultation recipients are identified for each proposal, based on their role in the system of specialty medical education/regulation and the projected impact of the proposal. If you do not regularly receive invitations to participate in national consultations and you’d like to be included in an upcoming consultation for one of the applications below, please email cos@royalcollege.ca.
Subspecialty Applications for Recognition
◯◯◯◯◯ | To become a recognized Royal College discipline, subspecialty applications must pass five votes: two at the Committee on Specialties and one each at the Committee on Specialty Education, Executive Committee of Council and Council. Filled circles (to the left) show how many votes an application has passed. |
Read a full description of the application process.
Dermatopathology
Status: Committee on Specialties Part II ⚫◯◯◯
Entry Routes |
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|---|---|
Summary | Dermatopathology is that branch of laboratory medicine concerned with the study of the morphologic aspects of diseases of the skin. It is a subdomain of both anatomical pathology and dermatology. It includes the techniques of immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, in-situ hybridization, and molecular pathology, as they pertain to diseases of the skin. Application is available upon request and permission of the applicant. |
COS Part I | Deferred in Spring 2019, Approved in Fall 2019 |
National Consultation | Closed |
COS Part II and CSE | TBD |
AFC Applications for Recognition
◯◯◯ | To become a recognized Royal College discipline, AFC applications must pass three votes: two at the Committee on Specialties and one at the Committee on Specialty Education. Filled circles (to the left) show how many votes an application has passed. |
Read a full description of the application process.
Pediatric Anesthesiology
| Committee on Specialties Part I ⚫⚫⚫ | |
|---|---|
Entry Routes |
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Summary | Pediatric Anesthesiology encompasses anesthetic care for infants and children across the lifespan. Practitioners must acquire knowledge of pediatric diseases and pathologies, anesthetic care and delivery in multiple locations within the health care institution, and in-depth understanding of both routine and highly specialized pediatric interventions. |
COS Part I | Spring 2022 |
National Consultation | Open until August 19, 2022 |
COS Part II and CSE | Fall 2022 |
Memorandum: | TBD |
Neonatal Neurocritical Care
| Committee on Specialties Part I ⚫⚫⚫ | |
|---|---|
Entry Routes |
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Summary |
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COS Part I | Spring 2022 |
National Consultation | Open until August 19, 2022 |
COS Part II and CSE | Fall 2022 |
Memorandum: | TBD |
Recognized AFCs in Standards Development
When a discipline is recognized by the Royal College, a working group is struck to oversee the initial stages of implementation. For AFCs, the working group will be responsible for the appointment of the AFC committee to oversee the discipline, as well as finalizing the standards documents, including the summative portfolio.
The following AFCs are currently in this initial stage:
- Adult Glomerular Diseases
Recognized as a Royal College discipline in 2022 - Neuromuscular Medicine
Recognized as a Royal College discipline in 2022 - Spine Surgery
Recognized as a Royal College discipline in 2021 - Neuro-intervention
Recognized as a Royal College discipline in 2020 - Antimicrobial Stewardship
Recognized as a Royal College discipline in 2020. - Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
Recognized as a Royal College discipline in 2020.
Document suites will be posted on the Information by Discipline section of the Royal College website after they are finalized.
Please contact specialtycommittees@royalcollege.ca for more information.
Applications for Changes to Existing Disciplines
The Committee on Specialties also receives applications for changes to existing disciplines, including changes to:
- A discipline name
- Training length
- Eligibility requirements
- Status
- Primary specialty to subspecialty
- Subspecialty to primary specialty
- subspecialty to AFC
- AFC to subspecialty
