Other terms for conferences include: congress, forum, meeting, symposium, assembly

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Conferences are synchronous and can be in-person, virtual or hybrid.  

• Asynchronous activities (e.g., pre-recorded presentations, webinars) with no opportunities for discussion must be recorded under Section 2: Educational Content review (Watching) 

Example in practice*  
 
Dr. Alvarez, an early career medical fellow, attended her National Specialty Society Conference in Halifax. The conference was accredited for 15 hours and provided her with an opportunity for professional learning, growth and networking. 

Dr. Alvarez attended the entire conference, so she claimed 15 credits for Section 1: Group Learning (accredited conferences: 1 credit per hour X 15 hours = 15 credits). 

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Journal club is a group of individuals who meet regularly to critically evaluate recent articles in  academic literature, including scientific literature, medical literature or philosophy literature. Journal clubs are usually organized around a defined subject in basic or applied research. Accredited journal club learning sessions must be held at least four to six times per year.

Resources  

Accreditation standards
Self-approval process
What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Examples of rounds: grand rounds, morbidity and mortality rounds (M&M rounds) and other hospital-based educational activities.

• Rounds and other hospital-based educational activities are scheduled education sessions developed by hospital or academic departments and delivered within a hospital, clinical or academic setting. The planning committee must be accountable to the head of the department, chief of staff or equivalent. Accredited rounds learning sessions must be held at least four to six times per year.

Not eligible: 

• Typically, “working,” “clinical,” and “ward” rounds are not formal CPD activities. Rather, they are bedside visits by a physician or other health professional to evaluate treatment, assess current course and document the patient’s progress or recuperation. These hours cannot be claimed for credit within the MOC Program.

• Educational dinner events hosted by a pharmaceutical company are not eligible under the MOC Program for accredited or unaccredited credit. 

Resources

Accreditation standards
Self-approval process
What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• To be eligible for MOC Section 1 credits, your participation must include opportunities for discussion. 

• If there was no opportunity for discussion, please enter your activity under MOC Section 2: Courses (asynchronous).

• Postgraduate studies such as Masters or PhD should be claimed under MOC Section 2: Postgraduate studies.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Other terms for seminars: talk, presentations

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• An interactive video meeting or conference that happens in real-time. There must be an opportunity for live discussions. 

• Viewing a recorded session or sessions with no opportunity for discussion must be entered as an activity under Section 2: Educational Content Review (Watching).

Resource

Accreditation standards
What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Small-group learning is a self-selected group of professionals with a passion for a specific practice, who meet to share their concerns, successes and challenges, and who deepen their understanding and practice knowledge by engaging in a process of collective learning. These small groups function as a “community of learners.” Accredited small-group learning sessions must be held at least four to six times per year and have a maximum of 12 members.

Resources  

Accreditation standards
Self-approval process
What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Examples include, but are not limited to: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Basic Life Support (BLS), Instructors’ courses (ATLS, ACLS, PALS).

• If you received direct performance feedback during this activity, record the time spent reviewing and reflecting on this feedback under Section 3: Feedback received.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour to a maximum of 5 credits per year

• Participation in online discussions with colleagues (including interprofessional peers) to exchange evidence-informed ideas about new research, data and guidelines. The source of information must be from credible journals, professional societies or trusted experts in accordance with the Canadian Medical Association’s Code of Ethics and Professionalism and Guidelines for Interacting with Industry.

Example in practice* 

Dr. Sanchez recently graduated from a General Surgery residency program. He is currently practising in a rural community and has been receiving requests for consultations for complex hernia repairs. While looking for review articles on complex hernia management, he came across an article about the International Hernia Collaboration (IHC) and their Facebook group that’s moderated by IHC.  

Dr. Sanchez joined the group and has had productive online discussions with other surgeons about how to treat certain types of complex hernias. Recently, he saw a post about the surgical management of a large inguino-scrotal hernia and decided to read more about this in several peer reviewed articles that were linked in the post. After having read the post and the articles, he was able to utilize some of the new techniques that he learned the next time he was managing a complex case. Afterwards, he shared this experience (and his reflections on the case) on the IHC Facebook group’s discussion board. 

He receives credit under Section 1: Group Learning: Social media for knowledge translation

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Discussions can include: collaborative discussions with interprofessional health care teams and patients, and informal discussions and structured team meetings. 

• Does not include routine rounding on patients.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 1 credit per hour

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour

• Learning about patient needs, lived experiences and social determinants of health to provide a holistic health care plan through patient-focused activities.

Example in practice*

• Patient engagement webinars with an opportunity for Q&A between physicians and patients.  

• Participation in patient support groups as it allows an opportunity to hear patient stories and journeys.

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour to a maximum of 30 credits per year 

This includes: 

• Reading (e.g., digital clinical resources such as UpToDate, Medscape, books, journals, articles, enduring material)

• Listening (e.g., podcasts, audiotape, enduring material)

• Watching (e.g., videos, recorded webinars, recorded conferences, enduring material)

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour  

• These types of courses have no opportunity for discussions (examples: online, independent study).

• If there were opportunities for discussion, please enter your activity under Section 1: Courses.

• Postgraduate studies such as Masters or PhD should be claimed under Section 2: Postgraduate studies.

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 0.5 credits per hour  

• Training to develop or improve your technical skills  

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 2 credits per hour  

• This activity was listed as a Personal Learning Project (PLP) in the previous MOC Framework.

• Learning acquired during the research and preparation for a task.

• Activity preparation includes knowledge acquisition for activities such as 

  • addressing a clinical or academic question;
  • preparing to deliver a teaching session or presentation;
  • preparing education for patients, families or communities;
    
  • preparing a manuscript (book, chapter, article);
    
  • preparing a grant application;
    
  • addressing an administrative or systems-related question;
    
  • creating an oral or written exam question for submission.

• The MOC Program does not provide credits for actual teaching or presenting; however, you may report the new learning acquired while preparing or researching for your teaching sessions or presentations.

Example in practice*

Dr. Paul works as a nephrologist at a community hospital and was asked to present a journal club about new guidelines on the management of hyponatremia. 

To prepare for the journal club talk, Dr. Paul reviewed the prior hyponatremia guidelines and researched the new publications. The research conducted helped him lead a robust discussion with the group; suggestions were made on ways the Nephrology group could better their practice based on the new evidence and the prior guidelines. 

Dr. Paul was aware that the work he had engaged with was recognized in the MOC Program as Section 2: Activity Preparation. He was able to claim MOC credits for the preparation he conducted to lead the journal club. He had researched papers and guidelines and created a presentation combining all the content and data to present at the journal club. In the coming weeks, he would be presenting at a panel for hypertension. He recognizes that that he cannot claim credits for presenting at the panel, but he can claim Section 2: Activity Preparation credits for the research and prep work he would do for that presentation. 

He receives credit under Section 2: Individual Learning: Activity Preparation

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 50 credits per year, per initiative

• Postgraduate academic studies such as Masters or Doctorate, or

• Formal subspecialty training obtained in an established, structured fellowship program.

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 20 credits per year

• Structured learning activities designed to meet an identified professional need, conducted under direct supervision.

• Requirements: Creation of a learning objective, development of a learning plan in collaboration with a mentor or supervisor, receipt of feedback on the achievement of learning objectives, and verification of activity completion.

Accredited: 3 credits per hour

Unaccredited: n/a

• SAPs are assessments (e.g., multiple-choice or short-answer questions) that identify knowledge gaps.

• Many US self-assessment programs (SAPs) are covered by a credit recognition agreement with the Royal College. If the SAP is not, please record as Section 2: Individual Learning: Activity preparation.

Resources

What we count as accredited activities 

Full list of credit recognition agreements

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 3 credits per hour

• This activity is eligible for credits for time spent reviewing and reflecting on feedback.

• Feedback may be provided by

  • interprofessional team members,
    
  • patients and care partner,
    
  • colleagues and peers, or
    
  • multiple sources (e.g. 360 feedback).

• Feedback received includes comments or information obtained through
  
  
  • annual performance reviews (annual workplace assessments)
  • chart audits
  • direct observation
  • reviews of journal article submissions and grant applications
  • teaching reviews
  • presentations surveys/evaluations (e.g., conferences, grand rounds)
  • reviews of clinical data
  • practice-based assessments
  • oral exam practice sessions (for licensing or certification examinations)
  • resuscitation courses (e.g., ATLS, ACLS, BLS)* 
  • other performance assessments, such as multisource (e.g., 360) reviews
  • patient surveys
  • reviews conducted on behalf of a medical regulatory authority

*Note: If you did not receive direct performance feedback during this activity, you should record the activity under Section 1: Group Learning – Resuscitation courses.

Example in practice*
Watch video example: Dr. Chen

Dr. Chen is a mid-career emergency physician and trauma team leader at an urban teaching hospital. Recently, the emergency department where he works developed a plan to start including flexible intubating scopes as a new option in its toolkit for difficult airways.  

Though he’s used a bronchoscope a handful of times, it’s been years. He certainly doesn’t feel confident using a flexible intubating scope for difficult airways as this was not part of his training. He’s aware that as the new equipment starts being used in the department where he works, there will eventually be a need to supervise learners who are now becoming increasingly familiarized with it.  

Dr. Chen decides to enroll in an “early adopters” training session being offered by his colleagues in the department. He does the assigned pre-reading, attends an afternoon session in the simulation lab, and then practises these new skills at a cadaver session a month later. His more experienced colleagues observe him in both the simulation and cadaver labs, provide feedback, and coach him until he feels more comfortable with the technique.  

Despite some early uncertainty, he now feels ready to start adding the flexible intubating scope into his own difficult airway algorithm for the right patients. Dr. Chen feels more confident that he’ll be able to appropriately supervise his learners once they are introduced to the technique themselves. 

He receives credit under Section 3: Feedback and Improvement - Direct observation

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: 3 credits per hour

Unaccredited: 1.5 credits per hour

• Simulation activities take place in a simulated or actual practice environment (e.g., hospital mock codes, in-situ simulation, translational simulations, task or skill trainers or mannequins, tabletop exercises, virtual reality, theatre-based simulation) after which participants receive feedback on their knowledge, skills or performance.

• Participants: Participation in a simulation activity in which you are receiving feedback during debriefing for individual and/or team improvement.

• Observers: Observers of a simulation activity in a group learning setting who do not receive feedback as part of the debriefing may record their time in Section 1: Group Learning. 

• Simulation Instructors/Facilitators: Instructors/facilitators can claim Section 3 credits (feedback on teaching) for receiving feedback on teaching from participants and students. Refer to Section 3: Receiving, reviewing and reflecting on feedback.

Resources

Accreditation standards [PDF]

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 3 credits per hour

• Coaching activities include setting goals with the coach/peer, being observed when needed, engaging in organic/structured coaching conversations (listening, asking questions, seeking feedback, reflecting and planning actions).

• What is coaching or mentoring? An opportunity to improve specific areas of professional practice and personal well-being through guided interactions with a peer or certified coach and, where needed, planned actions.

• What is not coaching? Hallway conversations with no goal setting are not coaching. 

Example in practice*
Watch video example: Dr. Leslie

Dr. Leslie, a late-career surgeon, would like to remain active and involved in the hospital of his small town where he has dedicated over 30 years of his life. He has provided mentorship for the past three years to a young surgeon, Dr. Brown, who has taken over. Dr. Leslie remains a very sharp and astute clinician; however, he is not well-versed in new endoscopic techniques brought to the hospital by his junior colleague. Dr. Leslie offered to remain active by providing surgical assistance for Dr. Brown. Dr. Brown was delighted with this proposition as it made the surgery flow better, and she found it very helpful that Dr. Leslie was able to round on patients post-operatively and participate in busy surgery clinics, as she would be called occasionally to ER for a trauma case.  

To ensure that he is meeting the needs of Dr. Brown as her surgical assistant, Dr. Leslie proposed a formal coaching activity whereby Dr. Brown is to provide quarterly structured feedback for his new role as surgical assistant. By seeking input from his colleague, Dr. Leslie fostered a climate of trust and collaboration and was able to remain active in the hospital while ensuring that he was filling his new role to assist his colleague in procedures that were at times unfamiliar to him. 

He receives credit under Section 3: Feedback Improvement: Coaching (recipient)

Resources

What we count as accredited activities

Find more information on Peer Coaching in Practice

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 3 credits per hour to a maximum of 15 credits per year

• This activity is eligible for credits for time spent on preparing, delivering and reflecting on the delivery of your feedback.
  
  
• Feedback can be delivered through
  
  
  • annual performance reviews (annual workplace assessments)
  • chart audits
  • direct observation
  • reviews of journal article submissions and grant applications
  • teaching reviews
  • reviews of clinical data
  • practice-based assessments
  • oral exam practice sessions (for licensing or certification examinations)
  • resuscitation courses (e.g., ATLS, ACLS, BLS)
  • other performance assessments, such as multisource (e.g., 360) reviews
  • reviews conducted on behalf of a medical regulatory authority

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 3 credits per hour to a maximum of 15 credits per year

• An opportunity for peer or certified coaches to give feedback, reflect and improve their skills as needed. 

• What is coaching or mentoring (as a provider)? To deliver peer coaching and mentorship or executive coaching, if certified, in an organic or structured manner. 

• This activity may involve asking for feedback (oral or written) on coaching or mentorship skills and reflecting or changing as needed for further interactions.  

• What is not coaching? Hallway conversations without goals or intentions are not coaching.

Example in practice*
Watch video example: Dr. Shah

Dr. Shah is a mid-career Fellow. She works as a general surgeon working in North Battleford Saskatchewan, population approximately 14,000 people. She trained in General Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and then went on to complete a fellowship in Endoscopy and brought this enhanced ability and expertise back to her local Saskatchewan community. 

She is deeply committed to providing outstanding patient care and serves in an educational role as clinical supervisor for both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees from the local university. Dr. Shah has been in practice for approximately 10 years and recently has been very troubled with the degree of burnout and physician disengagement she sees in her friends and colleagues. 

Dr. Shah recently joined a program offered through her former College of Medicine CME office to become a coach. She receives education on coaching methods and interview methods, which are based on the R2C2 model. For two hours every month she meets with her assigned “coachee,” Dr. Dimitri, and provides them individual, personalized coaching sessions. Dr. Shah uses her experience as well as the education that has been provided to her by the program to support Dr. Dimitri and to allow them to explore and find solutions on their own to the difficult situations that they are experiencing. These include, but are not limited to, feelings of frustration, burnout, helplessness, fatigue and questions about career arc, additional training, clinical dilemmas, etc.

She is very eager to provide support for her colleagues, and she values the program as an opportunity for those new to practice to keep them from burning out and then leaving the communities that they currently serve. She is pleased that the expanded Maintenance of Certification Program allows for recognition of the coaching that she provides.

She receives credit under Section 3: Feedback and Improvement: Coaching (provider)

Resources

What we count as accredited activities

Find more information on Peer Coaching in Practice

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 25 credits per QI initiative, per year

• † Credits can be claimed each year that you are working on the QI initiative  

• Self-directed improvement activities 

Example in practice*
Watch video example: Dr. Artemis
Watch video example: Dr. Kwame

Dr. Yacob is a newly qualified internist with an interest in metabolic disorders. She trained in a large urban centre and was not satisfied with the practice opportunity for her specialty in large urban areas. She joins a Family Health Team in Northern Ontario as an internist to help manage complex medical conditions among the mainly Indigenous patient population to help reduce visits to Sudbury.  She is immediately impressed with the level of care required and the complexity of the patients' medical conditions.  

However, she finds that the patients are not warming up to her or compliant with blood work and medication changes. A nurse in the practice asks her what she knows about Indigenous Peoples and their experiences with health care and non-Indigenous practitioners. Dr. Yacob realizes that she does not understand her patients' view of health care. 

She undertakes a cultural training minicourse in health care to help understand her patients from the Indigenous community she is working in. Through this training, she begins to understand the history of Indigenous Peoples with the Canadian government and health care system. The training helps her understand her patients better and it helps her modify the approach she takes in managing her patients, in gaining their trust and incorporating Indigenous beliefs into her recommendations. She starts to notice more compliance with test results, medication regimens and follow-up. 

She receives credit under Section 3: Feedback and Improvement: Improvement initiative (individual) 

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Learn more by reading Essential Guidance for Quality Improvement

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 15 credits per QI initiative, per year

• Includes departmental and interprofessional initiatives.

• Credits can be claimed each year that you are working on the QI initiative.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Learn more by reading Essential Guidance for Quality Improvement

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 35 credits per QI initiative, per year

• Includes departmental and interprofessional initiatives.

• Credits can be claimed each year that you are working on the QI initiative.

Example in practice*
Watch video example: Dr. Venlos
Watch video example: Dr. Bernard

Dr. Crez completed his Anesthesiology fellowship one year ago and is now a member of an anesthesia department with 45 members. When he joined this department, he was asked how he would like to contribute to its academic mission. Dr. Crez volunteered to work on an interprofessional team committee as a component of his academic work. 

The hospital’s interdisciplinary perioperative committee created a patient transfer protocol for communication at the time of transitions in care to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). However, the committee had difficulty in disseminating the protocol. Despite the development of a protocol to use at the time of patient handover from the operating room to the PACU, some providers did not know it existed, while others were not utilizing it, despite knowing about it. 

Since Dr. Crez was interested in interprofessional team function, he was invited to join the perioperative committee. After discussion with the committee members, it was decided that he would develop an online education module. The education would be designed to disseminate the committee’s protocol on communication at transitions in care as patients were transferred to the PACU. 

Dr. Crez used the committee’s protocol to develop the online education module. The module was made available for the entire interdisciplinary perioperative care team. He was invited to present the online module at the hospital rounds. In addition to the development of the interactive, interprofessional online module, Dr. Crez posted the protocol in the PACU. Six months later, Dr. Crez led an evaluation of the success of the project and made several changes through a continuous quality improvement lens. 

He receives credit under Section 3: Feedback and Improvement: Improvement initiative (Group)

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Learn more by reading Essential Guidance for Quality Improvement

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 15 credits per year (chair), per committee OR 10 credits per year (member), per committee

• Credits are per committee

• To be eligible for credits, a committee must have a formal structure, appointment process, defined terms of reference and minimum of two meetings per year.

• Committee participation focuses on improvements in various areas, such as 

  • patient care
  • physician well-being
  • professional practice
  • medical education
  • health systems
  • interprofessional practice
  • equity, diversity and inclusion
  • planetary health

Example in practice*
Watch video example: Dr. Jones

Dr. Crez completed his Anesthesiology fellowship one year ago and is now a member of an anesthesia department with 45 members. When he joined this department, he was asked how he would like to contribute to its academic mission. Dr. Crez volunteered to work on an interprofessional team committee as a component of his academic work. 

The hospital’s interdisciplinary perioperative committee created a patient transfer protocol for communication at the time of transitions in care to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). However, the committee had difficulty in disseminating the protocol. Despite the development of a protocol to use at the time of patient handover from the operating room to the PACU, some providers did not know it existed, while others were not utilizing it, despite knowing about it. 

Since Dr. Crez was interested in interprofessional team function, he was invited to join the perioperative committee. After discussion with the committee members, it was decided that he would develop an online education module. The education would be designed to disseminate the committee’s protocol on communication at transitions in care as patients were transferred to the PACU. 

Dr. Crez used the committee’s protocol to develop the online education module. The module was made available for the entire interdisciplinary peri-operative care team. He was invited to present the online module at the hospital rounds. In addition to the development of the interactive, interprofessional online module, Dr. Crez posted the protocol in the PACU. Six months later, Dr. Crez led an evaluation of the success of the project and made several changes through a continuous quality improvement lens. 

He receives credit under Section 3: System Improvement: Committee.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 15 credits per year, per initiative

• Developing or updating undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development curricula.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 15 credits per year, per initiative

• Developing or updating examinations or assessment strategies. 

• Examination development for provincial or national certification processes or systems such as setting the exam standards.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 15 credits per year, per initiative

• Setting care standards for your department, hospital, specialty or other area of focus. 

• Developing clinical practice guidelines with your colleagues or participating in activities or groups that set clinical care standards for your hospital.

Resource

What we count as accredited activities

Accredited: n/a

Unaccredited: 5 credits per initiative 

• Investigating an adverse event and recommending improvements. This includes clinical care review.

Example in practice*

Dr. Mika recently reported an adverse event in the medical clinic involving a medication administration error that resulted in an allergic reaction in a patient. The incident was thoroughly analyzed, revealing factors such as a miscommunication in the patient's medical history and a lapse in double-checking procedures. 

Dr. Mika’s report emphasized the importance of improved communication among health care staff and reinforced the need for stringent verification processes before medication administration. To prevent similar incidents, proposed actions include enhanced training on patient history assessment and the implementation of additional cross-checks during medication administration. Dr. Mika’s commitment to patient safety is evident in the proactive approach taken to address the root causes and implement measures that will contribute to a safer health care environment.

Dr. Mika receives credit under Section 3: System Improvement: Adverse event reporting

Resource

What we count as accredited activities