This certification route is for candidates with postgraduate residency training in a program accredited by the Royal College. This route also applies to candidates with postgraduate residency training in a program in the United States accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
If you are a resident registered with a Canadian postgraduate medical education office, in a Royal College accredited specialty or subspecialty program, you can apply for a training assessment by filling out the application form below.
This assessment ensures you have met specialty-specific training requirements in a recognized and approved program. The training assessment is the first step on your route to Royal College certification and it is required to determine if you are eligible to write a Royal College exam. Exam eligibility is granted for a three-year period following your training assessment.
The deadline to apply for a training assessment occurs the year before you wish to write your exam. For spring exams, the deadline is April 30. For fall exams, the deadline is August 31. If you miss the deadline, late fees will be applied.
Apply now for an assessment of training of your Canadian residency training
If you are unable to open the above fillable pdf form, please download the printable form which is compatible with most web browsers. Note that both forms are the same, but one is fillable, allowing you to type your information, which you can then print to email or fax to us; and the other is printable, requiring you to handwrite your information. It is only necessary to submit one form.
Journey to certification: Training and exam timing
Surgical Foundations exam
If you are a Canadian resident in the following surgical specialties*, you must successfully complete the Surgical Foundations exam before you are eligible to write the final exam(s) in your surgical specialty:
You may apply for Surgical Foundations in PGY1 to be eligible to take the examination in PGY2.
If you are unable to open the above fillable pdf form, please download the printable form which is compatible with most web browsers. Note that both forms are the same, but one is fillable, allowing you to type your information, which you can then print to email or fax to us; and the other is printable, requiring you to handwrite your information. It is only necessary to submit one form.
Below are the next steps if you have passed the Surgical Foundations exam.
*Surgical Foundations is not required from Approved jurisdiction, Practice eligibility route, Practice ready assessment or ACGME applicants.
If you have passed the Surgical Foundations exam
If you have already been assessed for the Royal College’s Surgical Foundations exam (surgical specialties only), you are not required to re-apply for a training assessment. Instead, you must contact credentials@royalcollege.ca by April 30 of the year before you intend to take your final surgical specialty exam to request the continued assessment of your final years of training. Requests received after this date will be subject to a late fee.
When you email us, please provide the following information:
- your full name
- your surgical specialty
- the year you intend to take the final surgical specialty exam
- dates and rotations of final years of residency training
- proposed end-of-training date
- name and contact details of your program director
- your current mailing address
Surgical Foundations and Competence by Design
Find answers to frequently asked questions about Surgical Foundations in Competence by Design training.
This diagram provides an illustrative overview of Surgical Foundations in Competence by Design training.
This infographic presents the key milestones of Surgical Foundations in Competence by Design training.
Become a Resident Affiliate
As a resident, you play a critical leadership role in postgraduate medical education.
Recognizing this role, we encourage you to not only join the Royal College for free, but to play an active role in the organization during your residency and throughout your specialist career. As a Resident Affiliate, the Royal College will help advance your career, showcase your expertise, support your development and advance specialty medicine and specialty medical education across Canada and abroad. Resident Affiliates enjoy many Royal College benefits, such as accumulating credits during residency that can be applied to your continuing professional development (CPD) requirements following certification.
You will also have access to timely medical and specialty news, unique volunteer opportunities and awards and grants specifically for residents, in addition to being part of a professional community with over 44,000 colleagues.
To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a Royal College accredited residency program in a primary specialty, and you cannot be previously certified by the Royal College or another certifying body for specialty medicine.
Apply to become a
Resident Affiliate
If you are a resident who has completed some or all residency training in the United States in a training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), you can apply for a training assessment by filling out the application form below. This assessment ensures you have met specialty-specific training requirements in a recognized and approved program.
The training assessment is the first step on your route to Royal College certification and it is required to determine if you are eligible to write a Royal College exam. Exam eligibility is granted for a three-year period following your training assessment.
The deadline to apply for a training assessment occurs the year before you wish to write your exam. For spring exams, the deadline is April 30. For fall exams, the deadline is August 31. If you miss the deadline, late fees will be applied.
Apply now for an assessment of your ACGME accredited training
If you are unable to open the above fillable pdf form, please download the printable form which is compatible with most web browsers. Note that both forms are the same, but one is fillable, allowing you to type your information, which you can then print to email or fax to us; and the other is printable, requiring you to handwrite your information. It is only necessary to submit one form.
If you are a resident registered with a Royal College international Accredited Institution, in a specialty or subspecialty program accredited by the Royal College, you can apply for a training assessment by filling out the application form below.
This assessment ensures you have met specialty-specific training requirements in a recognized and approved program. The training assessment is the first step on your route to Royal College certification and it is required to determine if you are eligible to write a Royal College exam. Exam eligibility is granted for a three-year period following your training assessment.
Please note that credit for training towards access to Royal College examinations is retroactive to the beginning of the academic year in which the program you are enrolled in or graduated from achieved Royal College Accreditation in Progress status. The Royal College recommends that you contact your institution to acquire this information before applying for a training assessment.
The deadline to apply for a training assessment occurs the year before you wish to write your exam. For exams held between March–June, the deadline is April 30. For exams held between September–November, the deadline is August 31. If you miss the deadline, late fees will be applied.
Apply now for a training assessment of your residency training in a Royal College accredited international program.
If you are unable to open the above fillable pdf form, please download the printable form which is compatible with most web browsers. Note that both forms are the same, but one is fillable, allowing you to type your information, which you can then print to email or fax to us; and the other is printable, requiring you to handwrite your information. It is only necessary to submit one form.
Journey to certification: Training and exam timing
