Associate Physicians

Governing Bodies

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC or the College); Registration (Licensing) – The College is the licensing body and regulator for family/general practitioners in BC.

Medical Council of Canada (MCC) – The national organization responsible for establishing and promoting the Canadian licensing qualification known as the LMCC.

Background

In 2023, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) posted an addition to its Bylaws allowing eligible practitioners with specialized medical or surgical training to be registered on a restricted class of registration called the “associate physician class”, creating another option for licensure in BC.

Effective January 13, 2023, the CPSBC further amended the Associate Physician class Bylaws to add an Associate Physician – Acute Care class of registration and an Associate Physician – Community Primary Care class of registration. Associate Physician registration is now an option for physicians who have trained as a specialist or family physician.

What is an Associate Physician?

Associate physicians:

will be employed by a regional health authority
are not licensed for independent practice
are never the most responsible physician
must work under direct supervision of an attending physician
can only work in a team-based environment

CPSBC Registration

Physicians who are not eligible for full or provisional licensure with the CPSBC may be eligible to apply for licensure in the Associate Physician class.

Associate Physician

There are two pathways to licensure in BC for Associate Physicians who completed their medical training internationally – Acute Care and Community Primary Care. Health Match BC Navigators are here to guide you as you explore your options.

Regardless of the pathway you pursue, you may need to provide evidence of meeting the established requirements for:

Clinical currency in practice
English language proficiency (ELP)
The College requires that physicians provide evidence of English proficiency. Physicians are considered to have met the English proficiency requirements if:

the primary language of medical education was English, and

the primary language of patient care was English.

The College may require physicians who do not meet the requirements above to take one of the following examinations:

IELTS Academic examination

Minimum score of 7 in each component.

OET Medicine examination

Minimum grade of B in each component.

CELPIP General examination

Minimum score of 9 in each component.

The test results are valid for a period of two years from the date taken.
Successful completion of the required exams
The Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) is the qualification you apply for after the successful completion of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 (MCCQE-1).

PLEASE NOTE: Successful completion of the MCC examinations does not mean a physician will meet the licensing requirements of the College.

MCCQE – Part 1

MCCQE – Part 1 must be completed prior to registration.

The CPSBC recognizes the following examinations in lieu of the LMCC:

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).

Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX).

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLEs) – Steps 1, 2, and 3.

Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX).

Any of the above exams completed in their entirety will be recognized by the College for candidates who have trained outside of Canada and the United States.
Source verification of your qualifications
The MCC maintains a website, physiciansapply.ca, as a centralized electronic repository of a physician’s core medical credentials and offers a national standardized approach to source verification of credentials. Source verification is the process by which the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) sends your credential to the issuing institution (the source) and requests that they confirm that they issued the credential and that it is authentic, accurate, and valid (verification).

The College requires physicians who have completed medical education outside of Canada, and are seeking registration and licensure in BC, to submit copies of certain credentials to physiciansapply.ca for source verification. An applicant’s Medical Degree and Passport must be verified as “Passed” before licensure can be approved by the College.

The College utilizes the AMRC; a centralized online portal through physiciansapply.ca for submitting applications for registration.

Candidates who may qualify for full registration and licensure may submit an application to the College via the AMRC portal.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to first register with Health Match BC for an initial review of their application before submitting an AMRC application.

Acute Care Eligibility Requirements:

Successful completion of a medical degree issued by a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS).
Completed a minimum of two years’ accredited training as a medical or surgical specialist.
Submit with the application a sponsorship letter from a health authority, satisfactory to the Registration Committee, that:
- identifies the applicant’s sponsor
- describes how the applicant will engage in the practise of medicine
- notes that the applicant will be working under the direction and supervision of an attending physician

Community Primary Care Eligibility Requirements:

Successful completion of a medical degree issued by a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS).
Completed a minimum of one-year accredited training as a General Practitioner.
Submit with the application a sponsorship letter from a health authority, satisfactory to the Registration Committee, that:
- identifies the applicant’s sponsor
- describes how the applicant will engage in the practise of medicine
- notes that the applicant will be working under the direction and supervision of an attending physician

Health Authority Accreditation

British Columbia’s Health Authorities can advertise Associate Physician job opportunities and offer employment while seeking accreditation by the CPSBC. Health Authorities seeking information on the accreditation process can contact CPSBC at registration-assessments@cpsbc.ca.

Vacancies

Current Associate Physician vacancies can be viewed here.

How to Apply

To apply, you must register with Health Match BC. Select Associate Physician in the first dropdown menu option, then select your speciality. Once you login to your newly created account, you must upload a copy of your chronological CV/Resume. One of our consultants will respond in 5-7 business days in your account.

For more information, please email us at physicians@healthmatchbc.org