Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology): the Practice Eligibility Route

How training is structured

The Royal College sets out the training for Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology) in the blocks below. An internationally trained specialist is assessed on whether their own training and practice record is comparable in structure and content.

Required experiences

Specific experiences the Royal College names for this discipline.

• 1.1 Two (2) blocks in a surgical specialty
• 1.2 Two (2) blocks in Internal Medicine, including General Internal Medicine or other subspecialties
• 1.3 One (1) block in Pediatrics or a pediatric subspecialty
• 1.4 One (1) block in Obstetrics and Gynecology or a subspecialty thereof
• 1.5 One (1) block in an oncologic specialty
• 1.6 Six (6) blocks of further basic clinical training as approved by the program director
• 2.1 Twenty-five (25) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in surgical pathology and adult autopsy pathology
• 2.2 One (1) block or equivalent longitudinal experience in molecular pathology and cytogenetics
• 2.3 Two (2) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in forensic pathology
• 2.4 Four (4) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in cytopathology, one (1) of which must be completed in final year
• 2.5 Two (2) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in pediatric pathology
• 2.6 Two (2) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in neuropathology

Flexible or selective components

Where the requirements allow a choice.

• 3. Twelve (12) blocks of approved training in one or more of: 3.1 clinical or basic research work in a biomedical topic; 3.2 Anatomical Pathology training acceptable to the program director; 3.3 training in another branch or branches of laboratory medicine; 3.4 Internal Medicine or a medical subspecialty; 3.5 General Surgery or a surgical subspecialty; 3.6 Obstetrics and Gynecology; 3.7 Pediatrics or a pediatric subspecialty

Common questions

What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology)?

The Practice Eligibility Route (PER) is the Royal College process by which an internationally trained specialist can be assessed for eligibility to sit the certification examination in Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology) without repeating a Canadian residency. The Royal College reads your postgraduate training and practice record against the published Specialty Training Requirements for the discipline.

What training does the Royal College expect in Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology)?

The Specialty Training Requirements describe five (5) years of accredited residency training. The full block-by-block structure is set out on this page, taken from the Royal College document for this discipline.

Does meeting the training requirements guarantee eligibility?

No. Eligibility is a committee decision made on your individual file, and other factors are considered. This page reproduces the published requirements so you can see how your own training compares before you apply; it is not an eligibility ruling.

Where do I start?

Read the six steps in the PER guide, then have your training mapped against the Specialty Training Requirements before you pay any fees. The free PDF for this specialty carries the steps, the document checklist, and the Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology) requirements in one file.

More on the route itself: the full PER guide covers the six steps and the document checklist. Royal College examination dates for every discipline are on the Deadline Radar, and Canadian clinical fellowships in Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology (Anatomical Pathology) are in the Fellowship Finder.