Dermatology: the Practice Eligibility Route

How training is structured

The Royal College sets out the training for Dermatology 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 Twelve (12) months of Internal Medicine and/or Pediatric training, which must include a minimum of: 1.1.1 two (2) months of either general Internal Medicine or general Pediatrics; 1.1.2 one (1) month of Rheumatology, either pediatric or adult; 1.1.3 one (1) month of Infectious Diseases, either pediatric or adult
• 1.2 Twelve (12) months of selective training, including at least three (3) of the listed disciplines, with no more than three (3) months in any one (1) discipline or service other than Dermatology
• 2.1 A minimum of two (2) years of clinical Dermatology
• 2.1.1 A minimum of three (3) months, or longitudinal equivalent, of pediatric Dermatology
• 2.1.2 A minimum of eighteen (18) months on a dermatology teaching service in an academic health sciences centre
• 2.1.2.1 A minimum of three (3) months of inpatient or consultation services

Flexible or selective components

Where the requirements allow a choice.

• 1.2 Twelve (12) months of selective training chosen from, in the document's order: 1.2.1 allergy and immunology; 1.2.2 an accredited training program in Dermatology; 1.2.3 Emergency Medicine; 1.2.4 Family Medicine; 1.2.5 Medical Genetics; 1.2.6 Occupational medicine; 1.2.7 Oncology; 1.2.8 Ophthalmology; 1.2.9 oral medicine; 1.2.10 Otolaryngology; 1.2.11 Pathology; 1.2.12 Plastic Surgery; 1.2.13 Psychiatry; 1.2.14 Vascular Surgery; 1.2.15 other rotation, as approved by the program director, to a maximum of two (2) months (items 1.2.2 to 1.2.8 and 1.2.10 to 1.2.14 must be accredited training programs)
• 2.2 Up to one (1) year of full-time clinical or basic science research related to Dermatology, approved by the program director

Common questions

What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Dermatology?

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 Dermatology 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 Dermatology?

The Specialty Training Requirements describe five (5) years of approved residency in Dermatology. 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 Dermatology 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 Dermatology are in the Fellowship Finder.