Diagnostic & Clinical Pathology (General Pathology): the Practice Eligibility Route

How training is structured

The Royal College sets out the training for Diagnostic & Clinical Pathology (General 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, or longitudinal equivalent, in General Surgery or other surgical discipline(s) relevant to General Pathology
• 1.2 Two (2) blocks, or longitudinal equivalent, in Internal Medicine or a medical subspecialty relevant to General Pathology
• 1.3 One (1) block, or longitudinal equivalent, in Pediatrics or a pediatric subspecialty
• 1.4 One (1) block, or longitudinal equivalent, in Obstetrics and Gynecology relevant to General Pathology
• 1.5 One (1) block in either Medical Oncology or Radiation Oncology
• 1.6 Six (6) blocks in other training programs relevant to General Pathology with program director approval
• 2.1 Eighteen (18) blocks in surgical and autopsy pathology
• 2.2 Two (2) blocks of training in a formal, structured forensic autopsy program providing exposure to an appropriate mix of medico-legal autopsy cases in sufficient numbers
• 2.3 Four (4) blocks of training in cytopathology, with at least one (1) block or equivalent completed preferably in the final year
• 2.4 Two (2) blocks of further training in Anatomical Pathology as approved by the program director
• 3.1 Six (6) blocks of medical biochemistry
• 3.2 Six (6) blocks of hematological pathology, incorporating morphological hematology, flow cytometry, coagulation, and transfusion medicine
• 3.3 Six (6) blocks of medical microbiology, including bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, and virology
• 4. At least one (1) block or longitudinal equivalent in molecular pathology

Flexible or selective components

Where the requirements allow a choice.

• 5. Up to seven (7) blocks of electives, as approved by the program director, chosen from: 5.1 up to seven (7) blocks of residency in a university-affiliated hospital, preferably community based, integrating the skills required of a General Pathologist in a practice setting; 5.2 up to seven (7) blocks of residency in one or more of anatomical pathology, medical biochemistry, hematological pathology, or medical microbiology; 5.3 up to seven (7) blocks of other approved residency or research, relevant to the objectives of General Pathology and acceptable to the director of the training program, at a hospital or university centre

Common questions

What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Diagnostic & Clinical Pathology (General 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 & Clinical Pathology (General 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 & Clinical Pathology (General Pathology)?

The Specialty Training Requirements describe five (5) years of approved residency in General Pathology (a one (1) block rotation is four weeks). 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 & Clinical Pathology (General 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 & Clinical Pathology (General Pathology) are in the Fellowship Finder.