Hematological Pathology: the Practice Eligibility Route

How training is structured

The Royal College sets out the training for Hematological 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 Minimum of fifteen (15) blocks of morphological hematology: 1.1.1 minimum of three (3) blocks of peripheral blood and body fluids morphology; 1.1.2 minimum of six (6) blocks of bone marrow morphology; 1.1.3 minimum of six (6) blocks of lymph node and other hematolymphoid tissues morphology
• 1.2 Minimum of three (3) blocks in a laboratory setting supporting pediatric clinical services
• 1.3 Minimum of one (1) block of instrumentation and automation in the laboratory
• 1.4 Minimum of two (2) blocks of flow cytometry
• 1.5 Minimum of five (5) blocks of hemostasis and thrombosis
• 1.6 Minimum of five (5) blocks of transfusion medicine
• 1.7 Minimum of one (1) block of tissue typing and stem cells
• 1.8 Minimum of one (1) block of cytogenetics
• 1.9 Minimum of one (1) block of molecular diagnostics
• 1.10 Minimum of two (2) blocks of hemoglobinopathy
• 2.1 Four (4) blocks of adult clinical Hematology, including benign and malignant hematology, and stem cell transplantation
• 2.2 One (1) block of clinical pediatric hematology/oncology

Flexible or selective components

Where the requirements allow a choice.

• 2.3 Two (2) blocks of clinical selectives, chosen from one or more of: 2.3.1 Internal Medicine or one of its subspecialties (including additional training in clinical Hematology or Medical Oncology); 2.3.2 Pediatrics or one of its subspecialties (including additional training in clinical Pediatric Hematology/Oncology); 2.3.3 Anesthesiology; 2.3.4 Maternal Fetal Medicine; 2.3.5 Radiation Oncology; 2.3.6 other approved clinical rotation
• 3. Six (6) blocks of selectives, chosen from one or more of: 3.1 any laboratory medicine specialty (including additional training in Hematological Pathology); 3.2 basic science, including epidemiology relevant to Hematological Pathology; 3.3 clinical training relevant to Hematological Pathology; 3.4 research relevant to Hematological Pathology; 3.5 informatics, medical education, or medical leadership relevant to Hematological Pathology

Common questions

What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Hematological 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 Hematological 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 Hematological Pathology?

The Specialty Training Requirements describe four (4) years of approved 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 Hematological 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 Hematological Pathology are in the Fellowship Finder.