Hematological Pathology: the Practice Eligibility Route
Requirements as published by the Royal College. Last reviewed August 2026.
Hematological Pathology at a glance
- Required time in training
- 4 yearsSTR: Four (4) years of approved residency training
- 2026 exam timing
- Written in the Spring; Applied in the Fall (same year)
- Apply for assessment of training
- by April 30 of the year before your exam
- Register for the exam
- September 1 – November 4 of the year before
- Exam attempts
- Maximum 4 attempts per component within a 5-year eligibility period
The Royal College reads your postgraduate training and practice record in Hematological Pathology against the published Specialty Training Requirements. Those requirements are set out in full below, so you can see how your own training compares before you apply.
What licence can I get, and when?
Certification is national. Licensure is provincial. You do not need Royal College certification (FRCPC) to be licensed. Several provinces license you at an earlier PER stage, and the earliest any province accepts is the eligibility letter alone. The table applies to every specialty that reached exam eligibility through the PER.
Full province table: MCCQE, job offer and licence type
| Province | MCCQE | RC written | RC applied | Licence issued | Job offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Required | Required | Required | Full | Not required |
| British Columbia | Not required | Required | Required | Provisional | Required |
| Saskatchewan | Required | Required | Required | Provisional | Required |
| Manitoba | Not required | Required | Required | Provisional | Required |
| Ontario | Not required | Required | Not required | Provisional, 3 years | Required |
| Nova Scotia (a) | Not required | Not required | Not required | Defined, 6 to 24 months | Required |
| Nova Scotia (b) | Not required | Required | Required | Full | Required |
| New Brunswick | Not required | Not required | Not required | Special, then Defined | Required |
| Newfoundland & Labrador, PEI | Required* | Not required | Not required | Provisional | Required |
* The MCCQE may be waived where the candidate has five or more years of independent practice abroad. Case by case, never guaranteed.
Educational only. Rules change, and each regulator decides on factors that may not be listed here; Filipe Santos MD does not make licensure decisions. Checked October 9, 2026 against each regulator's pages; Ontario confirmed with the CPSO in October 2026. Confirm with the regulator before you act.
Province notes (Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the MCCQE) are in the PER guide.
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.
Requirements document: 2015, Editorial Revision January 2018, Version 2.1 (applies to those beginning training on or after July 1, 2015)
Required experiences12
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 components2
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
More questions about specialists trained abroad, each answered once with its official source, are in the IMG FAQ Center.
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 seven 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.
The Hematological Pathology guide as one PDF
The seven PER steps, your document checklist, and the Hematological Pathology training requirements in a single file. Free. Not sure the PER is your route? The screener checks your file against every route in about two minutes.
Other specialties27
Canadian clinical fellowships in Hematological Pathology are in the Fellowship Finder; start with Pathology & Laboratory Medicine fellowships in Canada.
Adapted from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Specialty Training Requirements for Hematological Pathology. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Royal College; every application is reviewed individually and final decisions rest solely with the Royal College. Verify current requirements at royalcollege.ca.