Obstetrics & Gynecology: the Practice Eligibility Route
Requirements as published by the Royal College. Last reviewed August 2026.
Obstetrics & Gynecology at a glance
- Required time in training
- 5 yearsSTR: Five (5) years of approved residency
- 2026 exam timing
- Written in the Fall; Applied in the Spring (following year)
- Apply for assessment of training
- by August 31 of the year before your exam
- Register for the exam
- February 1 – April 15 of the exam year
- Exam attempts
- Maximum 4 attempts per component within a 5-year eligibility period
The Royal College reads your postgraduate training and practice record in Obstetrics & Gynecology 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 Obstetrics & Gynecology 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: 2016; Editorial Revision March 2016; Version 3.1 (applies to those beginning training on or after July 1st, 2016)
Required experiences10
Specific experiences the Royal College names for this discipline.
- 1.1 A minimum of sixteen (16) and maximum of eighteen (18) blocks in Obstetrics and Gynecology
- 1.2 One (1) block in critical care
- 1.3 A minimum of one (1) block on a service that provides initial trauma management (such as Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, trauma team, Orthopedic Surgery, or Plastic Surgery)
- 1.4 Two (2) blocks in Internal Medicine
- 1.5 A minimum of one (1) and maximum of two (2) blocks in General Surgery
- 2.1 A minimum of three (3) blocks in each of: 2.1.1 maternal-fetal medicine; 2.1.2 gynecologic oncology; 2.1.3 gynecological reproductive endocrinology and infertility
- 2.2 Two (2) blocks of urogynecology
- 2.3 One (1) block of community-based obstetrics and gynecology
- 2.4 One (1) block of obstetrics and gynecology ultrasound, if not already completed in years PGY1-2
- 2.7 A minimum of six (6) blocks of chief residency experience (PGY4 or 5) in Obstetrics and Gynecology, consolidating skills for independent practice under supervision
Flexible or selective components3
Where the requirements allow a choice.
- 1.6 Two (2) to three (3) blocks of selectives, chosen from a minimum of two (2) of: 1.6.1 adolescent medicine; 1.6.2 anesthesia; 1.6.3 critical care medicine; 1.6.4 diagnostic imaging; 1.6.5 emergency medicine; 1.6.6 integrated medicine/alternative medicine; 1.6.7 internal medicine (or subspecialty); 1.6.8 medical genetics; 1.6.9 neonatal medicine; 1.6.10 obstetrics and gynecology ultrasound; 1.6.11 palliative medicine; 1.6.12 pathology; 1.6.13 psychiatry; 1.6.14 urology; 1.6.15 scholarly activity
- 2.5 Seventeen (17) blocks of selective rotations, which must include at least four (4) of: 2.5.1 ambulatory obstetrics and gynecology; 2.5.2 colposcopy; 2.5.3 community-based obstetrics and gynecology; 2.5.4 critical care medicine; 2.5.5 endoscopic surgery; 2.5.6 gynecologic oncology; 2.5.7 gynecologic pathology; 2.5.8 gynecologic reproductive endocrinology and infertility; 2.5.9 maternal-fetal medicine; 2.5.10 obstetrics and gynecology ultrasound; 2.5.11 pediatric and adolescent gynecology; 2.5.12 pelvic pain investigations and management; 2.5.13 research in obstetrics and gynecology; 2.5.14 sexual medicine; 2.5.15 urogynecology
- 2.6 Three (3) blocks of elective rotations chosen by the resident and approved by the program director (may be in an area from the selectives list above)
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 Obstetrics & Gynecology?
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 Obstetrics & Gynecology 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 Obstetrics & Gynecology?
The Specialty Training Requirements describe five (5) years of approved residency. 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 Obstetrics & Gynecology requirements in one file.
The Obstetrics & Gynecology guide as one PDF
The seven PER steps, your document checklist, and the Obstetrics & Gynecology 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 Obstetrics & Gynecology are in the Fellowship Finder.
Adapted from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Specialty Training Requirements for Obstetrics & Gynecology. 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.