Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: the Practice Eligibility Route

How training is structured

The Royal College sets out the training for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 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 Six (6) months in Internal Medicine, which must include at least three (3) months of general Internal Medicine (clinical teaching unit (CTU) or its equivalent)
• 1.2 Two (2) months in surgery consisting of two or more of the following or their subspecialties: 1.2.1 General Surgery; 1.2.2 Neurosurgery; 1.2.3 Orthopedic Surgery; 1.2.4 Plastic Surgery; 1.2.5 Urology; 1.2.6 Vascular Surgery
• 1.3 Three (3) months training consisting of one (1) month each in three of: 1.3.1 Anesthesiology; 1.3.2 Critical care medicine; 1.3.3 Diagnostic Radiology; 1.3.4 Emergency Medicine; 1.3.5 Family medicine; 1.3.6 Palliative care; 1.3.7 Pediatrics or its subspecialties; 1.3.8 Vascular medicine; 1.3.9 Psychiatry or its subspecialties; 1.3.10 training relevant to Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, approved by the program director
• 1.4 At least one (1) month of training in Geriatric Medicine
• 2. Nine (9) months of residency training to include three (3) months each of Rheumatology, Neurology, and Orthopedic Surgery
• 3.1 One (1) month in cardiac and/or respiratory rehabilitation
• 3.2 Three (3) months full time equivalent residency training in each of the rehabilitation of persons with: 3.2.1 amputation (including prosthetics and orthotics); 3.2.2 cerebrovascular disease; 3.2.3 spinal cord disorders; 3.2.4 acquired brain disorders
• 3.3 Three (3) months full time equivalent residency training in pediatric rehabilitation
• 3.4 Three (3) months full time equivalent residency training in research activities
• 3.5 Six (6) months full time equivalent residency training in disorders of the musculoskeletal system
• 3.6 Four (4) months full time equivalent residency training in comprehensive rehabilitation of neuromuscular diseases including but not exclusively electrodiagnosis

Flexible or selective components

Where the requirements allow a choice.

• 3.7 Seven (7) months of elective residency at the discretion of the program director to pursue a clinical or research area of focus within the specialty
• 4. Three (3) months of directed residency training in any of the following selectives: 4.1 additional research training; 4.2 community based rehabilitation; 4.3 in-patient short-term rehabilitation; 4.4 in-patient acute care rehabilitation consultation service; 4.5 general rehabilitation outpatient clinic; 4.6 senior resident rehabilitation outpatient clinic; 4.7 geriatric rehabilitation; 4.8 other Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation rotations at the discretion of the residency program committee/program director

Common questions

What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation?

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 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 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 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation?

The Specialty Training Requirements describe five (5) 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 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 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 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation are in the Fellowship Finder.