Radiation Oncology: the Practice Eligibility Route
Requirements as published by the Royal College. Last reviewed August 2026.
Radiation Oncology at a glance
- Required time in training
- 5 yearsSTR: Five years of approved residency training, organized into sixty-five (65) 4-week blocks or sixty (60) one month rotations; a combination of weeks and months may be used
- 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 Radiation Oncology 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 Radiation Oncology 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: 2014, Version 2.0; applies to those who begin training on or after July 1st, 2014 (Revised - Specialty Standards Review Committee - May 2012 and December 2013)
Required experiences9
Specific experiences the Royal College names for this discipline.
- 1.1 Five (5) blocks of medical specialty/subspecialty training; with no more than 2 blocks in any one medical specialty/subspecialty
- 1.2 Four (4) blocks of surgical specialties/subspecialties; with no more than 2 blocks in any one surgical specialty/subspecialty
- 1.3 One (1) block of diagnostic imaging
- 1.4 One (1) block of anatomical pathology
- 1.5 Three (3) blocks of medical oncology
- 1.6 One (1) block of palliative care
- 1.7 Three (3) blocks of elective opportunities
- 2.1 Clinical experience, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, in all of the following (2.1.1 to 2.1.12): breast cancer; gastrointestinal cancers; genito-urinary cancers; gynecologic cancers; head and neck cancers; lymphoma/hematologic cancers; neurologic cancers; sarcoma; skin cancers; thoracic cancers; thyroid cancers; and pediatric radiation oncology
- 2.2 A minimum of one block in a community-based radiation oncology practice
Flexible or selective components2
Where the requirements allow a choice.
- 1.7 Three (3) blocks of elective opportunities (within the 18-block foundational clinical training)
- 3. A minimum of six (6) blocks of selectives: (3.1) additional clinical training in Radiation Oncology; (3.2) research or scholarly project; or (3.3) approved course of training relevant to Radiation Oncology and acceptable to the program director
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 Radiation Oncology?
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 Radiation Oncology 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 Radiation Oncology?
The Specialty Training Requirements describe five years of approved residency training, organized into sixty-five (65) 4-week blocks or sixty (60) one month rotations; a combination of weeks and months may be used. 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 Radiation Oncology requirements in one file.
The Radiation Oncology guide as one PDF
The seven PER steps, your document checklist, and the Radiation Oncology 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 Radiation Oncology are in the Fellowship Finder; start with Radiation Oncology fellowships in Canada.
Adapted from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Specialty Training Requirements for Radiation Oncology. 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.