Practice Ready Ontario (PRO) for internationally trained family physicians

Practice Ready Ontario (PRO) offers a route to practise in the province for internationally trained family physicians with demonstrated competence and in-depth practice experience outside Canada. It aligns with the Medical Council of Canada’s (MCC) National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) pan-Canadian standards for practice-ready assessments. Applications will be reviewed in two phases. In the third phase candidates complete a clinical field assessment.

Phase 1: Application and screening

• Assess medical qualifications, postgraduate training, and independent practice experience

• Applicants are deemed eligible or ineligible

• Applications remain open year-round and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no fee to apply; applicants are responsible for the costs of examinations, licensing, and other regulatory requirements (Practice Ready Ontario).

Phase 2: Verification and selection

• Eligible applicants submit evidence, and shortlisted candidates take the Therapeutics Decision-Making (TDM) Examination, and undergo a multiple mini-interviews

• Applicants accepted into PRO apply for provisional certificates through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)

• Selection for Phase 2 does not guarantee progression to Phase 3

Phase 3: Clinical field assessment

• Candidates complete a 12-week clinical assessment after program orientation

• A three-year return of service agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Health must be signed before starting the assessment

• A three-year return of service agreement with the Ministry of Health is required for those who successfully complete the clinical assessment

Practice Ready Ontario requires Canadian citizenship or permanent residency at the time of application. If you hold neither, this route does not apply to you yet. Several other provinces accept applications from overseas.

• Canadian citizenship or permanent residency

• Medical degree from a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools

• Must have a total of 48 months (four years) of training and practice experience as a general/ family physician at the time of PRO application

• Ability to demonstrate completion of the seven core rotations:

  • Minimum of eight weeks of postgraduate training in family medicine or general practice

  • Minimum of four weeks of postgraduate training in emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry

Training in the required seven rotations must be from an approved university-affiliated program. Community experience or observerships do not count towards postgraduate training.

• If a candidate has a gap in any of the listed rotations, the program may accept practice experience in lieu of training in the following way. Both are needed:

  • Each one year of independent practice as a family physician / general practitioner that includes the gap in a practice experience rotation will be considered as equivalent to four weeks of postgraduate training in that area for up to three rotation deficiencies

  • Attestation to prove practice experience in the area(s) of the postgraduate rotation gap is required from a physician or a chief administrator in a health care setting such as a chief nursing officer, chief of staff, department or division head, director of care, senior colleague, program director, medical director, or academic director who can attest to the candidate’s clinical skills and experience

• Evidence of independent practice as a general/family physician

• A pass result on the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) and be a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)

• Passing the MCCQE Part II (before 2021) or the NAC Examination

• Evidence of recent clinical practice:
  960 hours in the last three years (25% of these hours can be from virtual care or having had specified licensed postgraduate education or practice in a Canadian jurisdiction in the past three years)

• Valid medical identification number for Canada (MINC) and other required documentation