ºÚÁÏÉç

If you are currently working in another jurisdiction, your status will be changed to out of province effective March 1, 2024.

If your status was already set to out of province prior to this declaration, you do not need to request a certificate of professional conduct (CPC).

If you wish to resume practising medicine (including virtual care) in British Columbia in the future, you must provide the ºÚÁÏÉç with a CPC from every jurisdiction where you have practised or trained during your absence.

You are considered current for clinical practice when you have practised within the scope of your certified training and recent experience, excluding research, teaching, administration or medical regulation, for at least 24 weeks in the preceding three years.

You are not current for clinical practice when you have practised less than 24 weeks in the preceding three years. The ºÚÁÏÉç defines 24 weeks as 960 hours over three years (24 weeks x 5 days per week x 8 hours per day).

Changing scope of practice

Significant changes in the type of medicine you are practising.

Examples include:

• changing from clinical to administrative work
• changing your area of practice between different specialties for which you are qualified
• changing your location of practice to include practising within a non-hospital medical/surgical facility

Expanding scope of practice

Expanding from a limited-scope practice to a full-scope practice.

Examples include:

• expanding your scope from a surgical assistant to a general surgeon

Reducing scope of practice

Removing scopes of practice, usually from full-scope practice to a limited scope of practice or significantly reducing your number of hours of practice.

Examples include:

• limiting your scope as a family physician to a hospitalist
• limiting your scope from a general surgeon to a surgical assistant
• taking a leave of absence
• retirement

Changing practice locations (other than to a non-hospital medical/surgical facility) or moving from working in a clinic to working as a locum tenens does not qualify as changing your scope of practice.

If you intend to significantly change or expand your scope of practice in the next 12 months, you must notify the ºÚÁÏÉç in advance to determine whether any additional steps are required.

You are not required to contact the ºÚÁÏÉç if you are reducing your scope of practice.

A health condition is any current physical, cognitive or mental health condition that adversely affects medical practice. 

Examples include but not limited to:

• condition affecting manual dexterity
• condition affecting visual acuity
• cognitive impairment
• mental health diagnosis
• substance use disorder

The ºÚÁÏÉç has a legislated duty to ensure registrants have the capacity to practise safely. Physician health can affect patient outcomes.

While the collection of information on fitness to practise is necessary, the ºÚÁÏÉç recognizes your right to privacy of your personal health information.

Answering the health question on the ALRF

The ºÚÁÏÉç’s health monitoring department is compassionate and sensitive when discussing confidential health issues. Any health information collected is kept in the strictest confidence and accessible only to the health monitoring department.