What's New

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The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (College) will make a significant change in the way in which it verifies the credentials of international medical graduates.

On December 3, 2007, the College will transfer all international credential verification duties from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates International Credentials Service (EICS) to the Physician Credentials Registry of Canada (PCRC). PCRC is a division of the Medical Council of Canada and has been developed in collaboration with the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC).

PCRC is, essentially, two services in one. It provides a national standardized approach to primary source verification of the credentials of international medical graduates and it serves as a permanent electronic repository for those credentials.

PCRC will verify and retain medical school diplomas, medical school transcripts, postgraduate training certificates, specialty certificates and medical licensure/registration certificates. It will also retain supporting documents such as authorizations, translations, photographs, certified proof of identity documents and proof of name changes.

PCRC will make electronic copies of all certified copies of certain original documents and enter them into its system. Physicians should note that once their medical credentials and supporting documents are registered with PCRC, they do not need to be produced again in Canada. When applying for licensure in another jurisdiction within Canada, physicians need only grant their consent for the applicable regulatory authority to view their credentials and the electronic portfolio will be made available to that organization.

PCRC offers many benefits for medical regulatory authorities including advanced security features. It will create a confidential, lifetime, professional electronic portfolio that can be shared with authorized stakeholders including provincial and territorial medical regulatory authorities; the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

As of December 3, 2007, international medical graduates seeking licensure in Newfoundland and Labrador will be referred to the PCRC website for registration with PCRC. PCRC, in conjunction with EICS, will then primary source verify all international documentation for the applicant.

The electronic nature of PCRC will assist in achieving faster processing times for provincial colleges. This will, in turn, allow the College to better serve the recruitment needs of the health authorities.

Physicians applying for licensure before December 3rd are asked to refer to the College’s EICS regulations for credentialing specifications.

Physicians applying for licensure on or after December 3rd are asked to refer to PCRC for credentialing specifications.