Pre-Application Assessment

Medical Licensing in Newfoundland and Labrador

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador is responsible for licensing physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The College website includes a description of the requirements for FULL and PROVISIONAL licensure as well as links to regulations and other information about licensing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Physicians interested in obtaining a medical license in Newfoundland and Labrador should review those requirements.

If you currently hold an unrestricted license for independent practice in Canada, complete the Pre-application Assessment form and send it to the College  by e-mail  in order to request an application form and application package. 

For all other physicians, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador will conduct a Pre-Application Assessment.  This is a review of the education, training and practice experience of physicians interested in applying for a license to practice medicine in the province.  The College uses the Assessment to screen potential applicants in order to avoid needless time and expense for those who are not eligible.

At the end of the assessment, the College will be able to determine if the physician appears to be eligible for licensure based on the information supplied by the physician.

Physicians who appear to be eligible for full or provisional licensure will receive the College’s application package. Physicians who are not eligible for licensure may qualify for the Clinical Skills Assessment and Training (CSAT) program. The College uses the Pre-Application Assessment form to evaluate possible candidates for CSAT. Physicians who appear to qualify for CSAT will receive the application package for that program.

NOTE: Temporary Suspension of Consideration of New Applicants for CSAT effective 21 Jan 13 - more information...

Physicians who appear not to be eligible will receive a written explanation of the College's decision.

The Pre-Application Assessment does not involve verification of information. The College verifies information during the application process. Successful completion of the assessment does not mean that the College will grant a license to that physician.

The fee for the Pre-Application Assessment is CDN$250.00, payable at the time a physician submits the Pre-Application Assessment form to the College. The fee is non-refundable.

Obtain a username and password

The first step in the Pre-Application Assessment is to obtain a username and password.  This will allow physicians to complete the form, submit and pay the assessment fee online using Visa or MasterCard.

Click here -Pre-Application Assessment – and follow the instructions to obtain a username and password.

Online Pre-Application Assessment

Physicians with a username and password may go directly to the login page at any time to access the draft Pre-Application Assessment form. Physicians may save the Pre-Application Assessment form as a draft and make additions and other changes before submitting it to the College for review.

Note:  Physicians who have limited Internet access or who may have difficulty completing the online process should contact the College to request an alternate version of the form. 

Completing the Pre-Application Assessment Form

Use the information guide below to help complete the Pre-Application Assessment form online.

Take care when providing information. Make sure that the information is complete and correct. Incomplete information will delay the process and may lead the College to reject a Pre-Application Assessment.

Once the College has received the completed Pre-Application Assessment form and fee, the College will review the information presented. A representative of the College will acknowledge receipt of the assessment.

Allow plenty of time to complete the form. The College set up the form so that people filling it out can save the information periodically and then submit the whole form when it is finished. Take all the time needed. Better to get it right the first time.

The College may ask for additional information to clarify information submitted on the form. This can be another reason for delays in processing a pre-application assessment.  The College may reject a Pre-Application Assessment if a physician does not respond within a reasonable period to requests for information.  

Finishing the assessment should normally take the College about five to seven working days, once the College has all the necessary information. This time may vary for several reasons.  When the assessment is complete, the College will notify the physician of the results by e-mail.

Physicians who appear to be eligible for full or provisional licensure will receive the College’s application package. Physicians who appear to qualify for CSAT will receive the application package for that program.  NOTE:   Temporary Suspension of Consideration of New CSAT Applications Effective 21 Jan 13 (More information...)

False or Misleading Information

The College will verify information presented by physicians at the application stage. Verification involves confirming that documents are authentic and that the information in them is correct.  The College will reject documents that it finds to contain false or misleading information.  More information is available on the Credentials Verification page.

If the College issues a license to a physician, the College may suspend that physician’s license and initiate appropriate disciplinary action if it finds false or misleading information in any Pre-Application Assessment or application documents submitted by or on behalf of that physician. 

Pre-Application Assessment Information Guide

The Pre-Application Assessment focuses on medical education, post-graduate training, professional certification and practice experience. There are also questions about language proficiency and citizenship.

To assist in completing the Pre-Application Assessment form correctly, review the basic requirements for a provisional license or for entry to the Clinical Skills Assessment and Training (CSAT) program on the College website.  NOTE:  Temporary Suspension of Consideration for New Applicants to CSAT effective 21 Jan 13.

Review the information listed below. This is the type of information involved in the Pre-Application Assessment. It is a good idea to have this information readily available when completing the form.

Take the time to complete the Pre-Application Assessment form fully and accurately. One of the single biggest reasons for delays in assessments is incomplete information. Do not submit any additional documents with the Pre-Application Assessment unless asked to do so.

Following is a list of the type of information involved in the Pre-Application Assessment. Note that this is not a complete list of requirements for obtaining a Provisional license.

A.      Medical education

•     Medical Degree
•     Year of graduation
•     University or School of Medicine
•     Address of University or School of Medicine

B.      All medical licensing examinations you have passed, including

•     Medical Council of Canada Examinations
•     United States medical licensing examinations, and/or
•     Other licensing examinations

C.     Postgraduate medical training

CPSNL will consider for licensure the following post-graduate training programs:

a.     General/ Family Practice

i.    Satisfactory completion of a verifiable post-graduate rotating internship in an accredited university teaching program, with rotations acceptable to the College. This is typically achieved by completing eight (8) week rotations in medicine, surgery, paediatrics, psychiatry and obstetrics/gynaecology.

or

ii.   Satisfactory completion of a two- or three-year nationally approved post-graduate training program in General Practice/Family Medicine acceptable to the College;

or

iii.   Satisfactory completion of a family medicine training program in the U.S., Australia or Ireland approved by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

b.     Specialist Practice

i.     Satisfactory completion of post-graduate training program in Canada accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

or

ii.    Satisfactory completion of the post-graduate requirements of section 7(1) of the Newfoundland Medical Board Regulations, 

or

iii.    (a) Verifiable documentation of completion of a specialist training program that is of at least four years duration from a national postgraduate training authority that is acceptable to the College, and

(b) Recognition as a specialist authorized to practice independently in the country where the post-graduate training was completed.

D.     Any postgraduate qualifications, including

•      Professional Certification(s),
•      Certificate examinations,
•      Diploma(s), and,
•      Fellowship(s),

For each item, include the name of the authority that issued the postgraduate qualification as well as the date on which the applicant obtained the qualification.

Note: Specialists from the United Kingdom or Ireland should enter information related to CCT, CSCST, or CCST in the space for "Other Specialty Qualifications (International)".

Specialists from South Africa must indicate that they hold a license for independent practice as well as a master's degree (M.Med) or a Certificate of Specialist Qualification from the College of Medicine.

Enter this information in the "Other Specialty Qualifications (International)" space.

E.     A complete, chronological practice history

Present this information with the most recent dates first, including:

•  start/end dates,
•  the name of every jurisdiction in which the applicant held a medical license since graduation from medical school,
•  the nature of practice in each jurisdiction, and,
•  the names of any hospitals or clinics where the applicant held an appointment.

Note: Identify any breaks in practice. Give reasons for any breaks in practice.

F.     Language Proficiency 

[Effective January 14, 2012]

In order to be granted a license by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador, applicants must establish their fluency in the English language.

Applicants are exempted from language proficiency testing if their medical education and patient care experience was in one of the countries that have English as a first language (see list below).

 All other applicants must have taken IELTS or TOEFL iBT within the last 48 months at the time of application, and achieved the following minimum score:

• IELTS academic version: minimum 7.0 in each of the components.

• TOEFL IBT academic version: with a minimum score of 24 in speaking and a minimum score of 20 in each of listening, writing and reading. The total score required is 92.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes the countries and dependencies listed below as having English as the first language:

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• Canada
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
• Virgin Islands (United States)
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

• 50 in the International Test of Spoken English (TSE), and,
• 580 or a computer-based score of 237 on the International Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of the Educational Testing Service.

G.     Citizenship

Physicians must indicate if they hold Canadian citizenship, landed immigrant status or a work permit (visa) that meets the requirements of the Government of Canada.

A physician who meets the licensing requirements but who does not hold a work permit must obtain such a permit before receiving a license and beginning practice.

Physicians applying for CSAT must be either Canadian citizens or permanent residents. 

H.      Contact the College

Mail:

120 Torbay Road Suite W100
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1A 2G8

 Phone:      +1.709.726.8546
Fax:            +1.709.726.4725
E-mail:        preapplication@cpsnl.ca

Tips for completing the Pre-Application Assessment form online

1. Review the requirements for Provisional licensure. There is specific information for General Practioners and Specialists who are internationally trained medical graduates.
2. Organize your information before you begin to type. This will save time and help to make sure you do not accidentally leave out important information.
3. Save the form from time to time. It might be a good idea to save the form after you complete each section to make sure you do not lose information.
4. List rotations individually.  Be specific.  For example, under the section Postgraduate Medical Training, list each rotation such as "medicine" or "pediatrics" with the start date and end date for each rotation.  You can add more lines, as needed, until you have listed all rotations.
5. You may add more lines to the practice history, rotations and other sections. You can do this by clicking on the “add” button. Once you have entered all your information for that section, click the ‘Done” button to return to the main form.
6. Specialists from the United Kingdom or Ireland should enter information related to CCT, CSCST, or CCST in the space for "Other Specialty Qualifications (International)".
7. Specialists from South Africa must indicate that they hold a license for independent practice as well as a master's degree or a Certificate of Specialist Qualification from the College of Medicine. Enter that information in the space for “Other Specialty Qualifications (International)”.
8. Include start/end dates for practice history. This is mandatory.
9. POSTGRADUATE OR RESIDENCY TRAINING OTHER THAN INTERNSHIP/PGYI and CLINICAL OR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS are mandatory fields.  General Practitoners should enter "Not Applicable" or "N/A " in these spaces.

Revised:  January 2013