Press release
For immediate release:
October 26, 2010
Highlights from the Medical Council of Canada 2010 Annual Meeting
Ottawa – The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) held its Annual Meeting in Ottawa from Oct. 24-26, 2010 where it discussed the progress of the Assessment Review Task Force, set its policy direction for the upcoming year, and set the fees for its examinations.
“In keeping with its core mission to develop, validate and implement tools and strategies to evaluate physicians’ competence, last year the MCC launched an Assessment Review Task Force to explore novel assessment techniques,” said Dr. Oscar Casiro, Chair of the Assessment Review Task Force and retiring President of the MCC. “The Task Force will also ensure that MCC evaluations are current and relevant and will look at MCC assessments within the context of a continually shifting medical environment.”
The educational session began with a presentation on progress made so far to review the current competencies and to solicit feedback on core competencies that can be assessed throughout a physician’s career. This review will provide additional information to the Assessment Review Task Force as they form their recommendations for future assessments of the MCC.
“As an expert in assessment, the MCC is well positioned to create and improve the tools needed to ensure physicians continue to maintain competence through their careers,” said incoming MCC President Dr. Trevor Theman.
Council is looking forward to receiving the Task Force’s recommendations, which will be published in 2011.
Council was also briefed on the progress made on two major initiatives: the Application for Medical Registration in Canada and the National Assessment Collaboration.
The Application for Medical Registration was announced on September 1, and involves creating a single system to allow physicians, especially international medical graduates, to apply for a medical licence to multiple medical regulatory authorities. The project steering committee chaired by Dr. Heidi Oetter, Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, has been meeting regularly. The application system is expected to launch at the end of 2012.
The National Assessment Collaboration (NAC), which reports to Council, is working to streamline the assessment process through which international medical graduates obtain residency positions and ultimately medical licensure. The Collaboration is developing a clinical examination, which was used in 2010 by the provinces of British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba. The NAC is currently in the planning phases with these and other provincial IMG programs to set up test events for 2011.
Council confirmed the 2011 examination fees, which were initially set at the 2009 Annual Meeting. Council has to set the examination fees two years in advance; set fees cannot be subsequently increased, although Council has the authority to reduce the fees if warranted.
The fees for 2011 are: $1,300 for the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE); $780 for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I; and $1,950 for the MCCQE Part II. Council also set the 2012 examination fees: $1,365 for the MCCEE; $900 for the MCCQE Part I; and $2,150 for the MCCQE Part II. The application fee for first-time MCCEE applicants is set at $250 for 2011 and 2012.
The Council honoured Dr. Daniel Klass, recently retired Associate Registrar and Quality Management Director of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, with the Outstanding Achievement Award. Throughout his career, Dr. Klass helped develop standardized patient programs and encouraged a movement from a purely discipline-based system for clinical deficiencies toward a system based on education and remediation. Council named Dr. David Blackmore, who recently retired after 19 years with the MCC, as the 2010 recipient of the Dr. Louis Levasseur Distinguished Service Award.
The Medical Council of Canada’s vision is to achieve “the highest level of medical care for Canadians through excellence in evaluation of physicians.” It conducts over 11,500 assessments of medical students and graduates every year through its three examinations, offered in both official languages in sites across Canada, and in the case of its MCCEE, in over 500 locations in 73 countries.
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For more information:
Jessica Hertzog
Communications Co-ordinator
Medical Council of Canada
613-521-6012, ext. 2277
jhertzog@mcc.ca
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