Individuals seeking certification from CCPM must meet certain requirements. Applicants for Membership must hold a suitable graduate degree, and must meet a minimum requirement of two years for patient-related work experience.
The criteria for Membership in the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine are set out in the Regulations of the organization. In 2016, an important change was made to the eligibility criteria for the Radiation Oncology Physics certification. New requirements are now in place relating to the CAMPEP Accreditation of the candidate’s graduate and training programs. Interested individuals should review Regulation D.2.6 carefully.
Eligibility to the Radiation Oncology Physics certification for internationally trained practising medical physicists who do not meet the CAMPEP requirements is also possible through a bridging program. Details of the program are set out in Section G of the Regulations.
The CCPM certification process is intended to serve Canadians. Candidates are expected to fulfill at least one of the following criteria: be a Canadian citizen; be resident in Canada; have completed a university degree in Canada; have completed a medical physics residency program in Canada; or have a confirmed job offer in Canada.
If the requirements are met, the applicant must then successfully complete the examination process, after which he or she will be elected to Membership of the College.
Certification is intended to assure medical institutions that the medical physics needs of patients are being provided by competent Medical Physicists. Membership applicants must hold a graduate degree in Medical Physics, Physics, Science with Physics as a major, or another field deemed acceptable by the Board of the College. (Under exceptional circumstances the Board may approve an application from a person with only a BSc in the above fields.)
Only those with patient-related experience in physics as applied to medicine for two years after a postgraduate degree are eligible. This experience must have been obtained within the last five years and must not have been acquired in pursuit of a graduate degree. The term “patient-related” refers to activities such as those that occur in the design, development, purchase, commissioning, calibration and use of medical equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The experience must be comprehensive within the specialty, and thus a research associate position would not generally provide the opportunity to acquire acceptable experience. The experience required by B.Sc. level applicants will be set on an individual basis by the Board.
Applicants must also satisfy the Board that they meet the standards deemed desirable in a Member and must pass a written and oral examination. The candidate should use the available Examination Booklets to prepare for the examination. Documents describing the standards and examination format can be found in the Application Documents section.
Three satisfactory letters of reference shall be provided, each attesting that the candidate meets the experience requirements and has abided by the CCPM Code of Ethics. Two of the letters of reference must be from medical physicists. At least one medical physicist referee must be certified by the CCPM, ABR, ABMP or, at the discretion of the CCPM Board, by another recognized certifying body.
For applicants who have completed a Bridging program, one of the letters of reference must be provided by the program mentor.
For applicants who have completed a CAMPEP-accredited residency program in the previous 5 years, one of the letters of reference must be provided by their residency mentor or by the program director or site coordinator.
The letters must be written by persons who have worked with the candidate in the previous 5 years and are directly familiar with the candidate’s clinical experience.
Internationally trained medical physicists who meet the CAMPEP requirements of the Regulations may be eligible to apply directly to the MCCPM process.
Internationally trained medical physicists who do not meet the CAMPEP requirements but who wish to obtain Membership in the Canadian College of Physicist in Medicine may be eligible for a bridging program. This program is designed to transition established, practising medical physicists to clinical practice in Canada. Eligibility requirements and program details are described in the Regulations.
Note: All required documents and forms are available on the registration page.
If the application is not approved, or if the application is withdrawn at least 4 weeks prior to the written examination, an amount as specified in the schedule of fees shall be refunded. After that time, refunds will only be given in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Board.
For all applications whose decision is deferred to the Board by the Credentials Committee(s), the Board must arrive at a decision in a timely manner allowing for the applicant to be informed at least four weeks prior to the examination date.
Applicants denied permission to sit the examination by a Credentials Committee may appeal to the Board within two weeks of their notification of the decision. Such appeals shall be dealt with at the next Board meeting or at such other time as the Board may determine.
Eligibility for the membership examination, as granted by the Credentials Committee(s) or the Board is valid for three years including the year of application. Candidates who do not successfully complete the membership examination in that time may reapply for eligibility for a further three years by resubmitting a new application including an up-to-date curriculum vitae and letters of reference. Candidates will not be required to resubmit evidence of education unless they have new qualifications. Their application will be subject to the eligibility requirements in place in the Regulations of the College at that time and full application fees.
The Board reserves the right to reject applications without explanation.
