Lend CPSA your expertise

Are You Engaged In Professional Life-Long Learning?

More importantly, are you interested in supporting your colleagues’ continued improvement?

We are currently seeking physicians for our Assessment Program Advisory Committee.

In this role, you would provide guidance on assessment and remediation activities supporting Alberta physicians in both quality improvement and quality assurance. We want your expertise to develop, implement and evaluate competence programs to ensure fairness, transparency and value to all Alberta physicians, and to ensure the best medical care for Albertans.

Qualifications:    

• You hold a valid, active Alberta Medical Practice Permit and are in good standing with CPSA.
• You have a minimum of five years practice experience.
• We also consider involvement in teaching, education and remediation an asset.

Time commitment:

• Our APAC meets up to four times per year, ranging from three to six hours in length. Meetings can be virtual or in person.
• All committee members need to review and familiarize themselves with meeting material prior to meetings.

Honorarium:

• CPSA pays committee members an honorarium and reimburses relevant expenses based on CPSA rates.

How to apply:

• If you have questions or want to apply, simply email Shelley Howk, Senior Medical Advisor at shelley.howk@cpsa.ab.ca.  The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 5.

Are You An Experienced Medical Educator?

Do you also have an interest in physician competence and continuing professional development?

If so, consider an active role in profession-led governance by joining CPSA’s Competence Committee. Our committee is currently seeking three new members.

Under the Health Professions Act (HPA), the Competence Committee makes recommendations to CPSA’s Council about general assessments, continuing professional development and competence assessments. As a committee member, you will provide direction and guidance on the development, implementation and evaluation of these programs, in both quality improvement and assurance.

Qualifications:    

• You hold a valid, active Alberta Medical Practice Permit and are in good standing with CPSA.
• You have a minimum of five years’ practice experience.
• We also consider involvement in teaching, education, remediation and continuous quality improvement an asset.

Time commitment:

• Our Competence Committee meets up to four times per year, for three to six hours. Meetings can be virtual or in person.
• All committee members need to review and familiarize themselves with meeting material prior to meetings.

Honorarium:

• CPSA pays committee members an honorarium and reimburses relevant expenses based on CPSA rates.

How to apply:

• If you have questions or want to apply, simply email Kimberley Murphy at kimberley.murphy@cpsa.ab.ca. The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 5.

Are you an experienced physician with an interest in dispute resolution?

If so, consider a leadership role in profession-led regulation as a member of our Complaint Review Committees (CRC) or Hearing Tribunals.

A CRC reviews dismissed complaints at the request of complainants, while a Hearing Tribunal considers evidence and arguments against physicians in adjudicating charges of unprofessional conduct. Each is made up of three members: two physicians and at least one member of the public.

Qualifications:

• • Experienced physician in any specialty, in good standing with CPSA and with at least five years of independent practice.
  • Previous experience serving on tribunals or committees, and assessing medical students, residents or physicians are valuable assets.

Expected time commitment:

• • CRC meetings usually last one day, and Hearing Tribunals are typically up to two days (very rarely, they can last multiple days). Additional time for supplementary work (up to 15 hours) is required.
  • The chair of a CRC or Hearing Tribunal prepares decision documents with the assistance of legal counsel. Training is provided.

Honorarium and expenses are paid at CPSA rates.

How to apply:

If you have questions or want to apply, please contact Allison Porter at 780-969-4928, or allison.porter@cpsa.ab.ca.

Are you a community physician with an interest in investigation and resolution?

If so, consider working with CPSA’s Professional Conduct department as a reviewer or subject matter expert, to assist in the investigation and resolution of complaints.

External reviewers work with a CPSA Investigator to review information and documents collected during a complaint investigation (letters of complaint, physician responses, associated clinical records, etc.), and provide a summary and analysis of the documents in relation to CPSA’s Standards of Practice and the Code of Ethics. This assists the Investigator in completing the Investigation Report

Experts are asked for their expertise when a complaint relates to a medical discipline or procedure they are skilled in. For example:

• Complaint details concern a specialty outside the CPSA Investigator’s area of expertise.
• Complaint documents suggest the care provided was below standard and another opinion is required to confirm.
• Complaint documents suggest care provided was significantly below standard and the Complaints Director may need to consider forwarding the matter to a Hearing Tribunal.

Please note, the names of external reviewers and experts do not appear in investigation reports.

Compensation:

CPSA provides an hourly fee for these roles. Additionally, hours spent reviewing complaint documents and preparing reports may be eligible for CPD credits.

For more information, contact Professional Conduct Director Sharon Barron, at 780-969-4951 or sharon.barron@cpsa.ab.ca.

Are you committed to ensuring physicians have clear, understandable and applicable resources to help guide them in their practice?

If so, consider signing up for CPSA’s Standards of Practice  pre-consultation mailing list.

We have added a pre-consultation phase to our overall standard consultation process, to directly hear how the standards work in everyday practice before we start drafting amendments. The opinions and feedback gathered during this phase will ensure we are updating standards to accurately reflect the needs of physicians, the public and health care in Alberta overall.

Anyone, from physicians to other healthcare practitioners to members of the public can provide their feedback.

Pre-consultation surveys are sent by email a few times a year and only take a few minutes each to complete.

If you would like to participate in future pre-consultations, email consultation@cpsa.ab.ca to add yourself to the mailing list. There is no obligation to complete every survey and you can remove yourself from the list at any time.

Questions? Contact CPSA Standards of Practice Coordinator Chantelle Dick, at 780-969-4987 or chantelle.dick@cpsa.ab.ca.