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All NewsCPSA programs for physicians
As part of our responsibility to protect the public, CPSA works with physicians to ensure patients are getting the high level of quality care they need and deserve.
We do this by working collaboratively with the profession and by offering a variety of programs and resources to help physicians in their practice.
"Our Continuing Competence program continues to evolve based on input from our partners, emerging evidence and best practices in regulation."
- Dr. Dawn Hartfield, CPSA Assistant Registrar
Physician Assessment & Feedback |
Physician Practice Improvement |
Physician Prescribing Practices |
Professionalism
CPSA’s Standards of Practice, the Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics & Professionalism will guide your behaviours in practice and are enforceable under the Health Professions Act (HPA).
Standards of Practice |
Advice to the Profession |
Code of Conduct |
Code of Ethics |
Complaints
As a physician, you have the training, skills and intention to provide safe patient care, but at some point or another in your medical career, you may receive a complaint. This is not always a bad thing—in fact, it can often result in positive practice changes.
Physician resources
We have developed a resource bank to help you find resources to support you in your practice. Click on All Resources and filter by "Physicians" to explore the resource bank or use the search to find other relevant resources.
All ResourcesDo I need to self-report if I’m off work due to a physical health condition, accident or injury?
Not all health conditions need to be reported to CPSA. You must report any condition, accident or injury to CPSA that is negatively impacting your work, or is reasonably likely to negatively impact your work in the future.
A health condition is a physical or mental health concern which could negatively impact the patient care provided by a regulated member. Conditions include (but are not limited to):
- Blood-borne viral infections
- Conditions affecting vision and hearing
- Neurological conditions affecting cognition, motor or sensory function
- Psychiatric conditions
- Substance use disorder
- Physical disability
- Metabolic conditions
For more information, see our Duty to Report Self standard of practice. To self report, you can contact HPCM directly or submit a notification of concern to CPSA via our website.
If my health condition requires assessment and monitoring, how much will it cost? Who is responsible for the costs?
Any costs associated with independent medical examinations, health and/or biological monitoring are set by the third-party service providers, CPSA is not involved in the determination of fees. The Alberta Medical Association has a guideline for uninsured services fees.
As per the Continuing Competence standard of practice (clause 16), these costs are the responsibility of the regulated member.
Is participation in Health & Practice Conditions Monitoring voluntary?
It is CPSA’s responsibility to ensure patients receive safe care. Under the Continuing Competence standard of practice, a regulated member must participate in a competence assessment when directed to do so (which in this case refers to participation in health and/or biological monitoring). Failure or refusal to comply with Continuing Competence program requirements is considered unprofessional conduct and may result in a referral to Professional Conduct under the Health Professions Act (HPA).
What happens if I need to take leave from practice for health reasons?
If you temporarily withdraw from practice while dealing with a health condition, your CPSA registration status can be updated to Active-Withdrawn from Practice and you will be unable to practise medicine until it is determined you can resume work safely.
Who can be a service provider for physicians with health conditions?
If we become aware of a regulated member’s health condition, they may be referred to a third-party service provider for an independent medical assessment and health monitoring, if required.
Organizations with at least one regulated member on staff, or individual physicians who meet CPSA’s established and outlined criteria and competencies to provide independent medical examinations or health and/or biological monitoring services, with experience conducting guideline-driven, independent medical exams or biological monitoring, can submit their interest to CPSA’s Health & Practice Conditions Monitoring program to be a service provider.