Apply for Physician Extender Registration

What are physician extenders?

Physician extenders are residents or fellows who help provide highly supervised medical care in acute clinical facilities in Alberta.

The information on this page tells you everything you need to know about applying for extender registration, including application criteria, fees and limitations of extender registration.

Eligibility

As long as the work does not breach your Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA) agreement, you could be eligible for physician extender registration if you have:

Completed at least 18 months of related postgraduate training,
Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) and
The support of your current program director.

The physician extender practice permit is valid only while you are actively enrolled full-time in a postgraduate medical program at the University of Alberta or the University of Calgary.

Extender registration ends when you complete your program. If at any point you withdraw, transfer to another program or your program director withdraws their support, your extender registration is cancelled. You can reactivate your registration if you return to your training program, as long as you re-submit a new statement of support from your program director.

Rules for participating

CPSA has 8 main expectations for residents and fellows with extender registration. If at any time there is an indication the extender is struggling with their academic program, we expect their program director to intervene and potentially withdraw their support.

There is a clear link between the service the medical extender is expected to provide, and their training program.
The extender, employer and training program director need to agree on reasonable shift length, and have it in writing.
The extender needs to maintain satisfactory academic performance.
The extender’s clinical work can’t interfere with the normal clinical and training responsibilities of their program.
The extender’s additional clinical activities cannot place a burden on their fellow trainees.
After-hours coverage and shifts can’t be in breach of the extender’s PARA agreement.
The extender’s performance must be thoughtfully reviewed at least semi-annually by their employer and program director.
The extender must secure professional liability coverage of at least $10 million per occurrence before their extender work starts.

Permit renewal

Extender licences renew on July 1, therefore any applications that have a start date prior to July 1 will be required to pay the full annual fees and again on July 1.

The annual permit renewal cycle for all residents, including physician extenders, is aligned with your training year (July 1 – June 30).

Tip! If you plan on registering for an extender permit, we suggest doing so right after your first annual renewal.

Fees

Unlike their resident peers, physician extenders have to pay an initial registration fee and an annual renewal fee. These fees are not refundable.

Initial registration fee	$200 + GST
Annual renewal fee	$1075 + GST

Physician Extender - Regular

To apply to work under supervision in high-acuity areas, you must submit the following at least 30 days before you need to be registered. Make sure to submit everything in one full application or we will not be able to process it.

Your completed Physician Extender Application form (link to form below)
Download the Program Director Support form and send it to your program director to complete, sign and return to you. Make sure you attach the signed PDF to your application.
Download, complete and sign the Registration Understanding and Acknowledgment. Make sure you attach the signed PDF to your application and keep a copy for your records.
Attach a copy of your LMCC certification to your application. Either a wallet card or wall certificate are both acceptable.
Pay your registration fee and potentially your annual renewal fee.

Complete the Physician Extender Application Form

Physician Extender - Mental Health Certificates

Psychiatry residents and fellows who are enrolled in psychiatry postgraduate training at either Alberta university, with at least two years of training, may have to complete mental health certificates as part of their training.

The Mental Health Act says that only a registered practitioner can complete mental health certificates. For this reason, some psychiatry residents and fellows have to be registered as Physician Extenders, allowing you to complete and sign Mental Health Certificates. Because this is an educational requirement, we do not charge a fee for this registration.

To apply, you must submit the following at least 30 days before you need to be registered. Make sure to submit everything in one full application or we will not be able to process it.

Your completed Physician Extender – Limited Application form (link to form below)
Download the Program Director Support form and send it to your program director to complete, sign and return to you. Make sure you attach the signed PDF to your application.
Download, complete and sign the Registration Understanding and Acknowledgment. Make sure you attach the signed PDF to your application and keep a copy for your records.
Attach a copy of your LMCC certification to your application. Either a wallet card or wall certificate are both acceptable.

Complete the Physician Extender - Limited Application Form

Physician Extender - Surgical Assistants

Fellows and residents who are enrolled in a full-time postgraduate training program at either Alberta university at their own expense can apply for extender registration as surgical assistants. Ministry-funded fellows and residents are not eligible.

This registration lets these fellows and residents bill Alberta Health, subject to the Schedule of Medical Benefits, for surgical assistance they provide during their training program, and only for those procedures which are relevant to the training being undertaken. This registration is not appropriate for surgical assisting being provided in unrelated surgical fields.