About temporary registration
If you are a physician or an osteopath visiting Alberta for a specific, short-term activity, you need to:
- Be sponsored by an Alberta physician and
- Get temporary registration on the CPSA Courtesy Register.
This registration is for medical instructors, medical learners or clinicians. If your only patients are non-Albertan members of a group travelling together, such as a sports team or travel group, you do not need to apply.
If you want to only observe a medical practice, you can bypass the Courtesy Register and connect directly with the physician whose practice you will be observing. Learn more in the CPSA Advice to the Profession on Medical Practice Observation/Experience.
Note: temporary registration is not applicable for those in postgraduate training. Please contact your PGME office for an elective.
Types of temporary registration
Visiting Medical Instructor
As a Visiting Medical Instructor, you can work in Alberta for up to 30 days in a calendar year to provide medical instruction or demonstration involving direct patient contact.
Visiting Medical Learner
As a Visiting Medical Learner, you can work in Alberta for up to 90 days in a calendar year to receive medical instruction, which may involve direct patient contact. This is not intended to be an assessment or pre-emptive review of a potential postgraduate trainee.
Visiting Clinicians
As a Visiting Clinician, you can provide medical services in Alberta for up to 30 days in a calendar year, during a specified event. An example could include providing care at a music festival or other temporary event, where you may need to be able to write prescriptions or order diagnostic tests.
Apply to the Courtesy Register
Before you apply to the CPSA Courtesy Register, you need to be sponsored by the Alberta physician who will supervise you during your short-term activity. The cost to apply is $100.
Have these documents ready before starting your application process:
- Ask your sponsor to complete the Sponsorship Form for Temporary Registration and return it to you to submit with your application package.
- A criminal record check or police certificate is required from all locations you have practised and/or trained for more than 90 days in the last 5 years.
- A criminal record check will be considered valid for a period of 1 year from the date on which it is issued or until the date of expiry indicated on the document.
- Canadian criminal record checks are nation-wide, so only 1 is required.
- Although we don’t need it, we will accept a vulnerable sector check if it is a part of your criminal record check.
- Completed Registration Understanding and Acknowledgement (RUA) for visiting learner, visiting instructor or visiting clinician.
Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you.
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Toll-free: 1-800-320-8624
Fax: 780-424-0805