Registration Assessments

Practice Readiness Assessment (PRA-AB)

A Practice Readiness Assessment (PRA) is the required final step of an alternate path to independent practice in Alberta for internationally trained physicians who don’t have complete Canadian credentials. Once an internationally trained physician registers with CPSA, they must pass this 2-part assessment of their clinical competence, chart management and professionalism to join CPSA’s temporary Provisional Register. If a Canadian medical graduate fails a national exam, they also have to participate in a portion of this assessment and pass before joining the Provisional Register.

Steps to take before you start your PRA

Below are the steps you need to take before a PRA. Once these are complete, CPSA finds you an assessor or supervisor and arranges the assessment dates. This may take some time as we are very thorough in finding assessors and supervisors that are available, qualified and do not have conflicts of interest.

1. Submit a Review of Qualifications for Independent Practice: Through your physiciansapply.ca account, you need to submit a Review of Qualifications to CPSA. This is our pre-screening process for every applicant to confirm you meet all the CPSA eligibility requirements. We’ll send you a CPSA Eligibility Letter confirming if you can move to the next step. It outlines which CPSA Register you can apply to and what assessment you need. You also need this letter for sponsorship. For more information, check out applying for independent practice.
2. Apply for the TDM exam: If you are a Family Medicine physician, you need to pass the Therapeutics Decision Making exam. Family Medicine physicians who aren’t eligible for independent practice on the General Register, or who do not have Recognized Training and Certification Outside Canada through the College of Family Physicians of Canada, must write the TDM exam.
3. Secure sponsorship: You need to apply for sponsorship. Sponsorship helps make sure new-to-Alberta physicians can enter the workforce while also serving communities that have the highest need for physicians. The sponsor sends us a sponsorship form. To apply for or see what jobs are available in Alberta, visit doctorjobsalberta.com.
4. Submit your supporting documents: Your CPSA Registration Administrator will contact you after we receive your TDM exam results (if applicable) and sponsorship form. At this stage, you will need to answer background questions through your physiciansapply.ca account and provide us with supporting documentation. Your CPSA Registration Administrator will let you know what documentation we need.
5. Start the PRA: Once we have your full application and supporting documents, we’ll send your file to the PRA program and start setting up your assessment.

Timelines

The steps up to and including the PRA can take anywhere from approximately 10 months to just under 3 years, and there are factors that affect the timing of each step.

Here is a comparison of an average and extended timeline:

Reasons the timeline may be extended include:

• questions about the qualifications provided
• the TDM exam result, such as a need to retake the exam
• a delay in obtaining a sponsor letter of offer
• your criminal record check
• Certificates of Professional Conduct
• third-party source verification of your credentials
• your PRA start date availability
• PCA assessor and SPA supervisor availability
• the time it takes for you to gather information from third parties

What to expect during the PRA: Part A & Part B

Information for sponsors >

PRA-AB fees

Fees (taxes are included) for a PRA-AB Assessment are paid by the sponsor and cover the cost of the assessors’ time and any expenses they incur related to the assessment. They also include any fees we pay to the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) to be a part of the pan-Canadian PRA program (NAC-PRA). Applicants may be responsible for their own assessment fees—please review your employment and sponsorship contracts for details.

Return-to-practice assessment

If you’ve been out of practice for more than 3 years, you may have to complete a return-to-practice assessment to make sure you can start working again safely. This assessment determines what kind of re-training or other support you might need to care for Albertans after a long absence from medicine.

CPSA will review your application and let you know if you need an assessment and additional training. We’ll arrange any required assessment and training.

Return-to practice assessment fees

Physicians are responsible for any costs associated with their return-to-practice assessments.

Summative Assessment

Physicians on CPSA’s temporary Provisional Register have 6 years to get all their Canadian credentials and transfer to the General Register. If required on a physician’s Registration Understanding and Acknowledgement, the Summative Assessment (SUMA) is at the physician’s cost.

The SUMA is a mandatory, 3 to 4 day pass/fail assessment of your medical knowledge, procedural skills, clinical decision-making skills, communication and professionalism to prove you qualify for registration on the General Register. Without getting the required credentials or passing the SUMA, your registration on the Provisional Register will expire. This is a high-stakes pass/fail assessment—physicians who fail can no longer practise medicine in Alberta. If we decide you need to undergo a SUMA, you will have at least 1 year’s notice of when the assessment will take place.

We encourage physicians to get all their Canadian credentials within 6 years.

Next steps—after your SUMA

1. Your assessor will provide all their assessment documentation to CPSA for submission to the Summative Assessment (SUMA) Advisory Committee for review.
2. The SUMA Committee will prepare a recommendation to the Assistant Registrar regarding your application for registration on the General Register.
3. The final decision regarding whether or not you passed or failed the SUMA is made by the Assistant Registrar, Registration or their designate—not the assessor or the SUMA Advisory Committee. The Assistant Registrar will provide you with a letter explaining the outcome.
4. If you fail the SUMA, there is an appeal process for registration decisions under Section 31 of the Health Professions Act. Your Registration on the Provisional Register will remain valid until a final decision is made.

Registration runs from January to December. Annual renewal notices are issued in mid-October and fees are due by Dec. 31 each year for renewal the following year. We ask that you complete your CPSA annual renewal if you are waiting your SUMA result.

Summative assessment fees

Who is completing my registration assessment?

We rely on qualified physician assessors from across Alberta to help us review physicians who are new-to-Canada, have changed their practice or are returning from a long break.

Our assessors are highly-respected clinicians who help us ensure we’re registering competent and well-trained physicians.

Physician approvals

CPSA is undertaking a review of the legislative authority by which we provide approvals for non-accredited services. In the interim, we are not taking applications for these approvals.