How Does CME Work? Specialists (Canada)

Your continuing medical education obligation as a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Fellow runs through the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program, which the Royal College calls continuing professional development (CPD). You must participate to become a Fellow and to remain one. Most of the requirements fill themselves over five years. Two do not.

Five years, 250 credits

Most Fellows have a five-year cycle, starting January 1 of the year after admission. The Royal College requires at least 250 credits across it and at least 25 in every year, including years when you have already crossed 250. Before 2024 those floors were 400 and 40; the 2024 refresh brought both down. Working part-time does not lower them. Unused credits do not carry between cycles.

Log each activity in My MOC, the Royal College's online platform, by January 31 of the following year. Late entries count while your cycle is open. When you finish a cycle meeting all requirements, your Completion Certificate is available for download after February 15. If your cycle closes short of the requirements, no certificate is issued; an alternate report can be used as proof of participation instead.

Three sections, one hard floor

Section	Minimum per cycle	Examples
1: Group Learning	None (unaccredited capped at 50)	Conferences, rounds, journal clubs, webinars
2: Individual Learning	None	Reading, listening or watching (up to 30 credits a year combined), asynchronous courses
3: Feedback and Improvement	25, including one Feedback Received activity	Self-assessment programs, quality improvement initiatives

Section 1 covers learning with other people. Accredited activities earn 1 credit per hour; unaccredited earn 0.5. Conferences, rounds, journal clubs, live webinars and small-group sessions all earn at those same rates. Unaccredited Section 1 activities are capped at 50 credits for the whole cycle, and one entry, social media for knowledge translation, is capped further at 5 credits per year. Any unaccredited activity funded by a commercial interest earns nothing.

Section 2 covers independent learning. Educational content review (reading, listening or watching) earns 0.5 credits per hour to a maximum of 30 credits per year. Reading includes digital clinical resources, books and journals. One activity earns four times that rate: activity preparation, the research and writing you do before a teaching session, a manuscript or a grant application, earns 2 credits per hour with no annual cap.

Section 3 has the hard floor. You owe 25 credits there by cycle end, including one Feedback Received activity: one where you get feedback on your knowledge, skills or performance and reflect on it. A 360 review qualifies, as does a structured simulation with debriefing, a chart audit, or a coaching relationship. Accredited self-assessment programs (SAPs) earn 3 credits per hour. SAPs that the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has designated "CME in Support of MOC" are eligible under this section; the SAP Database in My MOC shows which ones qualify.

Feedback delivered earns 3 credits per hour, capped at 15 a year. Leading a group quality improvement initiative earns 35 credits per initiative per year; a group member earns 15. Committee, curriculum and guideline work pay fixed rates.

Where your licence comes in

In Ontario, the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) requires all physicians to participate in a CPD program meeting Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada requirements. British Columbia's college (CPSBC) puts MOC on its approved list and checks compliance at annual licence renewal. In Alberta, the provincial college (CPSA) requires MOC or Mainpro+ (the College of Family Physicians of Canada's program) and treats non-compliance as unprofessional conduct that may result in sanctions. Other provinces keep their own lists; check yours.

Quebec counts hours

The Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) requires 250 hours over a five-year reference period. Of those, at least 125 are recognized professional development (Category A), 10 practice evaluation (Category B), plus 25 hours each year. Most MOC credits translate to CMQ hours automatically, the Royal College says. You still need to open your CMQ declaration in Accès M.D. (the CMQ's secure online portal) by March 31 each year. File every year, current or not.

Where MD Progress fits

Reading on MD Progress earns Section 2 credit. Under Section 2: Individual Learning, educational content review (reading, listening and watching) earns 0.5 credits per hour to a maximum of 30 per year. Digital clinical resources and journal reading both qualify under that activity type.

Quick reference

Requirement	Detail
Governing body	Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
Program name	MOC Program
Cycle length	5 years
Total credits	250
Annual minimum	25 credits/year
Section 3 minimum	25 credits (including 1 Feedback Received activity)
Reporting deadline	January 31
Tracking platform	My MOC
Quebec equivalent	Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ)

What to check first

The 250-credit total takes care of itself. What slips are the 25-per-year minimum and the Section 3 floor. If your Section 3 balance in My MOC is short, book one Feedback Received activity this year. Do not leave it for year five.

Check My MOC each January. The reporting deadline is January 31; activities filed after that date still count as long as your cycle remains open. A five-year backlog is a harder problem than a one-year one.