Are Canadian physicians passing the test?

Canada is not keeping pace with countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom in revalidating the competence of its physicians, writes Dr. Wendy Levinson, chair of the University of Toronto's department of medicine.

Programs to ensure that doctors maintain their skills and knowledge are essential yet most provincial standards lack external verification of whether physicians actually put their knowledge and skills into practice. Further, there is no uniform standard across Canada. She calls for Canada and its provinces to implement mandatory revalidation for all physicians.

"Ultimately, we must be able to assure our colleagues and the public that we are living up to our professional responsibility of self-regulation and protecting the public's trust in our health care system."

http://www.cma.ca/cmaj and http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg979.pdf