Licensure Pathway Navigation Service | Medical Council of Canada

Overview

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) Licensure Pathway Navigation Service offers eligible internationally trained physicians a free, one-time, one-on-one virtual consultation with a Licensure Navigation Specialist. Your specialist will take the time to understand your individual circumstances, including your medical education, postgraduate training, practice experience and other relevant circumstances to help you explore pathways that may be relevant to you, identify requirements you may already meet or be close to meeting, and find practical resources and next steps that can help you move forward.

How the Licensure Pathway Navigation Service can help

Navigating the pathways to medical practice in Canada can be complex, and it may not always be clear which options are relevant to you or where to start. Requirements vary by pathway and across Canada, and the options available to you depend on your individual education, training and experience.

A Licensure Navigation Specialist will take the time to understand your individual circumstances and explore your options with you. Together, you can:

Explore medical practice pathways, including those where you may already meet or be close to meeting requirements;
Look at opportunities that may be available in different provinces and territories;
Identify factors that could affect your readiness for different pathways;
Find relevant information and resources; and
Discuss practical next steps.

The goal is for you to leave your consultation with a clearer understanding of your options and help you make informed decisions about how to proceed.

Who can participate?

The Licensure Pathway Navigation Service is for internationally trained physicians who have already taken important steps toward medical practice in Canada and may be eligible, or approaching eligibility, for an existing pathway.

The service is currently being offered as a pilot, offering it to a limited number of candidates while we learn what works well and where we can improve. During the pilot, candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria related to their physiciansapply.ca account, source verification, language proficiency and postgraduate medical training.

The expression of interest form will help you determine whether you meet the initial eligibility criteria.

What to expect

If you meet the initial eligibility criteria and we believe the service could be helpful to you, we’ll get in touch to learn more about your individual experience and goals. We’ll ask for some additional information about your medical education, postgraduate training and practice experience so that your advisor can better understand your situation and prepare for a personalized conversation with you.

Your Licensure Navigation Specialist will review the information you provide, along with relevant information in your physiciansapply.ca account, before inviting you to schedule the virtual consultation.

During the consultation, which will last approximately 60 minutes, you will explore medical practice pathways that may be relevant to your circumstances and discuss possible next steps. Following your consultation, you will receive a written summary of the information and resources discussed.

You can participate in the service in either English or French, and there is no fee to participate.

Before you express your interest

The Licensure Pathway Navigation Service is currently being offered as a pilot and we have a limited number of consultations available. Note that submitting this form does not guarantee that you will be offered a consultation. Consultations will be offered to those who meet the eligibility criteria based on availability and in the order submissions are received.

Because every pathway has its own requirements and decisions are made by the responsible programs and medical regulatory authorities, we can’t guarantee that you will be eligible for a particular pathway, accepted into a program, or receive medical registration or licensure in Canada.

You’ll remain in control of your next steps. This includes confirming program and regulatory requirements, and making and managing your own applications. The MCC cannot submit applications on your behalf, advocate for your application, or make licensing or registration decisions.

Explore other resources for internationally trained physicians

The MCC offers information and resources to help internationally trained physicians learn more about practising medicine in Canada.