Dialogue Volume 14 Issue 1 2018 | Page 29

REGISTRATION Evaluating the effectiveness of alternative routes to registration Study finds physicians registered through alternative routes perform similarly to peers registered through traditional routes A multi-year College evaluation has found that Ontario physicians registered through alternative route pathways perform similarly to those physicians who came into practise through traditional routes. No demonstrable risk to patient safety was identified across multiple measures of performance. “The evaluation results demonstrate that we have an effective alternative registration framework that is meeting the College’s mandate to ensure patient safety and public protection,” said College President, Dr. Steven Bodley. Mr. Dan Faulkner, Interim College Registrar, said the evaluation of the College’s registration policy and pathway framework represents a rigorous approach to understanding regulatory outcomes. “It is likely the only study of this breadth in Canada, and potentially internationally. The study and its findings serve to move the College toward its goals of accountability, transparency and evidence-informed regulation,” he said. Over the years, the College has made increased access to registration possible through a wide variety of strategies that have allowed internationally-trained physicians to demonstrate qualifications. The College's evaluation, launched in 2012, focused on Who are alternative route physicians? Physicians who access alternative registration routes are those applicants who do not meet College’s regulation requirements for registration (under the Medicine Act, 1991) but instead meet an alternative set of qualifications approved by the CPSO Council (in the form of policies and pathways) or meet the requirements of the federal/ provincial/ territorial Agreement on Internal Trade. The current evaluation focused on the following broad pathways and policies:  greement on Internal Trade (AIT) A This is a federal-provincial- territorial agreement to enable a professionals’ mobility from a Canadian jurisdiction in which they have a licence, to gain licensure in another Canadian province. ISSUE 1, 2018 DIALOGUE 29