Accredit Your Program

The ‘Request for Service‘ is Part One of your application and is an on-line form that faculty can use to request the services of the CEPD Office for the following:

• Application review for certification of CFPC Mainpro+ (1 credit per learning hour)
• Application review for accreditation of RCPSC Section 1 or Section 3 programs
• Application/Program development support
• Quick turn-around of your application review
• Various 3rd party support services for your program when certifying/accrediting through the CEPD Office

*Important

To complete the Request for Service, you will require the following information (please do not initiate the form until you have this information on-hand):

• Scientific Planning Committee (SPC) Chair name and contact information (*Must be NOSM University faculty)
• Physician Organization name and contact information
• Scientific Planning Committee responsible for developing the program (member names and contact information required)
  • Must have a NOSM University faculty member as the planning committee Chair
  • Must have representatives of your target audience (including one CFPC member for provincially delivered live or online programs/three CFPC members for national online self-study programs, and a RCPSC member, if you are targeting members of the respective Colleges, and Health Science representation for other health professionals in the target audience)
• Administrative support name and contact information (if applicable)
• Program details (title, type, start date, location, learning hours, # of anticipated participants, delivery method, target audience)
• Type of credit sought (Determined by your target audience: CFPC Mainpro+, RCPSC Section 1 or 3, both)

Please ensure you have the above information accessible before pressing the ‘Request for Service’ button below.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact the CEPD Office at cepd@nosm.ca.

Please review the Application Process Flowchart

Key steps and timelines for the CEPD application process, as illustrated by the CEPD application process flowchart (please see figure 1), are outlined below.

8-10 Weeks Prior to the Event: Request for Service Application form is submitted to CEPD Office

1. The applicant submits an electronic request for service form (Part 1 of Application – Administrative Standards).
2. The program is assigned to a CEPD Coordinator who responds to the applicant within two business days of the original request.
3. The CEPD Coordinator creates a username and password for Part 2 of the application and sends it to the applicant with an invoice for the application review.
4. The CEPD Office requires that each application has a designated ‘Program Director/Chair’, who is a NOSM University faculty member. This individual is responsible for ensuring compliance with accreditation/certification standards in the application and throughout the delivery of the educational program.
5. The CEPD Application fees for various Accreditation/Certification and Event Management services are outlined and respective fees should be incorporated into budget planning for the educational activity.

6 Weeks Prior to the Event: Submission of a Complete Application. (Review can only be guaranteed when an application is submitted a minimum of 4 – 6 weeks prior to the event date. Note that you should submit at least four weeks prior to the date you’d like to begin advertising your educational event, to ensure ample advertising time.)

The applicant submits the complete application, including the following required documentation (See samples in the Program Development Toolbox):

• Electronic Application Form
• COI Declarations forms for all Scientific Planning Committee members
• COI Declaration forms for any confirmed speakers at the time of the application submission
• COI Disclosure slide(s) for Scientific Planning Committee
• Speaker communication letter (outlining learning objectives, educational and ethical standards)
• Needs Assessment support documentation used to identify a perceived or unperceived gap in the knowledge/skill/attitude of the target audience:
  • Unperceived data Sources, (support documents may include audit reports, LHIN reports, MOH reports, journal articles, guidelines, statistical summaries, new guidelines, emerging trends)
  • Perceived data Sources (Support documents may include meeting minutes, email requests or summaries, survey summaries, focus group summary data, evaluation summaries)
  • sources must be used to determine topics, develop learning objectives and align with particular CanMEDS/CanMEDS(FM) competencies
• Promotional Material Poster/Brochure
• Agenda – used to determine total education hours
• Budget
• Evaluation Template to be used (Program and Session)
• Certificate of Attendance template to be used

4-6 Weeks Prior to Event (Application review process):

Once an application submitted, it is reviewed within three days by the CEPD Accreditation Coordinator who:

• Ensures all support documentation is complete
• Reviews COI Declaration forms/affiliations and mitigation strategies
• Ensures planning committee is appropriate per the target audience
• Ensures that the needs assessments are appropriate, align with topic selection, learning objectives, and identified CanMEDS roles
• Ensures that goals and objectives are appropriately written (Learner focused, actionable, outcome based)
• Identifies any ethical issues related to bias or financial influence in the application or budget
• Reviews agendas to determine appropriate learning hours
• Provides feedback to applicant re areas of concern which need to be addressed before the application is submitted for to the medical reviewers

2-4 Weeks Prior to Event: Medical Review

Once initial areas of concern have been addressed, the application is sent to two medical reviewers who are members or fellows of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). The medical reviewers review the application for:

• Ethical review for bias or influence in the application document, budget, advertising, declaration of conflict of interest forms and presentations
• Ensure that the needs assessments are appropriately aligned with the program description, topics, learning objectives and CanMEDS roles
• Evaluate planning committee membership and make recommendations
• Assess application to determine if educational and ethical standards have been met for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and/or for the College of Family Physicians of Canada
• Review power point presentations submitted to ensure that educational standards and CFPC Quality Criterion have been met and that no  bias is evident (i.e. presentations are evidence based, balanced, generic drug names are used and no particular company or brand has been represented within the presentation) **Note – this is a requirement for all workshops, but required only if requested for RSS and Conferences
• Provide feedback to the applicant (via the CEPD Accreditation Coordinator), regarding all of the above
  • If areas of concern have been identified and changes or additional information is required, Accreditation coordinator will provide feedback directly to the applicant and advise medical reviewers once concerns have been addressed.
  • Medical Reviewers complete final review

Feedback and Approval Letter

Note that approval is granted for one year from the notification date of the approval letter and is valid for the target audience, objectives and content outlined in the application. The educational activity can be repeated within the year, under this approval, provided that there have not been significant changes to target audience, objectives or content.  If significant changes have been made, the application will be subject to partial or full review, per the determination of the CEPD Office. Notification must be given to the CEPD Office no less than 30 days prior to the added date.

The Accreditation Coordinator, on behalf of the CME Medical Director, CEPD, sends approval documents to the Program Director of the Scientific Planning Committee (SPC). Approval documents are:

• Feedback and Approval letter
  • The applicant must submit any revisions (regarding the application, presentation or marketing) to the CEPD office, in order to complete processing and approval of the application
• Approval statement(s) that must be included on all marketing material
• Link to the Program Development Toolbox
• Applicants are reminded that post event material (attendance records, evaluation summaries, certificates of attendance), must be stored by the Scientific Planning Committee for a minimum of five years, in case of credit validation or audit.

Conflict of Interest and bias in educational content are issues that the College of Family Physicians and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons have worked hard to heighten stakeholder awareness of over the last several years. College and CACME guidelines on relationships with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, the National Standard for support of accredited CPD activities, CMA Guidelines for Physicians in Interaction with Industry (2021), Innovative Medicines Canada Code of Ethical Practices (2022) have all influenced the policy and guidelines set by the CEPD Office.  In November 2013 NOSM University’s Conflict of Interest Policy with Commercial Entities (COI-CE) was released with full approval from the NOSM University Board of Directors. Planning Committee members are encouraged to review the NOSM University Conflict of Interest Policy with Commercial Entities for guidance regarding bias, relationship with industry and sponsorship as it relates to the development of educational programs.

Planning Committee members and speakers must all complete the Conflict of Interest Declaration form for each program being accredited. Note that COI’s for members of a planning committee may be re-used for a two year period, provide there has been verification that no changes have occurred. This form allows for planning committee awareness of member and/or speaker affiliations that may cause real or perceived bias throughout the planning, development or delivery of an education activity. Foreknowledge of the affiliations will ensure that the planning committee has the opportunity to discuss the strategies that will be taken to ensure that any bias is mitigated.  These are the discussions that will inform the conflict of interest slides for the planning committee, located at the start of every learning activity.

Planning Committees will ensure the following:

• All planning committee members complete the Declaration of Conflict of Interest form every two years, or when changes of affiliations have occurred.
• All speakers complete the Declaration of Conflict of Interest form every two years, or when changes of affiliations have occurred.
• Where a potential conflict of interest is identified, the planning committee will discuss how any real or perceived bias will be mitigated.
• All speakers will be provided the Conflict of Interest slide templates and will be asked to include them at the start of their presentation. The presenter disclosure slide identifies the speaker’s affiliations with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations very the past two years and whether any of those affiliations are relevant to the content of their presentation.
• Presentations are reviewed by the planning committee.

The CEPD Office is authorized to certify and accredit eligible educational programs in the following credit categories:

• The College of Family Physicians MAINPRO+ (Group, Self-Directed, Assessment categories)
  • This planning committee must include at least one committee member who is a member of the CFPC and can represent the target audience. This individual must have substantive input into the content development for the educational activity.

• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Section 1
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Section 3, Simulation
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Section 3, Self Assessment
  • These planning committees must include at least one committee member who is a member of the RCPSC and can represent the target audience. This individual must have substantive input into the content development for the educational activity.
• CEPD Office Review and Approval for Inter-Professional Learning Programs
  • These educational activities must be co-developed by the ‘Health Sciences’ or ‘Interprofessional Education’ Program Planning Committees of the Continuing Education and Professional Development Office.

**Note: All scientific planning committees must be chaired by a NOSM University faculty member and should include NOSM University faculty members who represent members of the target audience.

Once the program has been accredited/certified, any changes to the program are subject to approval by the CEPD Office.  Approval will be revoked should any such changes not meet with CFPD Mainpro+ certification or RCPSC MOC Accreditation standards.  

Where any of the following changes to approved programs are unavoidable, the applicant must notify the CEPD Office, by completing the application amendment form, (note that changes will be reviewed and you will be advised of applicable review fees or the possible need to submit a new application): 

• Changes or events that impair the applicant’s ability to meet accreditation requirements
• Loss of status of any of the committee members
• Change in commercial sponsorship
• Change to the contents of the application
• Change to contact information
• Change to the committee membership 

Change beyond the control of the applicant Application Process

Terminations / Suspension / Revocation

Trusted relationships with educational partners are based on an honour system that presumes that all program applications are submitted with full disclosure and to the best of the planning committee’s ability.  Accreditation/Certification of programs may be terminated, revoked or suspended, should it be determined that information or events were withheld or misrepresented and / or that the applicant failed to comply with CFPC/RCPSC/CACME accreditation policies and procedures.     

Suspended applicants must immediately cease promotion of the event and its association with the CEPD Office.  

In order to apply for reinstatement, the suspended applicant must be able to demonstrate correction of any areas of concern and the ability to adhere to the required programming standards.

Should you have any questions related to the development of your program, please contact:

Julie Colquhoun, Accreditation Coordinator

• Email: jucolquhoun@nosm.ca
• Phone: 807.630-1784

Sarah Bazinet, CEPD Coordinator

• Email: sbazinet@nosm.ca
• Phone: 705.662.7117

Lisa Kokanie, CEPD Coordinator

• Email: lkokanie@nosm.ca
• Phone: 807.766.7393

Following the policies and procedures outlined in this manual, facilitates but does not guarantee accreditation/certification of an application.  Should your application be denied accreditation/certification, or accredited/certified with changes, the CEPD Office will provide feedback and support to assist you with the process of implementing the required revisions.  

This manual will be updated on an ongoing basis and without notice.  It is the responsibility of the planning committee to ensure that they are referring to the most current guidelines.

If you have any questions about your program development and accreditation/certification, we invite you to contact the CEPD Office.  We are available to guide you through the application process.