Specialty recognition: eligibility criteria for physicians

Approved

October 17, 2025

Preamble

Section 10 of the Medical Act Regulations1 requires the Registrar to maintain a list of members whose names appear on a register and who qualify to be recognized as a medical specialist in accordance with criteria approved by Council.

Purpose

This policy sets out the criteria a physician must meet to be recognized as a specialist.

Scope

This policy applies to all physicians who have been issued a licence to practise medicine as the most responsible physician (MRP) in Nova Scotia.

Policy

The College will recognize specialty titles only in areas for which specialties and subspecialties are granted by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (the Royal College)2, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)3 or the College des medicins du Quebec (CMQ)4.

A physician must not identify themselves as a specialist unless they have been granted specialty recognition by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (the College).

  1. Criteria for special recognition
    All physicians granted a licence to practise medicine as the most responsible physician will be recognized as a specialist on the College’s Medical Specialties List.​This usually applies to physicians who hold one of the following licence types:
    • Full licence5; or
    • Restricted licence; or
    • Defined licence6; or
    • Defined licence – Clinical Fellowship7; or
    • Academic licence8; or
    • Temporary licence.
  2. Exclusions:
    All physicians who are not the MRP in practice, are not eligible for specialty recognition. This includes physicians on a Postgraduate Training licence, Clinical Assistant licence,9 or a Clinical Assessment licence.
  3. Areas of added or focused competence
    The College recognizes that physicians may complete additional training through the Royal College and obtain a diploma in an Area of Focused Competence (AFC), or through the CFPC to obtain a Certificate of Added Competence (CAC).​This additional training does not meet the Royal College or CFPC criteria for a specialty, subspecialty, or foundation program. The College will record this information in the physician’s file but will not recognize these credentials for the purposes of specialist designation

Resources

  1. Medical Practitioners Regulations
  2. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
  3. College of Family Physicians of Canada
  4. College des medicins du Quebec
  5. Full Licensure: Requirements and Criteria for Physicians
  6. Defined Licence: Requirements and Conditions for Supervised Practice as the Most Responsible Physician
  7. Defined Licence for Clinical Fellowship: Requirements & Conditions for Licensure
  8. Academic Licensure
  9. Clinical Assistant Licence
Applicable legislation:Section 10 of the Medical Act Regulations
Approved by:Registration Policy Committee & Council
Approval date(s):September 18, 2025 & October 17, 2025
Reviewed for accuracy:Annually
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The College acknowledges that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship. We also acknowledge that people of African descent have been in Nova Scotia for over 400 years, and we honour and offer gratitude to those ancestors.