Approval of Assessors and Supervisors for Practice Ready Assessments, and College-Directed Supervision and Assessments

Preamble

An assessor or a supervisor is a physician that assesses another physician’s performance in practice by way of a Practice Ready Assessment (PRA), College-directed supervision, or a College-directed practice assessment.

In accordance with the Medical Act Regulations (the Regulations), all physicians on a Clinical Assessment licence or a Defined licence are permitted to practise medicine under a supervisor approved by the Registrar. Additionally, supervision may be imposed on physicians holding a Restricted licence.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set out the criteria for the approval of assessors for a practice assessment (including a PRA) as well as supervisors for College-directed supervision and assessment.

For more information regarding College-directed supervision, please refer to the policy for Supervision Levels for College-Directed Supervision¹. The requirements for each level of College-directed supervision are delineated in the College-Directed Supervision Framework – Responsibilities and Supervision by Level.²

For more information regarding a PRA, please refer to the policies for Pathway to Licensure for International Medical Graduates via a Practice Ready Assessment – Family Medicine³ and Pathway to Licensure for International Medical Graduates via a Practice Ready Assessment: Specialists.⁴

Scope

This policy applies to all physicians put forward to the College, in writing, as a potential assessor or supervisor, intended to assess another physician’s performance in practice.

Policy

Section 5(b) of the Medical Act Regulations authorizes the waiver of any criteria for registration or licensing if it is consistent with the objects and purpose of the College. Pursuant to this policy, the Registrar waives the prohibition on physicians holding a Restricted licence to act as a supervisor if they otherwise meet the criteria listed below.

1. The assessor or supervisor must practise in Nova Scotia and hold one of the following licence types:
   1. Full licence;
   2. Academic licence;
   3. Defined licence, under Sponsor-only Oversight;
   4. Restricted licence issued under one of the following pathways:
      • Pathway to Restricted Licensure for Physicians on an Academic Licence³
      • Pathway to Restricted Licensure for Defined Licence Physicians on Sponsor-Only Oversight⁴
      • Pathway to Long-Term Licensure via a Defined Licence⁵
2. Unless otherwise approved by the Registrar, the assessor or supervisor must practise in the same geographic area as the supervised physician and have a similar scope of practice as the supervised physician.
3. Unless otherwise approved by the Registrar, the assessor or supervisor must have practised for a minimum of two consecutive years of unsupervised practice in Nova Scotia.
4. When reviewing the proposed assessor or supervisor, the following will be considered:
   • The level of supervision required;
   • The supervisor’s willingness, availability, and geographic proximity to the physician requiring supervision; and
   • Any apparent or perceived conflict of interest.
5. Once a potential assessor or supervisor has been put forward, the College conducts an internal review, taking into account the criteria listed above, as well as:
   • The number of physicians currently being assessed or supervised by the proposed assessor or supervisor;
   • The proposed assessor or supervisor’s professional conduct history (investigations and compliance);
   • The proposed assessor or supervisor’s assessment history, unless protected under the Medical Act;
   • Their past relationships and interactions with the College;
   • Their past performance as a assessor or supervisor, if any; and
   • Any other issues related to Capacity, Competence, and Character.⁶

Who is responsible for Putting Forward an Assessor or Supervisor to be Approved by the College?

For assessors proposed for a Practice Ready Assessment in Family Medicine, potential assessors will be brought forward by the relevant health authority or the Nova Scotia Practice Ready Assessment Program (NSPRAP). Proposed assessors for practice assessments outside of the NSPRAP are determined on a case-by-case basis.

For supervisors of a physician on a Defined licence, the sponsor is responsible for proposing an appropriate supervisor. In most cases, physicians on a Restricted licence are responsible to put forward an appropriate supervisor themselves.

Resources

1. Supervision Levels for College-Directed Supervision
2. College-Directed Supervision Framework – Responsibilities and Supervision by Level
3. Pathway to Licensure for International Medical Graduates via a Practice Ready Assessment – Family Medicine
4. Pathway to Licensure for International Medical Graduates via a Practice Ready Assessment: Specialists
5. Pathway to Restricted Licensure for Physicians on an Academic Licence
6. Pathway to Restricted Licensure for Defined Licence Physicians on Sponsor-Only Oversight
7. Pathway to Long-Term Licensure via a Defined Licence
8. Capacity, Competence and Character for Safe and Ethical Practice