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Partial Refund of Licensure Fees for Pregnancy or Parental Leave

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Preamble

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (the College) understands that physicians may need to take a leave of absence from medical practice for pregnancy or parental leave.

Physicians who take a pregnancy or parental leave of absence from practice may be eligible upon request for a partial refund of their annual licensing fee.

Scope

This policy applies to all physicians licensed in Nova Scotia who elect to take a pregnancy or parental leave of absence from practice for four (4) or more consecutive months.

Purpose

This policy describes the College requirements for a physician taking a pregnancy or parental leave of absence to be considered for a partial refund of their annual licensing fee. All other College fees are non-refundable unless otherwise stipulated in the College’s Fee Schedule1.

Policy

Pursuant to this policy, physicians who take a pregnancy or parental leave of absence may be eligible for a partial refund of the annual licensing fee to be determined by the College.

  1. Eligibility – The College will consider all types of parental leave for eligible physicians. A partial refund may be considered for physicians who have paid the applicable licensing fee for the current calendar year and take a pregnancy or parental leave of absence from practice for four (4) or more consecutive months in the calendar year.
  2. Calculation of Refund – For physicians who meet the eligibility criteria, the College will calculate a prorated refund of the annual licensing fee for full calendar months only, to a maximum of half of the physician’s annual licensing fee.

    Refunds of fees will be processed when the physician finishes their pregnancy or parental leave.
  3. Physician Responsibilities – To qualify for a partial refund of fees under this policy, prior to taking a pregnancy or parental leave of absence, the physician must notify the College of their planned leave of absence and provide the College with their forwarding address, if applicable.

    Additionally, the physician must provide notice to their patients, employer(s), colleagues and others as described in the College’s Professional Standards Regarding Temporarily or Permanently Closing a Medical Practice2.

    It is also important for all physicians to ensure they continue to meet the College’s requirements for currency as described in the College policy for Currency of Practice Experience3.

    Pursuant to this policy, a physician on pregnancy or parental leave of absence is not permitted to practise medicine in any capacity. To be clear, this means a physician on a leave of absence is NOT permitted to do any of the following:
    • participate in any patient encounters whether in-person or otherwise;
    • admit patients to the hospital;
    • bill for services rendered;
    • prescribe medications including any new and existing prescriptions;
    • order any investigations; or
    • conduct patient record reviews including review of laboratory or diagnostic reports.

The physician will be required to sign an Undertaking affirming they will not practise medicine during their pregnancy or parental leave of absence and that they will notify the College immediately should the dates of their leave change.

  1. Agents of the College – In the event the physician taking a pregnancy or parental leave is also an Agent of the College, they may continue to participate in College activities while on pregnancy or parental leave including Council or Committee meetings.
  2. Licensure Status During a Pregnancy or Parental Leave of Absence – During the time a physician is on a pregnancy or parental leave of absence, their licensure status will show on the College website as ‘Temporarily Inactive’ which will remain in the registration history. No additional details regarding the duration or nature of the leave will be made publicly available.

    The College will notify relevant stakeholders when a physician’s licensure status is changed to ‘Temporarily Inactive’ and when their licensure has been reactivated upon their return to practice.
  3. Professional Liability Coverage – The physician may wish to suspend their professional liability coverage while on a pregnancy or parental leave of absence. The College requires confirmation of professional liability coverage before reactivating the physician’s licence to practise.

Resources

  1. College Fee Schedule
  2. Professional Standards Regarding Temporarily or Permanently Closing a Medical Practice
  3. Currency of Practice Experience

Applicable Legislation: Sections 19, 28, 40, 49, 55, 59 of the Medical Practitioners Regulations

Approved by: Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Registrar

Approval date: November 9, 2022

Review Date: November 2025