The goal
that matters
most
2012 : 2014
A strategic plan of the
Royal College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Canada
The goal
that matters
most
Our vision:
The best health for all.
The best care for all.
Our mission:
To improve the health and
care of Canadians by leading in
medical education, professional
standards, physician competence
and continuous enhancement
of the health system.
Better health for Canadians is always the goal
Fellows expect their Royal College to respond in such circumstances. We know
that we have a significant role to play in health system transformation and we are
fully aware of our strengths in this realm. We are not only pursuing excellence
in our core business areas, but also working to become a voice for change.
Our strategic plan maps the surest route to this end. We will transform into
a more responsive, more comprehensive and more valuable Royal College by
developing the capacity to train specialists in appropriate ways from residency
to retirement; by enabling a more practical approach to the education and
certification of medical specialists while we continue to advance our standards;
and by becoming more deeply involved in debates that affect health policy.
Ultimately, the Royal College is here to serve the public good. Through
collaboration, guided by wisdom and vision, we will move resolutely to the
goal that matters most: better health for Canadians.
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
In a health care system that is evolving more swiftly with every passing year,
doctors are showing leadership by becoming more adaptable and innovative.
With enthusiasm,
Louis Hugo Francescutti
MD, PhD, MPH, FRCPC, FACPM,
CCFP, FACP (Hon), ICD.D
President
Andrew Padmos
BA, MD, FRCPC, FACP
Chief Executive Officer
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The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is a not-for-profit
professional organization that exists to maintain the highest standards in specialty
medical education and professional practice. We continue to develop policies
and programs so that all specialists in Canada can practice under a common
standard of competence.
As domestic and global boundaries blur, we remain committed to sharing
knowledge, expertise and ideas as widely as possible, not only with our members,
but also with partners such as family doctors and other health practitioners.
We actively link with partners internationally as well, building new ways to
share our expertise and learn from others.
Since 1929, the Royal College
has been Canada’s leader in
specialty medical education
and professional standards.
We speak for our more than
44,000 members, advocating
on their behalf to improve
health and care for all.
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
The home of specialty medicine
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When the Royal College was established by an act of Parliament to oversee
specialist medical education in Canada, the organization managed just
two specialty qualifications: fellowship in general medicine and fellowship in
general surgery. More than 80 years later, we define the scope of practice for
more than 67 specialties and subspecialties.
The world is evolving swiftly. As medicine advances, populations age and
health care needs become more complex, so does the health care landscape.
We see a compelling challenge in keeping pace with this change.
We also see a solution. We will continually reform our ideas and approaches to
specialist education and continuing professional development with the goal of
enabling the highest quality of care by specialists. More than that, we will move
beyond a mandate in which we merely influence the education and practice
environment. We will become a voice of change, advocating for a health system
that actively supports innovative and practical solutions for residency training,
continuing professional development and practice, and that partners with
family doctors and other health professionals.
We commit to communicating our observations and recommendations to all
members of the public. Patients must know that the Royal College Fellowship
designation is a mark of quality and competence they can trust. Governments
must know that they can turn to us when they need expert advice about the
implications of policy change on the health of Canadians.
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
A role for the Royal College in health system reform
It is our professional responsibility
to pursue excellence in medical
education, professional standards
and physician competence on
behalf of Canadians. As Canada’s
home of specialty medicine,
we recognize that we must also
become a strong voice for change.
It is time we position the Royal College as an organization deeply relevant in
the lives of our members and all Canadians, and as an organization committed
to advancing the standards of education and practice globally. In our strategic
plan we have identified five areas in which the most rapid and profound change
can be made with the resources available to us now.
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1 : Competent physicians
2 : Health, health care and health systems
The Royal College’s policies and programs
will enable residents and specialists to acquire,
maintain and enhance their competence
during residency and throughout practice.
The Royal College will contribute to transforming the health
system, improving health and health care for all Canadians.
Ensuring competence among physicians and surgeons
who practise in Canada is at the core of our work as
the Royal College. Building on a history of excellence
in specialty medical education, we will continue to
develop our support to the medical community along
the entire educational continuum. In this way, we will
enable the highest quality of health care for patients.
We will innovate our certification approaches to ensure
one standard of competence for all specialist physicians
who practise in Canada. We will review and improve
the ways in which we assess physicians. We will use
more in-practice assessment throughout residency
and practice, continue to improve our certification
exam process, and work toward the establishment of a
leading-edge assessment centre in Ottawa. We will also
continue to develop reliable continuing professional
development tools and strategies that give physicians
valuable feedback on their performance and show
where they need to improve.
Our ambitious agenda focuses on two fundamental strategies: first, to expand
our scholarship and refine our policy positions so that we can contribute to
debates about critical issues such as human resources for health and the health
of disadvantaged populations; second, to provide physicians with tools to
enhance their practice.
Opportunities abound in this realm. We will continue to focus on how to
improve the lives of Canadians by reducing injuries. We will wrestle with the
pervasive question of how best to serve disadvantaged populations, including
Aboriginals, many of whom suffer the worst health in the country. At the
same time, we will work to improve relations among Canada’s health care
professions. Working efficiently with others has not only been shown to
improve health outcomes for patients, but also to improve the lives of those
working in health care settings.
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
Key results in five areas : 2012-2014
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3 : Innovation, research and scholarship
4 : Value of Fellowship
The Royal College will enhance its role in scholarship,
and in research in medical education and health policy.
The Royal College will strengthen the
value of Fellowship and, along with
our partners in the medical profession,
share leadership in assuring highest quality
health care for Canadians.
Evidence and scholarship are at the foundation of all our programs and activities,
from the most effective way to assess physician competence to the ideal online
tools for continuing professional development.
We nevertheless see an opportunity to improve our contribution as a scholarly
organization — not only in educational standards and programs, but also in
health policy. We will improve our performance as both an enabler and supporter
of research so that our activities in this arena are better aligned with our
mission. Among our activities will be to establish a more robust infrastructure
for accessing research evidence, partner with leaders in research to leverage
innovation, and establish more effective tools for assisting Fellows in teaching
and assessing the CanMEDS Roles.
The Royal College is only as strong as its membership.
Our members are essential to all of our activities,
and they are crucial volunteers without whom we
could not fulfill our mission.
We will increase our effort to engage Fellows,
residents, certificants and other health practitioners so
that they are able to recognize what the Royal College
brings to the health of Canadians and to the profession.
We will work to expand our categories of affiliation,
broadening our family and rightly portraying the
Royal College as the home of specialty medicine.
At the same time, we will continue to support Fellows
by delivering the highest standards of residency
education and continuing professional development,
and by advocating for high-quality health care.
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
Key results in five areas : 2012-2014
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Key results in five areas : 2012-2014
The goal that matters most : A strategic plan of the Royal College
5 : International outreach
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The Royal College will promote
global standards and build capacity
internationally in specialty medical
education and professional learning and
development. This will enhance educational
standards and approaches, and the health
of populations globally.
Canada is respected the world over for the high
quality of its specialty medical education. The Royal
College continues to help other countries build their
capacity to provide medical education and create
their own sustainable health systems.
To this end, we will continue to develop appropriate
models for exporting our educational activities
and tools — such as CanMEDS, Maintenance of
Certification and MAINPORT. We will facilitate
linkages globally and create more opportunities for
Fellows to participate in humanitarian projects.
We will also work to align our international
mission with those of our partners.
The Council, President, Chief Executive Officer and directors of the
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada wish to thank
the 44,000 members of the Royal College for their confidence in
our work, our more than 3,000 volunteers for their unflagging
assistance in enabling Royal College programs, and the people
of Canada for their continuing support and confidence.
We also extend our gratitude to our committed staff who
work tirelessly to support the mission of the Royal College.
royalcollege.ca