This information was drafted and prepared by the QCFP’s Early Career Committee.

1. Clinic site visits / information about regions / choice of practice type
2. Regional medical staffing plan (PREM) process and/or locum process
3. Obtain a PREM
4. Issuance of a permit to practice by the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ)
5. Health care facility privileges
6. Certification Examination in Family Medicine of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
7. Choice of practice start date
8. Permit to practice / Professional liability insurance
9. Billing number from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)
10. Billing agency (optional)
11. Plan for continuing education

To find out about job opportunities in Quebec, plan to attend Quebec Career Day, the annual career fair hosted by the Fédération des médecins résidents du Québec (FMRQ). You can also find out about the positions available by region by going to PREMs in family medicine on the website of the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec (MSSS) (webpage is in French only).

Note: You may be thinking about practising exclusively on locums or practising privately outside of the RAMQ. You don’t need to submit a PREM application in these cases.

PREM applications must generally be submitted in the fall of the year preceding your entry to practice. However, applications for vacant positions may be submitted at any time, and these positions will be filled on a “first-come, first-served” basis. 

Your first step is to apply for a PREM compliance notice or avis de conformité. Go to the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) website for more information about the PREM process (webpage is in French only).

Locum practice

If you wish to occasionally practise as a locum, you must complete both the PREM and locum registration processes. 

If you choose to practise exclusively as a locum, you don’t need to complete the PREM process. 

For more information about the locum registration process, go to the MSSS website (webpage is in French only).

Note: No action needs to be taken until you have completed your residency. To register for a locum practice, you must wait until your permit to practice has been issued by the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) and then complete the registration form, which is available on the MSSS website.

The Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) is the professional order of physicians in Quebec. It issues the permits to practice and specialist’s certificate. 

BEFORE submitting your permit application:

• Review the applicable details and eligibility guidelines:

• Medical graduates Quebec, Canada and United States

• International medical graduates

• Review the list of required documents.

• Review the applicable fees from the fee structure.

• Ensure that you have professional liability insurance.

Restrictive permit: go to the CMQ’s website for information about the steps that you must take based on your particular circumstances.

SUBMITTING your application:

• Fill out an application for medical registration on physiciansapply.ca.  

• Submit the application at least one month before your planned practice start date.

Note: If you wish to receive your permit between July 1st and August 31st, you must submit your application before May 1st.

The CMQ will:

• assign the number that will appear on your permit.

• advise the RAMQ of your registration.

Health care facility privileges are what allows you to practise in health care facilities such as Family Medicine Teaching Units, palliative care hospices, residential and long-term care centres (CHSLD), etc. These privileges also allow you to practise in obstetrics, in a hospital, the emergency room, in intensive or intermediate care, etc.

Since applications for health care facility privileges must be reviewed by various committees, you must begin this process as soon as you obtain your PREM. 

You may be required to provide copies of some or all of the following documents when you apply for privileges: 

• your medical degree

• your medical licence

• a certificate of professional conduct from the CMQ

• proof of professional liability insurance

• your College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) exam results

• your Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part II results

• a confidentiality agreement

• a criminal record check

Depending on where you want to practice, each application must be submitted to the appropriate officials; for example, your sector’s Department of Professional Services.

For information about the Certification Examination in Family Medicine, go to the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Billing numbers are automatically issued by the RAMQ once the permit to practice has been issued by the CMQ.

• There is no charge for the issuance of a billing number.

• The processing time is typically three to five days.

• You can begin working without a billing number and retroactively bill for up to three months.

• There is no separate or additional registration to complete in order to bill the Commission des normes, de l’équite, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST) (webpage is in French only). 

Many early-career physicians choose to use a billing agency to help familiarize themselves with this aspect of their practice and optimize the billing process. Don’t hesitate to ask your colleagues or your clinic or health care facility for recommendations.

The RAMQ provides a list of billing agencies by sector in Quebec. Use of a billing agency is optional.

Even after you’ve completed your residency program, the training and learning will continue for your whole medical career. All physicians who practise in Quebec must comply with the CMQ’s continuing professional education requirements (webpage is in French only).

The CFPC’s Mainpro+ platform allows you to track your continuing professional education activities. The CFPC is an external organization recognized by the CMQ for the certification of your continuing education hours. By choosing the CFPC, you become part of a professional network with more than 60 years of experience in training physicians and representing more than 40,000 members across Canada.

The FMRQ’s annual Guide to practice provides a wealth of useful information for graduating residents from all specialties who are in the process of starting their practice.

THE QCFP CAN HELP YOU START YOUR PRACTICE

The Quebec College of Family Physicians (QCFP) and the CFPC are here to support you throughout your career. Here are some of the resources offered to assist you:

• Resources to help you prepare for the Certification Examination in Family Medicine 

• Mentorship program for practising physicians (webpage is in French only)

• First Five Years in Family Practice Facebook group

• Mainpro+ platform, to track your continuing education hours and certification documents

• Continuing education activities (i.e. articles in the journal Canadian Family Physician, the Family Medicine Forum [FMF] conference, events and lectures, webinars, etc.)

• Opportunities to network with more than 40,000 members across Canada and more than 4,000 members in Quebec

• And much more!

To learn more about your QCFP, visit our website at http://cqmf.qc.ca/ (website is in French only)