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What are the qualifications of a psychiatrist?Psychiatrists are provincially licensed medical doctors who have completed a minimum of five years of additional accredited training following four years of general medicine training. After successfully completing the training requirements and examinations, they are certified as specialists by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). This is required for specialty registration at the provincial level. In Québec, the Corporation professionnelle des médecins du Québec (CPMQ) conducts its own specialist certification program. This is a requirement for specialist recognition in that province, even if the physician has received RCPSC certification.
Special licenses for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) may be granted by provincial licensing bodies independent of the above, when training and skill can be assessed and attested to locally.
The training requirements for psychiatry are set out by the Specialty Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). Postgraduate training programs are reviewed and accredited on a regular basis.
Some psychiatrists may also complete additional accredited training in a subspecialty area such as geriatrics, forensics, psychosomatic medicine, or child and adolescent psychiatry. In Québec, the CPMQ sets the training requirement for subspecialties.
Many psychiatrists have additional training in the domains of education, research, administration, program planning, advocacy, management, continuous quality improvement, and others.
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May 21, 2012
