Criteria for Approval of Section 1 Events Planned by Physician Organizations

A planning committee represented by members of the target audience must be in place. To ensure the activity is appropriately targeted to psychiatry, a minimum of two psychiatrists must be members of the planning committee.
The planning committee must identify the learning needs of the target audience, develop learning objectives based on these identified learning needs and circulate them to the target audience in advance of the activity. Learning objectives describe what the participants will learn or achieve by the end of the activity, and they are not the same as conference or program objectives.
At least 25% of the activity’s time must be allotted to interaction with the audience (e.g., formal discussion periods, small-group learning).
The activity must include an evaluation form that meets Royal College criteria.
All accredited events must comply with the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities as well as the Canadian Medical Association’s guidelines, Guidelines for Physicians in Interactions With Industry.
Neither the Royal College’s accreditation statement nor any reference to a pending application may be included on any activity materials in advance of formal approval by an accredited provider. Applications for activities that misuse the accreditation statement or make any unauthorized reference to the CPA will be rejected outright.

Responsibilities of the Physician Organization

Physician organizations must ensure that they:

Keep attendance records for a period of five years following the activity. These records must be able to be retrieved at any time.
Issue registration receipts and certificates of attendance to all participants.
Ensure that the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities and the Canadian Medical Association’s guidelines, Guidelines for Physicians in Interactions With Industry.

How to Apply

Submit an application online at least six weeks in advance of the activity’s start date. Applications submitted using paper forms (whether sent by email, fax or regular mail) are no longer accepted.

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following supporting documentation as part of their application.

A copy of the needs assessment that informed development of the activity.
Completed disclosure forms for all 1) planning committee members and 2) presenters at the activity.
A draft program brochure that features the program agenda (including interactivity time), learning objectives for overall and individual sessions (see the Writing Learning Objectives article for guidelines), the planning committee members’ names and credentials, the name(s) and logo(s) of the sponsoring physician organization(s).
Links to all electronic resources (e.g., online brochures, advance notifications).
A copy of the evaluation forms for the activity.
A copy of the correspondence between the planning committee and the speaker(s), as well as any planning committee minutes or discussion summaries.
Documentation related to ethical standards (e.g., sample sponsorship agreement, policy regarding use of generic vs trade names, disclosure obligations).
A copy of the certificate of attendance that will be provided to all participants following the activity.
A detailed budget.
The application fee as well as any late charges (payments are accepted by Visa, Mastercard or cheque). Applicants who choose to pay by cheque should note that their application will not be reviewed until the CPA receives the cheque in question for the correct processing fee. Fees are non refundable and do not guarantee approval.

The CPA will not accept applications received fewer than two weeks before the activity begins, and under no circumstances will applications be considered for events that have already occurred.

The CPA will make every effort to review applications in a timely fashion, but cannot guarantee that applications received fewer than six weeks in advance will be approved in time.

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