1. Appropriate Scientific Planning Committee (SPC) membership:
   • Programs delivered in a single province require a minimum one CFPC Practising member from the province of delivery
   • Nationally certified programs require a minimum of two CFPC Practising members (national online programs, programs delivered in more than one province, and programs delivered outside Canada)
2. SPC members are responsible for making sure their program structure, methods, and theme selection consider social justice and accountability, and encourage the promotion of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

• The program’s design and delivery must comply with CFPC ethical requirements, including the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities and the CMA’s Guidelines for Physicians in Interactions with Industry.
• Programs delivered in the province of Quebec must also comply with the Code of Ethics from the Conseil québécois de développement professionnel continu des médecins.

• Completion of an appropriate needs assessment. Refer to the Mainpro+ Certification Standards and Quick Tips: Needs Assessment.
• Inclusion of learning objectives for the program and for individual sessions (when applicable). Refer to Quick Tips: Writing Learning Objectives.
• Compliance of program design and delivery with the Mainpro+ Quality Criteria Framework.
• Program evaluation design that includes the mandatory CFPC evaluation questions.

Note: The program design of Mainpro+ certified activities should make sure that the diverse needs and perspectives of both the target audience of learners and the patients they treat are considered when creating the program. It should consider issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to create learning activities that demonstrate acknowledgement of individuals of various racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender diversity, as well as other identities.

Providers must submit these documents with their application for review:

• Completed conflict of interest forms (Declaring and Disclosing Conflict of Interest), for all SPC members
• Completed CFPC 3-step conflict of interest slides
• Program brochure and/or invitation and/or agenda
• Completed program content (slide decks, workbooks, tools, resources, etc.), when applicable
• Needs assessment tools and results
• Evaluation format/forms
• Previous evaluation results (when applicable)
• Speaker communication template (when applicable)
• Copies of the sponsor product and corporate branding if the program has for-profit financial support
• Copies of sponsor agreements and exhibitor prospectus (when applicable)
• Program budget, if the program has for-profit support

• Review the Mainpro+ certification application questions
• Submit the Mainpro+ certification application using the online CERT+ application platform
• Pay the application fee

Program review commences once all CFPC SPC members have confirmed their involvement in the program’s development. Payment of the application fee does not guarantee Mainpro+ certification.

Certified Mainpro+ CPD programming should reflect the educational needs of family physicians—not ancillary benefits such as meals, entertainment, and monetary rewards.

CPD is an essential component of maintaining proficiency for family physicians. The CFPC recognizes there are many costs associated with planning, developing, and implementing educational events and programs. The CFPC and its local Chapters believe it is ethically acceptable for industry (pharmaceutical, biomedical, etc.) to contribute to CPD events as long as all contributions are at arm’s length and that all parties adhere to the guidelines presented in the Mainpro+ Certification Standards.

To guarantee compliance with these principles the CFPC has instituted a formal audit process. All providers of Mainpro+ activities must agree to submit to an audit of their activity or organization upon request by the CFPC CPD department. Activity audits may occur at the live event or following the event in the form of a post-activity audit.

The purpose of the audit is to make sure there’s compliance between the following items and the CFPC certification standards and guidelines for ethical conduct as outlined by the CMA Guidelines for Physicians in Interactions with Industry (2021) and the Innovative Medicines Canada Code of Ethical Practices (2022):

• Delivery of program content (slides, handouts, speaker's delivery of the content)
• Disclosures of financial or in-kind support (when applicable)
• Promotional materials, invitations to and correspondence with potential attendees, and all other published announcements
• Publicity in print or electronic media (including websites, blogs, email invitations, etc.)
• Session location or venue, meals, and entertainment or social events
• Costs to be assumed by attendees (e.g., registration and social events)
• Completed conflict-of-interest forms and slides for speakers at the session being reviewed

After an activity audit is completed, CPD providers will be determined to be compliant, partially complaint, or non-compliant with the Mainpro+ certification standards for the activity in question. Audit results will be shared with program providers following the audit.

CERT+ is the CFPC’s online application system for Mainpro+ certification. CERT+ enables CPD providers to complete application forms online, upload all supporting documents, and make payments.

CERT+ allows providers to:

• Submit a provider eligibility application
• Request user access to an eligible provider organization
• Submit all program application materials electronically (slide presentations, evaluations, etc.)
• Pay administrative fees online using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express
• Receive application status updates by email
• Respond quickly to reviewer feedback and questions online
• Track application progress online

1. To access CERT+, please visit https://cfpc.my.site.com/certplus/s/.
2. If you don’t remember your account information, click “Forgot my password” at the bottom of the page and enter your email.
3. If you don’t have an account, click “Request access to CERT+” and complete the user registration form.
   • If you are a CFPC member, please click on the separate link on the bottom under the header “Already a member of the CFPC?” This will enable your CERT+ account accessible under Quick Links on the CFPC member homepage.
4. If your user registration page lists an organization that already exists as an eligible continuing professional development (CPD) provider, we will link your account to that CPD provider profile, and you can proceed to Step 8.
5. If the organization is not a listed eligible CPD provider, you will need to email [email protected] and request a CPD provider application.
6. The application will appear within your CERT+ account under the Support tab.
7. Once submitted and paid, the CFPC will review your application to determine whether the organization is eligible to be a CPD provider.
   • If eligible provider status is refused, applicants will have an opportunity to re-apply one year after the date of refusal.
8. If approved, eligible providers can submit program applications through the CERT+ homepage. See https://cfpc.my.site.com/certplus/s/.

If you indicated on your form that you would like to be added to an existing provider organization, please reach out to the organization’s primary contact. The new user registration process now requires the organization’s primary contact to accept your request to be added.

If you requested to be added to CERT+ under a new provider organization, the Certification Team will be in touch with you shortly. You can contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

An email notifying you that a new user is requesting access has been sent to you as soon as the user is confirmed by the Certification team. You may also find the request under your organization’s profile, accessible through the ‘My Account’ section of CERT+ (top right of the landing page) in the ‘Related Accounts’ list.

Yes. If a registration request is rejected, the system is designed to send an email advising the applicant of the decision.

Yes. New sharing rules provide all users related to a provider organization with read access for all programs and sessions belonging to that provider.

Once inside the program, you can click the orange “Request Program Manager Level Access” button to add yourself as a Program Manager. This grants you editing access for the application and its sessions.

Notifications are only sent to the designated Program Managers for that specific application. If someone needs to receive these emails, they must add themself as a Program Manager.

The Primary contact of the provider organization is responsible for accepting or rejecting new user requests on CERT+ directly.

To prevent orphaned programs, the system will automatically assign the primary contact as the new Program Manager before unlinking the inactive user.

Yes. Primary contacts can now access a self-service flow within the portal to update specific fields on their provider account record.

Priority Review is an optional, fee-based service for eligible CPD providers submitting general programs for national certification when timelines are shorter than the standard six-week submission requirement.

Priority Review is available for any general application program (single-delivery conference, assembly, or congress, small group learning activities, Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS), and any other CPD program or activity) that is submitted at least 14 days before the activity start date. 

Only general programs submitted for national certification are eligible.

Priority Review is not available for:

• Hospital and clinical rounds
• Journal clubs
• Faculty development activities

Priority Review expedites the application but does not guarantee certification or approval. It also does not guarantee that review will be completed prior to the activity start date. Priority Review prioritizes your application within the certification review queue and is reviewed by reviewers who have committed to being available for quicker turnaround. As with all applications, speed is dependent on payment being received, Scientific Planning Committee (SPC) member confirmation, thoroughness of the responses within the application, submission of supporting documentation, as well as the CPD providers’ timely responses to requests for more information or required changes. The Priority Review fee applies to the prioritization of the application and is not contingent on the outcome of the review. The Priority Review fee is non-refundable once review has commenced.

No. Standard submission timelines remain the minimum of six weeks. 

Eligible applications can select the Priority Review option during the submission process and pay the associated fee (see below).

* All applications requesting Priority Review must be paid via credit card. Priority Review processing will not begin until payment is successfully received.

The office handling your application must have the resources to accommodate Priority Review. If Priority Review is not available at the office handling your application, a message will appear notifying you that it is not available upon submission of your application.

If you have any questions about availability, please contact the office that will be handling your application. If unsure, please email [email protected].

No. Enhanced activities are optional add-ons for participants and providers. They do not need to be included in an application. They are simply a tool that can be implemented if providers are seeking ways to extend learning for their participants. The same goes for participants—they have the choice to accept or decline participating in the enhanced learning activities.

The scientific planning committee and the CPD provider are responsible for determining when participants should complete activity requirements to optimize learning. All components of a program must be completed within the certification period.

No. With only minimal tweaks, most CPD providers should be able to submit similar applications for two- and three-credits-per-hour activities. Please confirm by reviewing the Quality Criteria program design and delivery requirements for Certified Assessment Activities.

Programs approved on or after December 16, 2024, as Certified Activities will have a certification period of 12 months from the date of approval.

Programs approved as Certified Assessment Activities will have a certification period of 36 months from the date of approval.

Faculty development activities, whether they are Certified or Certified Assessment, will have a certification period of 36 months from the date of approval.

All migrated active programs will retain their original expiration dates.

Please note that all two- and three-credits-per-hour programs will have expiration dates of no later than December 31, 2025.

This varies, based on provincial or national certification:

• Provincial certification: at least one Practising class CFPC member from the province/territory of program delivery
• National certification: at least two Practising class CFPC members

As of December 16, 2024, CPD providers will be asked to share their approach to EDI for each application. While no application will be rejected for not incorporating the EDI elements, we may send it back for more information to better understand and/or prompt EDI principles in future development.

No, not on their own. Applications seeking Certified Assessment Activity credits “must include the review of and reflection on practice data relative to previously established standards, protocols, and norms.” Knowledge-based assessments alone, such as multiple-choice questions, are not sufficient forms of interactivity and engagement; they should be used in combination with other activities as part of a more comprehensive reflection upon practice. For more information, please see the Quality Criteria program design and delivery requirements for Certified Assessment Activities.

Examples of active learning for asynchronous online activities include: quizzes and multiple-choice questions built into online program content; interactive, multi-scenario case exercises; game-based learning; immersive scenarios; and discussion boards. For more information, please review the updated certification standards.

When offering two types of learning to participants, the certification period reflects the activity type with the longer duration. If it equals 50 per cent or more, the certification period will be 36 months.

CPD providers are responsible for determining when participants have completed the activity requirements and when they may receive their credits.

If a CPD provider has received support—in-kind and/or financial—from a for-profit organization, the activity is considered a for-profit-funded activity.

If no funding or in-kind support is received but the activity is being developed by a for-profit organization, the activity is considered for-profit.