Mainpro+ Policies
Table of contents
The basics
- Every Active CFPC member and Non-Member Mainpro+® Participant is in either a five-year cycle or a two-year remedial cycle (these cycles are described in greater detail below).
- Five-year cycles require a total of 250 credits, and at least 125 must be certified credits. You must earn and report a minimum of 25 credits (certified or non-certified) in each year of the cycle.
- The Mainpro+ Manual has more detailed information.
- Special note: In May 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all cycles were extended by one year and the yearly requirement for the 2019–2020 year was waived. Credit requirements remain the same despite the additional year that was added.
CFPC membership and Mainpro+ participant classes with access to Mainpro+
- Active member
- Affiliate member
- International medical graduate*
- Life*
- Resident*
- Retired*
- Non-Member Mainpro+ Participant
* Participation in Mainpro+ is voluntary for these membership classes.
Five-year cycles
- When you enrol in Mainpro+ as a new CFPC member or Non-Member Mainpro+ Participant you will be placed in a five-year cycle.
- During this time you will have to earn and report 250 Mainpro+ credits, and at least 125 of these credits must be from certified activities.
- At the end of a five-year cycle all users are given an additional six weeks to report any outstanding credits that were earned by June 30th of that year.
- Once you successfully complete your cycle you will be placed in a new five-year cycle.
Remedial cycles
- If you fail to meet your cycle requirements by the June 30th deadline and subsequent six-week grace period for reporting credits, you will be moved into a remedial cycle upon cycle rollover (mid-August).
- If your CFPC membership or Mainpro+ enrolment has been discontinued for more than 12 consecutive months, you will be placed in a remedial cycle upon your reinstatement.
- During a two-year remedial cycle the use of your CFPC Special Designations (CCFP, FCFP, MCFP, and CACs) is suspended.
- If you are placed in a two-year remedial cycle you can reinstate your CFPC Special Designations with our early-completion option.
- Details on two-year remedial cycles and the early-completion option are available here.
Cycle extensions
If you will be away from your medical practice for a period of six months or longer due to personal illness or parental leave, or to be the primary caregiver for a family member with an illness, please contact the CFPC as soon as possible to discuss your Mainpro+ cycle. The CFPC can grant one-year cycle extensions in these situations.Eligible activities for credit reporting
The Mainpro+ activity grid provides a summary of certified and non-certified credits, organized by category.Ineligible activities for credit reporting
Meetings sponsored or hosted by a for-profit organization that do not bear the CFPC Certification statement are not eligible for any type of Mainpro+ credits. Examples of for-profit organizations include:- Banks/Financial Institutions
- Pharmaceutical Companies
- Medical device/equipment companies
- Producers of non-prescription healthcare products
Activity minimums and maximums
- Only two activities have credit maximums:
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Section 1 and 3 credits (combined)
- American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award (AMA PRA) Category 1 credits
- In a five-year cycle you may report up to 50 certified credits for each of these activities. You are free to earn more of these credits, but you must report anything beyond the 50-credit maximum for each of these activities as non-certified credits.
- In a two-year remedial cycle you may report up to 25 credits for each of these activities. You must report any additional credits you earn for each of these activities as non-certified credits.
Carry-over credits
- Carry-over credits are those you earn beyond the 125 minimum of certified credits and 250 total credits required per five-year cycle that you can apply to your next cycle.
- A maximum of 40 credits can be carried over from one cycle to the next, including credits earned during residency.
Claiming credits for international continuing professional development activities
- For learning opportunities or continuing professional development (CPD) activities that an international organization has accredited or certified, and for which you have been issued a certificate of completion or participation, you can submit the activity for individual consideration. You must submit your certificate for review/approval.
- Use the International Activities (individual consideration) form in Mainpro+ to submit this kind of activity. This form does not apply to any activities held in Canada or the United States.
- Please note that the CFPC reserves the right to award non-certified credits for activities that do not meet the minimum Mainpro+ certification requirements.
Collège des médecins du Québec credit-reporting requirements for CFPC members in Quebec
- The Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) platform launched on December 9, 2019, and since January 2020 the real-time transfer of credits from Mainpro+ to CMQ has been in effect. After you report credits through Mainpro+, simply log in to your CMQ profile and select the CFPC as the external organization from which your credit information can be transferred.
- For this transfer to occur your Medical Identification Number for Canada must be provided accurately on both the Mainpro+ and CMQ platforms.
- Credits will be converted into hours before being uploaded to your CMQ file.
- The CMQ’s guide to its platform is available here.
Discontinuation and reinstatement
- Any CFPC member may have their membership discontinued due to non-payment of CFPC fees or upon receipt of notification from a medical regulatory authority of the suspension or revocation of their medical license.
- Any Non-Member Mainpro+ Participant may have their enrolment discontinued due to non-payment.
- If your CFPC membership or Mainpro+ enrolment has been discontinued for more than 12 consecutive months, you will be placed in a remedial cycle upon your reinstatement. While in a remedial cycle, the use of your CFPC Special Designations (CCFP, FCFP, MCFP, and CACs) will be pending.
Bylaws
As per our bylaws:
- Failure to complete the Mainpro+ requirements may result in the discontinuation of your membership, which includes the forfeiture of the privilege to use CFPC Special Designations.
- The CFPC reserves the right to report individuals’ issues with CPD participation and compliance to the relevant medical regulatory authorities.
- The CFPC bylaws are available here.
