Is it time to rethink the MCCQE Part II?

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Formed in 1912, the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) was given a “legislated mandate to assure patients that their doctors, wherever they are in Canada and whatever their medical specialty, meet the same demanding, consistent standards.” This was a time of variable medical training practices, and the new Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) designation awarded to candidates who completed the appropriate requirements represented a step towards a more standardized, higher quality, and safer medical system. Prior to 1954, those awarded the LMCC designation, following successful completion of the MCC Qualifying Exam (MCCQE), were typically awarded a provincial license to practice medicine. Following 1954, the LMCC required successful completion of the MCCQE, as well as one year of additional training prior to registration. This ultimately became the basis for the rotating internship year, after which a provincial license would be granted to allow practice as a “General Practitioner” or “GP.” In the 1980s and early 1990s, however, provincial licensing bodies began moving towards requiring a minimum of two years of post-graduate training, and often required certification through one of the national colleges. This was followed by changes to the LMCC and the introduction of the MCCQE Part II – a simulated clinical examination taken after a minimum of one year of postgraduate residency training.