Profession-specific standards
The CMA Code, CanMEDS and provincial colleges applied to probity, consent and capacity, confidentiality, conflicts of interest and ethical dilemmas
Physicians licensed by a provincial or territorial college of physicians and surgeons in Canada, including family physicians, specialists and residents, and those responding to a complaint or college investigation.
Structured learning and a written reflection to show insight after a complaint, an investigation or a college inquiry.
Focused learning on a core standard of practice, with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio.
This course sets out the ethical duties expected of physicians in Canada and shows how to apply them in real clinical situations. It is built around the CMA Code of Ethics and Professionalism, the CanMEDS framework and its Professional role, and the standards of provincial and territorial colleges of physicians and surgeons, such as the CPSO under Ontario's Regulated Health Professions Act.
It works through the four core principles and how to weigh them when they conflict; honesty, integrity and probity, including billing provincial plans such as OHIP, MSP, AHCIP and RAMQ; the duty of candour and record-keeping; consent, capacity, substitute decision-making and the mature minor doctrine; confidentiality under PIPEDA and provincial statutes and its limits; conflicts of interest with industry; professional boundaries; and digital professionalism.
The final sections cover public trust, how regulators respond to concerns, a structured framework for ethical dilemmas and moral uncertainty, and how to build an ethical framework for your career through reflection, insight, remediation and CPD. It suits all physicians, including those responding to a complaint, investigation or practice concern.
9 sections · 39 lessons · 2 hours (estimated) · 10-question final assessment
Final assessment
10scenario-based questions
Certificate of completion
A certificate of completion for your learning portfolio.
The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.
Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.
It is written for physicians in Canada, including residents, family physicians and specialists. Other professionals may prefer the general ethics course or the medical ethics course, which use the same principles without the physician-specific regulatory detail.
The CMA Code of Ethics and Professionalism, the CanMEDS framework and its Professional role, and the standards of provincial and territorial colleges of physicians and surgeons, such as the CPSO in Ontario, under statutes like the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Medicine Act.
Yes. Section 4.2 covers honest billing to provincial plans such as OHIP, MSP, AHCIP and RAMQ, and why billing for services not provided or upcoding is treated as a serious probity issue. It also covers the duty of candour and record-keeping.
Consent in Canada is generally capacity-based rather than age-based. The course explains the mature minor doctrine recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in A.C. v. Manitoba (Director of Child and Family Services), capacity assessment and substitute decision-making.
Section 6.3 covers the defined exceptions, such as a serious and imminent risk of harm to the patient or an identifiable person, mandatory reporting duties and court orders, in the context of PIPEDA and provincial privacy law.
Section 8 explains how colleges respond to concerns (in Ontario, the ICRC, with outcomes such as SCERPs, cautions or referral to discipline), and Section 9 covers insight, reflection and remediation. You should also contact the CMPA for advice on your case.
A final assessment of 10 multiple-choice questions with an 80% pass mark, plus a reflective account and certificate of completion. Physicians often record such learning under Mainpro+ or Maintenance of Certification, but credit decisions rest with the CFPC or Royal College and your college. The course costs CA$95.
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: provincial and territorial health professions statutes, the regulatory colleges' standards and codes, and federal and provincial privacy law. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.
Professional standards for Canadian physicians and residents: the CanMEDS Professional role, medical regulatory authorities, honest records, digital conduct, boundaries and team behaviour.
The four principles in practice: consent and capacity, confidentiality and the duty to warn, truth-telling, fair allocation and conflicts of interest.
Honesty and integrity across records, communication, billing to provincial plans and professional claims, including self-reporting duties and remediation after a probity concern.
