Becoming a practising physician
Becoming a practising physician in BC involves three key steps:
- Obtaining your license
- Enrolling with the Medical Services Plan (MSP)
- Applying for Teleplan services.
Do you meet Canada’s medical competency standards? The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) offers assessments for medical graduates and physicians who are planning to practise or already practising in Canada.
Learn more about the MCC.
Obtain your BC license
To practise in BC, you must be licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC), ensuring you meet provincial standards.
Canadian-trained family physicians need certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), while specialists require certification from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) for CPSBC licensure.
Apply for registration and licensing.
Licensure for internationally trained family physicians in BC
The Practice Ready Assessment–British Columbia (PRA-BC) offers internationally trained family physicians who have completed their family medicine residencies outside of Canada an alternative route to licensure, ensuring they meet BC’s professional and regulatory standards.
Learn more about the Practice Ready Assessment.
Enrol with MSP
Once licensed in BC, you are eligible to enrol with the Medical Services Plan (MSP) to receive your billing number.
With the billing number you can begin receiving payment for providing insured services to eligible patients and submit claims to MSP for services listed in the Medical Services Commission (MSC) payment schedule and other payment schedules.
Specialty assignment
Your billing specialty is determined based on your accreditation with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.
MSP numbers
- Practitioner number: Identifies you as the physician providing services. Each practitioner has only one practitioner number but may be associated with one or more payee numbers.
- Payee/Payment number: Identifies the entity receiving payments. If payments are directed to another entity (like a group practice), an Assignment of Payment form is required.
Apply for Teleplan services
Teleplan is BC’s electronic system for submitting medical claims. Enrolment allows you to submit claims seamlessly through your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
Apply for Teleplan.