2017-2018:

A look at the year ahead

For the
Medical Council of Canada

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 SECTION A

Topics addressed
at the
2017 Annual
Meeting

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 Annual Meeting topics

Framing the future of MCC – Strategic planning

• Charting the future course of the MCC’s assessments, defining its in-practice
assessment role, forging new collaborations and alliances, and defining the
vision for the MCC’s Physician Credentials Repository.

• Next steps for MCC’s strategic plan:

◦ Reflection and consultation with Executive Board
◦ Further refinement of implementation strategies by MCC senior
leadership team and consultation with committees of Council
◦ Final plan will be presented to Council for approval at the
2018 Annual Meeting

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 SECTION B

MCC governance
structure

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 MCC
governance
chart

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 SECTION D

Look at the year

ahead for the MCC

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 Assessment Evolution

• Monthly e-bulletins are issued

on upcoming changes to the
examination program that will
take effect in 2018 and 2019

• If you haven’t received these

updates and are interested in
receiving them, subscribe to
the MCC’s distribution list by
submitting your email address

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 Assessment Evolution

NAC Examination – eligibility changes

Due to the launch of a flexible and internationally delivered MCCQE
Part I in the spring of 2019, the MCC is making several
complementary eligibility changes to the NAC Examination starting
with the March 2018 session:
• MCCEE will no longer be an eligibility requirement to apply to
the NAC exam
• International medical students may take the NAC exam at the
earliest within12 months of their anticipated date of graduation.
• Candidates who obtain a pass (or fail) result on the NAC exam
will be able to take it, up to a maximum of three times.
Candidates retaking the exam will, however, have to skip a
session before retaking it regardless of a pass or fail result.
These changes will support candidates, provide more flexibility and
enhance fairness.

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 Assessment Evolution
MCCQE Part I
• The enhanced MCCQE Part I based on the new
Blueprint will launch in spring 2018
• The MCC will also be making changes to the
results documents to align feedback to the new
test specifications of the new exam blueprint
• A standard-setting exercise will take place in June
2018 to define an acceptable level of performance
and establish the pass score for this new exam
• A new reporting scale will also be established in
spring 2018 to mark the implementation of the
new Blueprint. The new scale will range from 100
to 400.
• Please note that the release of the results for the
spring 2018 session will be slightly delayed due to *New MCCQE Part I test specifications/content weightings
this standard-setting exercise. The release of
results will be taking place in early July 2018.

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 Assessment Evolution

MCCQE Part I
Changes to candidate exam experience starting in 2018:
• 210 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) (four hours) and 35 Clinical Decision
Making (CDM) cases (3.5 hours)
• Candidates will be required to make their language choice at the start of their
exam on exam day, and then take the exam in one language; the language
choice cannot be changed throughout the exam
• Ability to flag questions MCQs, and return to those questions at any point during
the MCQ portion of the exam (feature already available for CDM cases)

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 Assessment Evolution

MCCQE Part I - Practice test pilot activities

• The MCC engaged final year Canadian medical students in
an initiative to pilot items for the MCCQE Part I practice tests.
Over 2000 students participated from March 20 to April 13,
2017
• Collected data on performance of 384 newly created MCQs
• 20 locations administered the examination (total of 15
universities)
• In the winter/spring 2018, the MCC will be offering another
free piloting initiative for MCQs and CDM cases to final year
medical students. Feedback to participants will be provided
on the new Blueprint to prepare students to the new
examination in 2018.
• The MCQ Practice Test will launch in January 2018 and the
CDM Practice Test in fall 2018

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 Assessment Evolution

MCCQE Part II
• The enhanced MCCQE Part II based on the new
Blueprint will launch in fall 2018
• The MCC will also be making changes to the
results documents to align feedback to the new
test specifications of the new exam blueprint
• A standard-setting exercise will take place in
December 2018 to define an acceptable level of
performance and establish the pass score for
this new exam
• A new reporting scale will also be established in
spring 2018 to mark the implementation of the
new Blueprint. The new scale will range from 50
to 250.
*New MCCQE Part II test specifications/content weightings
• Please note that the release of the results for the
fall 2018 session will be slightly delayed due to
this standard-setting exercise. The release of
results will take place in January 2018.
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 Assessment Evolution

MCCQE Part II – Online OSCE orientation

The MCC is expanding its candidate resources with the creation of an
online OSCE orientation program, which will be launching in early 2018.
The program will cover the following:

• The purpose and format of the OSCE

• How to navigate through an OSCE on the
day of the examination
• How to demonstrate your knowledge and skills
in different types of OSCE stations

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 Assessment Evolution

Updates to the Objectives for the

Qualifying Examinations
• With the upcoming changes to the Blueprint for the MCC’s Qualifying Examinations starting in
2018, revisions have been made to the MCC’s Objectives

• The Objectives describe the attributes expected of medical graduates entering supervised and
independent practice in Canada, and can be used by candidates preparing for MCC examinations
as well as by educators and medical assessment organizations in Canada and around the world

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 MCC examinations

MCCEE
• A new pass score of 261 is now in effect for the MCCEE. This pass score applied to
candidates starting with the May 2017 session. The reporting scale of 50-500 remains
unchanged.
Limited exam attempts starting in January 2018
• Beginning in January 2018, candidates may take the MCCQE Part I and Part II up to a
maximum of four times. A one-year waiting period will be required between the third and
fourth attempt. After four attempts, in exceptional personal circumstances, candidates can
request to the Central Examination Committee for special permission to make a fifth
attempt.

• Exam attempts before 2018 do not count towards the total limit; the count will start in 2018.
As well, a result of “no standing” will not count as an attempt. However, failing or a status of
“denied standing” will be considered attempts.

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 MCC examinations

New test security video and webpage

In May 2017, the MCC published a webpage
dedicated to test security, featuring a video
for candidates that highlights the importance
of maintaining the confidentiality of its
examination content and outlines examples of
potential security violations.

Please help us by sharing the webpage and

resources widely within the medical
community.

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 Application for medical registration
(MRA onboarding)
• The latest medical regulatory authorities to start using
the Application for Medical Registration are:
◦ the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Prince Edward Island
◦ the Yukon Medical Council
◦ College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba
• In total, nine medical regulatory authorities have
begun using this functionality in physiciansapply.ca,
with more to come

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 Assessment programs

MCC 360
• The MCC has embarked on a national project to incorporate multi-source feedback into physician quality
assurance and improvement programs. The project builds on a “360-degree” evaluation tool first developed
in 1999 by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta with the University of Calgary.

• The tool uses surveys to collect feedback from the physician him- or herself, coworkers, colleagues and
patients focused on the physician roles of collaborator, communicator and professional. Following the
survey process, a report is produced to identify areas of strength and areas to improve.

• 500 Family Medicine physicians in Alberta will undergo an MCC 360 multi-source feedback assessment
between August and December 2017 as part of a proof of concept

• The MCC 360 project team is in the process of developing national guidelines and feedback support tools.

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 Assessment programs

NAC Practice Ready Assessment (PRA)

• To support the ongoing work and ensure sustainability of the
NAC PRA program, the NAC will begin charging a fee of $1,750
(as of Jan. 1, 2018) for internationally trained physicians going through a provincial PRA
program. The fee will be incurred whenever a candidate enters the PRA clinical over-time
assessment period. The NAC will not charge the fee if:
◦ Candidates fail the initial screening or selection assessments
◦ Limited capacity prevents the candidate from being allotted a “spot” in the clinical over-
time assessment
• The fee was set taking into account projected candidate volumes and the corresponding
economies of scale. The program has been developed to be economically sustainable
and will continue to evolve to meet jurisdictional needs on an ongoing basis. Watch our
NAC PRA video to learn more.

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 Assessment programs

NAC PRA
• Enhancements to the Communication and Cultural Competence orientation program platform
are underway. A new landing page, enhanced menu for ease of navigation and new content
can be found online. The latest module, Professional challenges, launched in March 2017.
• Within the next few months, a content index and glossary of terms will be available within the
program. New high definition videos will replace the current videos to create a better user
experience.
• This orientation program can also be used by candidates preparing for MCC exams
(free of charge)

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 Communications initiative

mcc.ca website redesign

The MCC recently completed a
redesign of its website, mcc.ca. The
site launched on Sept. 6, 2017. This
initiative was integral to the MCC’s
commitment to providing timely
information to candidates and
stakeholders.

Happy browsing!

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 Useful resources

The following resources provide additional context into

MCC business activities and highlights candidate exam
preparatory resources:

• 2016-2017 Annual Report

• June 2017 Echo newsletter
• Assessment Evolution timeline
• NAC PRA video
• MCCQE Part I preparatory resources
• CDM tips video
• MCCQE Part II preparatory resources
• Communication and Cultural
Competence orientation program

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 THANK YOU!
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