Accreditation Services
Approved by the RCPSC
The CDA is a long-standing recognized accredited provider for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and has the expertise to provide the services needed by organizations interested in offering accredited Section 1 (group learning) or Section 3 (self-assessment) programming.
Whether co-developing a new program with you or reviewing a new program you have co-developed with another physician organization, the CDA is positioned to meet your needs and to ensure the highest continuing professional development standards are met.
As the national professional society for dermatologists with a membership base of three-quarters of all dermatologists in Canada, accreditation by the CDA has instant recognition and credibility.
All programs accredited by the CDA will:
- Permit use of a unique RCPSC accreditation statement that recognizes the CDA as the accredited provider.
- Be regularly promoted to the CDA membership through a monthly e-notice, CME Opportunities, and more widely through all CDA social media channels.
In addition to be above, all co-developed programs developed by the CDA will:
- Recognize the CDA as the physician organization providing and validating the educational content.
- Provide use of a unique RCPSC co-development statement that formally recognizes your organization’s commitment to the program’s excellence.
The CDA is open to discussing program ideas and invites program proposals that can (1) support dermatologists master one or more of the RCPSC CanMEDS competencies or (2) address an emerging or unmet health care need. Program proposals are to be based on a needs assessment (or include a proposal for one) and to identify key performance indicators to be measured.
To comply with the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities, the CDA will not consider any faculty, agency or other third-party interest until learning objectives and scope of work for the program have been confirmed. All parties involved in the development and/or delivery of a co-developed program are to be contracted under the CDA. Accreditation service fees are determined based on the work involved.
For more information, contact Caroline Herzberg, Program Director of Health Policy and Accreditation at cherzberg@dermatology.ca or at 613-738-1748 ext. 226.
Companies interested in working with the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) are asked to submit a proposal for consideration. This will be used to confirm the CDA has the resources available and to prepare an estimate for services.
The proposal should include information about the program’s:
- Objectives
- Target audience
- Format, length and frequency
- Proposed faculty
- Key timeline dates, including an end date if recurring.
If a third-party agency is being used, information on how they will be engaged should also be included.
Educational activities can be face-to face or online.
Accreditation fees are based on the scope of the program and include the assignment of a CDA Education Committee Representative who will provide guidance and oversight on meeting the national standards for accredited activities during the development phase, and final approval when your program is ready for launching.
All programs approved by the Canadian Dermatology Association on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada are entitled to use one of the following statements, depending on whether the program is a group learning activity (Section 1) or an self-assessment activity that provides detailed feedback (Section 3). These activities can be either face-to-face or online.
Section 1 Accreditation and Co-Developed Statements (for group learning activities)
This [activity] is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the Canadian Dermatology Association. You may claim a maximum of # hours (credits are automatically calculated). This [activity] was co-developed with [company name] and was planned to achieve scientific integrity, objectivity and balance.
Section 3 Accreditation and Co-Development Statements (for self-assessment activities)
This [activity] is an Accredited Self-Assessment Program (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the Canadian Dermatology Association. You may claim a maximum of # hours (credits automatically calculated). This [activity] was co-developed with [company name] and was planned to achieve scientific integrity, objectivity and balance.