Important changes are coming to Mainpro®

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is pleased to announce plans to update its Maintenance of Proficiency (Mainpro^®) program over the next few years. The minor amendments that have been made to improve Mainpro are part of the ongoing commitment of our National Committee on Continuing Professional Development. The next few years will see some more substantive changes based on member recommendations. These are intended to help all Mainpro participants more readily address their changing learning needs while enabling them to meet the continuing professional development (CPD) requirements of our College, as well as those of provincial-territorial regulatory authorities and licensing bodies. With a focus on best practices in medical education, and knowledge translation that makes the link between learning and practice a priority, Mainpro will be revised to better meet the changing needs of those in family practice across Canada.

As of January 2013, the CFPC will implement 2 important changes to Mainpro.

All Mainpro participants will be required to report a minimum of 25 credits per year during their 5-year Mainpro cycle. The annual minimum can comprise any combination of Mainpro-M1, Mainpro-M2, and Mainpro-C credits.
Participants must report credits online.

Why annual minimum credit reporting?

Annual minimum reporting encourages Mainpro participants to engage in, and report, their CPD activities on a regular basis—which is in keeping with the ideals of lifelong learning.
It enables College staff to provide more efficient service and support to Mainpro participants in a timely manner, and avoids credit-reporting issues being identified only in the latter stages of the 5-year Mainpro cycle.
It is in keeping with requirements of many certification and licensing organizations in Canada and abroad.

The CFPC’s initiative to implement this change will provide reporting consistency for Mainpro participants across the country.

Why online-only credit reporting?

Online reporting will make submitting CPD credits faster, easier, and more secure.
It will result in fewer incidents of illegible or incomplete submissions; online forms prompt users to provide all information required for validation of the submission by College staff.
It encourages Mainpro participants to keep their records up to date.

Mainpro participants can set up an online account at any time to get started with the e-reporting process. Further information and instructions on setting up an account are provided on the CFPC website (www.cfpc.ca/ReportCredits/).

Mainpro evolves to meet changing needs

“We appreciate the feedback we’ve received from our members about what they need from Mainpro to help them achieve their CPD requirements most effectively,” says Dr Jamie Meuser, Director of Continuing Professional Development at the CFPC. “We believe that the updates will keep Mainpro current and most efficient to meet the changing needs of all Mainpro participants. The system changes will also ensure that the appropriate mechanisms are in place that will allow Mainpro to continue to evolve and improve over time.”

Over the course of the next few years, Mainpro will undergo a series of phased revisions to ensure that it continues to

meet the needs of the changing landscape of family medicine;
foster quality improvement and improved patient care; and
provide user-friendly resources, tools, and services to College members.

The end result will be a Mainpro that remains current with enhanced flexibility and support.

Phase II of the Mainpro updates are proposed for implementation in 2014. They will focus on credit categories and recognition of different types of learning activities. Further information will be shared as details are confirmed.

If you have any questions about Phase I of the Mainpro changes, please see the CFPC website (www.cfpc.ca/CPD/) or contact CPD staff at mainprocredits{at}cfpc.ca or 800 387–6197, extension 243, 204, or 205.