CCFP is fair and transparent
I've been following the recent rather acrimonious debate in NRM regarding the Certificate, College of Family Physicians (CCFP) exam and felt compelled to offer my opinions based on the real life positive impact that the patient-centred clinical model of practice has had on my career.

I arrived in Canada in 1984 and, early on in my career in Newfoundland and Labrador, I had the good fortune to spend time with trainees in family medicine who imparted the principles of patient centeredness on my rather traditional doctor-centred approach to clinical practice. I was delighted to find that the application of this model resulted in greater satisfaction for both the patient and the practitioner.

In 1992, after much encouragement and support from the Academic Faculty in Family Medicine at Memorial University in St John's, NL, I took the brave step and challenged the College's Certification Exam. Having been trained in a rather rigid, regimental British-based curriculum in the tropics (I graduated from a school in Zimbabwe), I was pleasantly surprised at the completely transparent process that the CCFP exam brought forth.

There are very few international jurisdictions that allow a practice-eligible entry process for Certificant in Family Medicine. I have many friends in Britain who've been anxious to become a Member of the Royal College of General Practice (MRCGP) only to be stonewalled by a process that does not allow a practice-eligibility route to the exam.

I've subsequently had the privilege to sit on the College's Committee on Examinations as well as the Board of Examiners and have witnessed a process that involves a diligent core of volunteer family physicians from across the country working coherently to offer an implicitly fair and transparent exam process.

While it's intimidating for any practicing GP to attempt this exam, liaising with a group of College Certificants and procuring literature on the patient- centred model would go a long way toward exam preparedness. Furthermore, the exam website has a large reference base of information regarding the exam.

Bear in mind that the mandate of the College of Family Physicians of Canada is based on education, research and collegial objectives. The fact that licensing authorities have tied the CCFP as a requirement for practice is outside of the College's control.

I'm proud to call myself a Certificant of this College. The collegiality, educational opportunities and the sense of belonging that the College has brought into my own life has helped me feel secure and comfortable as an immigrant physician. I'm also convinced that adhering to a patient-centred practice has allowed me to practise harmoniously and with a sense of satisfaction and achievement.

Rather than attacking the exam process with vitriol and venom, we should be appreciative that this exam offers a practice-eligible route and ultimately an opportunity to practise family medicine as part of a group of like-minded family physicians from coast to coast. I've no doubt that the naysayers will continue to heap scorn on the process. I hope that my sentiments represent a viewpoint that many like-minded physicians share and that belonging to the College will continue to bring a sense of pride, joy and satisfaction.

Dr Mohammed Ravalia
Twillingate, NL

To read our articles on the CCFP exam, "Trying... and trying... to get my CCFP" (Vol 2 No 1) in the January 15 issue and "It's not the testing, it's the test" (Vol 2 No 3) in the February 15 issue — Ed