Frequently Asked Questions

  • The initial screening for SIPPA is administered by saskdocs, based on criteria developed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, SIPPA and saskdocs.


  • No, SIPPA is not an abbreviated Family Medicine Residency training program or GP refresher course.
  • SIPPA is a competency assessment program and assessors are under no obligation to provide feedback to candidates or remediate any deficiencies.

  • Candidates who wish to be selected for SIPPA must be successful in the Therapeutic Decision Making Exam to be eligible to participate in the Orientation to Family Practice in Saskatchewan and the Clinical Field Assessment. For information on limited exam attempts, please see the Medical Council of Canada website. 

  • Unsuccessful candidates are eligible to enter the SIPPA program on one more occasion only, after a period of six months from their initial failure. The candidate must meet all SIPPA eligibility requirements, must reapply through saskdocs and be reselected for SIPPA.

  • Yes, Section 9 of the SIPPA Candidate Agreement outlines the eligibility and process for candidate appeals.

  • No, there are further requirements after the successful completion of SIPPA prior to being granted a full license to practice medicine in Saskatchewan; please contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan with any questions you may have regarding physician licensure in Saskatchewan.

  • Due to the discontinuation of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II (MCCQE2) exam, the NAC Examination (NAC OSCE) will continue to be an accepted examination to meet the current prescreen requirement of MCCQE2 or NAC OSCE. The required scores remain in effect. Detailed prescreen eligibility requirements can be found on the saskdocs website. 

  • Selection into SIPPA is a competitive process and meeting the minimum requirements, including achieving an acceptable pass standing on the NAC OSCE or MCCQE2, does not guarantee selection for the SIPPA program. Details about these examinations can be found on the Medical Council of Canada’s website at www.mcc.ca.

  • For the purpose of meeting Pre-Screen licensure eligibility requirements for the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA), the accepted NAC Examination (NAC OSCE) score for examinations written in October 2021, will be a minimum score of 1400.

  • If you have successfully completed an approved 24 month Family Medicine training program within the past three years and three months of your program are within the three years immediately prior to application, you may not be required to have additional “currency of practice” to meet the requirements for eligibility for SIPPA.

  • SIPPA selects physicians to support underserviced practices in rural Saskatchewan. Physicians will be assessed in the full scope of Family Practice including Emergency Medicine and inpatient hospital care. Physicians applying to SIPPA should ensure that they have adequate experience to be safe and competent on-call in the emergency department and caring for inpatients at their local hospital.

  • Selection for SIPPA is very competitive, meeting the minimum criteria for eligibility does not guarantee selection into the program. Applicants with recent relevant clinical practice and/or education and post-graduate training are more likely to be successful.

  • SIPPA is a Practice Ready Assessment program and beyond meeting the minimum currency of practice requirements set out by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, applicants must have been in active independent practice as a family physician in the last three years with a minimum of three months full-time family practice. Physicians with significant gaps in practice (i.e. one or more years away from full-time practice), episodic practice (i.e. practicing for blocks of less than 3 months at a time) or who have no currency beyond the minimum required for SIPPA eligibility are significantly less competitive. For candidates who meet the SIPPA minimum currency of practice requirements, the SIPPA Selection Committee will also take into consideration recent clinical practice as an Most Responsible Physician (MRP) (including the duration and “scope of practice”), formal traineeships (i.e. UBC Clinical Trainee program in the past 3 years), recent relevant post-graduate training (i.e. an additional 6-12 month residency/internship in the past 3 years), recent practice in a licensed Clinical Associate position (i.e. practice as a Clinical Associate within a hospital, Cancer Clinic, Surgical Assist, Public Health) or other healthcare professional work experience (i.e. RN, EMT, LPN, Ultrasound Technician, etc.).  Please note that these are suggestions to strengthen your application, but selection is competitive and, if even you meet the suggestions, above, we cannot guarantee selection.