CFPC study guide
CFPC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certification Examination in Family Medicine is the certification examination offered by The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), one of the examinations listed under the College's Examinations and Certification section. It is intended for physicians preparing for certification in family medicine, and it sits alongside the CFPC's other examination offerings, including the Examination of Added Competence in Emergency Medicine and the Certificates of Added Competence in Family Medicine. The examination is delivered using Short Answer Management Problems (SAMPs), and its content is framed by the Assessment Objectives for Certification in Family Medicine, with a published SAMP Examination Blueprint and SAMP Writing Guidelines supporting both blueprinting and question writing. The CFPC directs candidates to its examinations pages for information on the family medicine and emergency medicine examinations, virtual and remote delivery, and news and updates. Topics on this exam: Family Medicine (general certification content, per Assessment Objectives for Certification in Family Medicine) and Emergency Medicine (Examination of Added Competence in Emergency Medicine; separate examination). The CFPC study guide has 2 sections and about 665 words.
01Family Medicine: Certification-Level Reasoning
The CFPC family medicine paper tests breadth plus judiciousness. You are expected to move fluently between patient-centred care , the patient-centred clinical method (exploring both disease and illness, understanding the whole person, finding common ground, incorporating prevention and health promotion, enhancing the doctor–patient relationship, being realistic), and evidence-informed management in ambulatory settings. Know the periodic health exam logic rather than memorised lists: screening depends on age, sex, risk factors, and the patient's values. Be solid on prenatal care , well-child/immunisation schedules , chronic disease targets (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, asthma/COPD), mental health first-line care , palliative care , and care of the elderly including polypharmacy and falls.
361 words, about 2 min02Emergency Medicine (Added Competence): Stabilise, Then Diagnose
The EM added-competence exam assumes you can run a resuscitation while thinking diagnostically. Prioritise the primary survey (ABCDE) and resuscitation before diagnosis in unstable patients. Be fluent in airway decision-making (when to intubate, predicted difficult airway, rapid sequence intubation principles), shock physiology (distributive, hypovolaemic, cardiogenic, obstructive), sepsis recognition and early antibiotics, ACS pathways, stroke time-critical assessment, trauma (primary/secondary survey, imaging decisions), toxicology , and procedural sedation . Understand disposition - admission, observation, or safe discharge with clear return precautions.
304 words, about 2 min