Fake Korean dermatologists

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  • • a. Registrants, unless they have a notation of certification entered into the CNPBC online register, must not use the term “certified” or any similar designation suggesting a

      recognized special status or accreditation on any letterhead or business card or in any other marketing.

b. Registrants must not use the term “specializing in”, “specialist” or any other term, title, designation or phrasing that could reasonably be interpreted as indicating a specialization in an area of practice of the profession.

c. Registrants must NOT use titles or DESCRIPTIONS of their work which are reasonably likely to CONFUSE or mislead the public about the registrants’ QUALIFICATIONS.”

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    • Section 7-4 (3)(4)(5)(6) (Promotional activities) of the Bylaws of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC states that “

      (3)  A registrant must not refer to themselves as a specialist or subspecialist unless the registrant has been

           (a)  certified by the RCPSC in a specialty or subspecialty, or equivalent as approved by the board, or

           (b)  certified by the CFPC in family medicine or emergency medicine or an added competence in family medicine, or equivalent as approved by the board.

      (4)  A registrant may refer to having a focused area or practice but when doing so must

           (a)  state their RCPSC specialty or subspecialty certification, or equivalent as approved by the board, or

           (b)  state their CFPC certification or subspecialty certification, or equivalent as approved by the board.

      (5) Any communication, advertisement or publicity distributed on behalf of a registrant, partnership, group or professional association must include the NAME of at least one registrant who is responsible for the content.

      (6) A registrant who produces, writes, edits or pays for professional advertisement is considered responsible and accountable for the content.

       

      Practice Standard of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (Advertising and Communication with the Public, Use of the term “specialist”) states that “As required in section 7-4(3) of the Bylaws, a registrant must not identify themselves as a specialist or subspecialist unless the registrant has been

      • certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) in a specialty or subspecialty, or equivalent approved by the board, or
      • certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) in family medicine or emergency medicine or an added competence in family medicine, or equivalent as
      approved by the board.

      Nothing prevents a registrant who has certification from the CFPC from calling themselves a “specialist in family medicine” or a “family medicine specialist.” A registrant using the term “specialist” must clearly note whether this is a RCPSC or CFPC designation when communicating with the public.

      As required in section 7-4(4) of the Bylaws, a registrant may refer to having a focused area of practice but when doing so must

      • state their RCPSC specialty or subspecialty certification, or equivalent as approved by the board, or
      • state their CFPC certification or subspecialty certification, or equivalent as approved by the board.

      CFPC subspecialty certification is only applicable to the Certificates of Added Competence (CAC). The current approved CACs include: addiction medicine, care of the elderly,
      emergency medicine, enhanced surgical skills, family practice anesthesia, obstetrical surgical skills, palliative care and sports and exercise medicine.
      
      

      All other CFPC certified registrants who practise in a specific area may provide a list of areas in which they practice (e.g. SKIN CONDITIONS), however this CANNOT imply certification, or any RCPSC specialties (e.g. DERMATOLOGY). This is intended to ensure consistency in advertising and promotional materials, and that descriptive terms are NOT mistaken for FORMAL SPECIALIST or subspecialist qualifications.

      RCPSC-certified registrants practising in a subspecialty discipline without subspecialty certification must state “certified specialist in [specialty] practising in [name of subspecialty
      area].” This is also to ensure consistency in advertising so descriptive terms are not mistaken for formal qualification. This does not include RCPSC- certified subspecialties, in which
      registrants can use the title of their subspecialty.

      Additionally, registrants must not use the term “surgeon” in advertising for cosmetic procedures unless they are a RCPSC certified specialist in a relevant surgical discipline.”

       

      Section 52 (1) (False or Misleading representations) of the Competition Act states that “no person shall, for the purpose of promoting, directly or indirectly, the supply or use of a product or for the purpose of promoting, directly or indirectly, any business interest, by any means whatever, knowingly or recklessly make a representation to the public that is false or misleading in a material respect.”

       

      Section 52 (5) (Deceptive marketing practices) of the Competition Act states that “any person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and liable

      • (a) on conviction on indictment, to a fine in the discretion of the court or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years, or to both; or

      • (b) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding $200,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to both.”

         

        

       

If you have a question, you can ask or report to the following regulatory bodies/government:

College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC  click 

or Investigations Department, College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.   click