31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine

What this occupation covers

Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine diagnose and treat diseases and physiological or psychiatric disorders and act as consultants to other physicians. Specialists in laboratory medicine study the nature, cause and development of diseases in humans. Specialists in clinical medicine usually work in private practice or in a hospital while those in laboratory medicine usually work in hospitals. Residents in training to become specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 14 main duties for this code.

• Administer anesthetics prior to, during, or after surgery or other medical procedures.
• Diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults who have a wide range of problems associated with the internal organs.
• Diagnose, treat, and help prevent children's diseases and injuries.
• Diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders of the mind.
• Diagnose, treat, and help prevent allergic diseases and disease processes affecting the immune system.
• Provide inpatient care predominantly in settings such as medical wards, intensive care units, rehabilitation centers, or emergency rooms. Manage and coordinate patient care throughout treatment.
• Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and disorders of the nervous system involving the brain and spinal cord and other nerve and muscular conditions.
• Diagnose and treat diseases using radioactive materials. May monitor radionuclide preparation, administration, and disposition.
• Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases or other conditions of the skin.
• Diagnose and treat disorders requiring physiotherapy to provide physical, mental, and occupational rehabilitation.
• Apply knowledge of general preventive medicine and public health issues to promote health care to groups or individuals, and aid in the prevention or reduction of risk of disease, injury, disability, or death. May diagnose and treat patients in the context of clinical health promotion and disease prevention.
• Examine and diagnose disorders and diseases using x-rays and radioactive materials. May treat patients.
• Diagnose and treat diseases and physiological or psychiatric disorders. Order laboratory tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures. Prescribe medication and treatment and refer patients for surgery. Act as consultants to other physicians. May conduct medical research.
• Diagnose presence and stage of diseases using laboratory techniques and patient specimens. Study the nature, cause and development of diseases in humans and the structural and functional changes caused by diseases. Act as consultants to other physicians. May perform autopsies.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 3 of its 14 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 31201 Chiropractors
• 31110 Dentists
• 31102 General practitioners and family physicians
• 21110 Biologists and related scientists
• 30010 Managers in health care
• 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
• 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
• 31101 Specialists in surgery

Excluded from this code

• Chiropractors (See 31201 Chiropractors)
• Dental surgeon (See 31110 Dentists)
• General practitioners and family physicians (See 31102 General practitioners and family physicians)
• Immunologist (See 21110 Biologists and related scientists)
• Managers in health care (See 30010 Managers in health care)
• Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (See 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating)
• Physicians assistants, midwives and allied health professionals (See 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals)
• Specialists in surgery (See 31101 Specialists in surgery)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

acute care specialist · allergist · allergologist · anatomical pathologist · anesthesiologist · anesthesiologist - Canadian Armed Forces · anesthetist · autopsy pathologist · cardiologist · cardiology specialist · child specialist · clinical immunologist · clinical immunology and allergy specialist · clinical pathologist · clinical pharmacologist · community health physician · community medicine physician · community medicine specialist · critical care medicine physician · critical care medicine specialist · dermatologist · diagnostic radiologist · diagnostic radiology specialist · emergency medicine physician

Employment requirements

• Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
• A bachelor's degree or in Quebec, completion of a college program and one year of pre-medicine university studies is usually required.
• Graduation from an approved medical school and specific specialty training are required.
• Completion of the certifying examinations of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and licensing by the provincial or territorial licensing authority are required.
• Specialists in clinical medicine
• Four to five years of specialty residency training are required.
• Two years of subspecialty training may also be required.
• Specialists in laboratory medicine