Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador

Department

Authority

Remuneration

Purpose:

This Council will regulate the practice of medicine in the public interest.

Structure:

The composition of the Council shall reflect the cultural, ethnic, and regional diversity of the province.

The Council shall consist of:

• seven medical practitioners who hold a current license and are elected by secret ballot in accordance with the by-laws, four of whom shall be medical practitioners who live in or carry on the practice of medicine in the region of the City of Mount Pearl and the City of St. John's and three of whom shall be medical practitioners who live in or carry on the practice of medicine in the remainder of the province
• four persons appointed by the minister, three of whom shall not be medical practitioners, who are suitable to represent the public interest, and one of whom shall be appointed from a list of not less than three nominees submitted by the Board of Regents of the Memorial University of Newfoundland
• two medical practitioners appointed by the Minister, both of whom shall be appointed from a list of not less than four nominees submitted by the association

Competency Profile:

Diversity in the backgrounds, skills, knowledge, and experience of appointed Council members can enhance the effectiveness of the Council by bringing a wider range of perspectives and knowledge. Examples of such may include:

• Knowledge of the Medical Act, 2011
• Knowledge of professional regulation
• Strategic thinking: College member adds value to the organization’s processes for setting future plans and actions
• Leadership: fosters diversity and respectfulness, empowers others, ethical, team builder, strategic minded
• Ability to read, analyze, and evaluate information
• Ability to create an open environment that invites collaboration and communication
• Ability to uphold the College’s shared values
• Familiarity with the principals of good governance, including accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct
• Ability to provide a diverse perspective which complements the Council composition
• Backgrounds: law enforcement, health care, information technology, public relations, public sector administration, governance, human resources, financial expertise, literacy expertise, legal expertise

Qualifications:

The following attributes are important considerations in selecting members:                               

• Interest in health care
• Previous board experience
• High ethical standards and integrity
• Appreciation of the responsibilities to the public
• Flexible, responsive and willing to consider others’ opinions
• Capable of a wide perspective on issues
• Ability to listen and work as a team member
• No direct or indirect conflict of interest
• Strong reasoning and conflict resolution skills
• Strategic planning experience
• Effective communication skills (written and oral)
• Policy development experience
• Leadership/management skills

Time Commitments:

Members of the Council should be available to meet four times per year (meetings usually last 2-3 hours), plus any additional meetings and teleconferences as required. Council members are generally asked to sit on two committees of the Council, which usually meet a minimum of four times per year.

Term:

A person appointed holds office for a term of three years and is eligible to be re-appointed.

Where a person appointed holds office for a period of nine consecutive years the person is not eligible for appointment as a member of the Council until the expiration of 12 months from the end of the year in which he or she was last a director.

Where the term of an appointed director expires, he or she continues to be a director until re-appointed or replaced.