The Cook College of Physicians & Surgeons, founded in 2005, is one of the oldest professional medical organizations in the country.

The Cook College of Physicians and Surgeons act as a regulatory college which oversee the Medical Education of Specialists within the Country and Internationally (Intercollegiate Specialists)

Today, nearly 1000 Fellows (elected members) intercollegiate inclusive continue to convene at the College and work toward better serving the public.

Throughout our history, the College has provided a place for medical professionals and the general public to learn about medicine as both a science and as an art.

This historic spirit continues in our current mission: advancing the cause of health while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine.

Our programs/specialties reflect our reverence for the past, our commitment to the present, and our vision for the future of medicine and health.

The College strives to:

• Enable individuals, families, and communities to take greater responsibility for their health.
• Improve the health of the public through service to health professionals.
• Enhance appreciation of the heritage of medicine.
• Provide information for the development of health policy.

Welcome to the Cook College of Physicians and Surgeons, Learn about our Departments, Specialties and Fellowship Examinations.

The Cook College of Physicians & Surgeons houses TEN sub colleges Namely;

Cook College of Physicians 

Cook College of Surgeons 

Cook College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists 

Cook College of Paediatricians & Child Health 

Cook College of Pathologists 

Cook College of Radiologists

Cook College of Ophthalmologists 

Cook College of Psychiatrists 

Cook College of Medical Geneticists

Cook College of Embryologists 

To be eligible to sit for the Fellowship Examination of the Cook College of Physicians & Surgeons (FCP - CK, FCS - CK) Part - I and II;

• You must hold a medical degree that is recognized and acceptable by the Cook Island Medical and Dental Council and/or Medical Council of New Zealand for full or provisional registration 
• First time applicants whose names are not among the CKMDC/MCNZ, GP/Specialist registers must submit their original certificate (or an authenticated copy) of a medical degree acceptable to the council.
• Intercollegiate Examinees are not required to register with the Cook Island Medical and Dental Council and/or Medical Council of New Zealand, before taking the Fellowship Examination. However if they intend to practice medicine in Cook Island/ New Zealand a registration with the Cook Island Medical and Dental Council and/or Medical Council of New Zealand is required.
• The applicant must have been qualified for at least Three years post graduation (for FCP - CK Examinees - Physicians) and Five years post graduation (For FCS - CK Examinees - Surgeons)
• Evidence of having reached clinical competence defined in the Medical/Surgical Curriculum.
• Three structured references in the format prescribed by the Cook Island College of Physicians and Surgeons on FCP - CK / FCS - CK Examinations 
• A maximum of 7 years to complete the examination process.
• A Two-year period from their 1st attempt with a maximum of 4 attempts with no re-entry.
• Candidates will have a maximum of 4 attempts with no re-entry
• Evidence of published research work/papers in Medicine/Surgery (shall be an added advantage)

FELLOWSHIP OF THE COOK COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & Surgeons (FCPS - CK)

Upon completion and a satisfactorily performance of the of the Part - 1 & II Fellowship Examination.

Physicians/Surgeons become Fellows of the College and automatically qualify to use the FCP - CK acronym in conjunction with any of the acronyms of their specialties as listed below; e.g FCP - Neuro. (CK) for a Neurologist, FCS - Neurosurg. (CK) or a Neurosurgeon

• Neurology - Neuro.
• Dermatology - Derm.
• Internal Medicine - Int. Med.
• Paediatrics - Paed.
• Family Medicine - Fam. Med.
• Emergency Medicine - Emg. Med.
• Anesthesiology - Anes. 
• Radiology - Rad.
• Psychiatry - Psych.
• Pathology - Path.
• Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation - P.M.R.
• Preventive Medicine - Prv. Med.
• Public Health Medicine - P.H.M.
• Clinical Embryology & Reproductive Medicine - C.E.R.M.
• Neurosurgery - Neurosurg. 
• Plastic Surgery - Plast. Surg. 
• Cardiothoracic Surgery - CT. Surg. 
• Orthopaedic Surgery - Ortho. Surg.
• General Surgery - Gen. Surg. 
• Otorhinolaryngology - E.N.T.
• Urology - Urol. 
• Ophthalmology - Ophth. 
• Vascular Surgery - Vasc. Surg.
• Obstetrics & Gynecology - Ob/Gyn
  

PART - I FCPS - CK

Candidates will have a maximum duration of a two year period from their 1st attempt with a maximum of 4 attempts with no re-entry. 

This section must be passed to gain eligibility to proceed to FCP - CK/FCS - CK Section 2 (vivas).

• Paper I - 120 Single Best Answer [SBA] (2 hours 15 mins)
• Paper II - 120 Single Best Answer [SBA] (2 hours 15 mins)
  

The exams can be taken at dedicated centres around Rarotonga Cook Island and Auckland New Zealand, usually local driving test centres or abroad.

PART - II FCPS - CK

 Only taken following success of FCPS - CK Part - I. Takes place over two days.

• Clinical Vivas: Surgery/Medicine Clinical – 2 x 10 minutes cases & 1 x 20 minutes case.
• Special Interest Clinical – 2 x 10 minutes cases & 1 x 20 minutes case.
• Orals Vivas: 4 x 30 minutes oral examinations.
• Emergency Medicine/ Surgery/ Trauma/ Critical Care (6x 5 minute cases).
• General Medicine / Surgery Principles & Clinical Practice (6x 5 minute cases)
• Special Interest Medicine / Surgery Clinical Practice (6x 5 minute cases)
• Special Interest Medicine / Surgery Basic 
• Principles and Academic station (3x Base questions with 15 minute review of paper)

Candidates have 30 minutes to read paper prior to starting this station. 

The Special Interest paper will be replaced by a generic paper that will be relevant to the wider field of Medicine / Surgery.
Interpretation of radiographs may be included in any of the orals.

LEARN ABOUT OUR INTERCOLLEGIATE FELLOWSHIP EXAMINATIONS OF THE COOK COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

Doctors applying to take the Intercollegiate Fellowship Examination CPS - CK of Cook College of Physicians and Surgeons, that have done their Vocational/Specialist Training outside of Cook Island / New Zealand, Australia, United States, United Kingdom and Canada will have to contact the Cook College of Physicians and Surgeons, James Cook School of Medicine in order to ascertain whether or not they are eligible to take the College's Fellowship Examination (FCP - CK. FCS - CK, FCOG - CK). 

Their Specialist Trainee Certificates will be evaluated by the College and perused through, to ensure it meets the required standard of the Cook College of Physicians and Surgeons as a minimum requirement to qualify for the Fellowship Examination

Honorary fellowship of the college is by direct nomination using a Cook College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS - CK) Honorary Fellowship Nomination form by current Fellows of the College, a short resume of no more than Five pages for the nominated candidate.

Current Fellows of the College nominating others for a honorary fellowship should be aware that their nominee(s) should have made an outstanding contribution either to medical or general science or literature and/or should have given exceptional service in a non-medical capacity to the college, science or practice of medicine. 

The Council may nominate others as Fellows of the College, if the following persons meet these requirements

• Persons holding a medical qualification, but are not Members of the College, who have distinguished themselves in the practice of Medicine, or in the pursuit of Medical or General Science or Literature and who have been previously nominated by the Council as specially eligible. No more than ten such persons shall be elected Fellows in any one year, unless in exceptional circumstances.
• Honorary Fellowships of the College may be bestowed on persons of eminence, who do not necessarily hold a medical qualification, but have rendered exceptional services to the Science or Practice of Medicine.
• Only current fellows of the College can make a nomination using the honorary Fellowship Nomination form and submitted to cpsck@jcsmmed.org

To nominate for honorary fellowship please write the College to get the Nomination form

Resume's of greater than five pages will not be accepted and candidates may fail to progress to submission.

In any one annual cycle from 2023, no more than 10 honorary fellowships will be allocated.

All proposals for honorary fellowships need to be received by 1 June to be considered by the July Fellowship Council at which honorary fellowships will be elected.

Honorary fellowships will not be considered at any other point in the year.

The Cook College of Physicians & Surgeons offers full-time Medical Residency/Specialist Trainee Program / Courses leading to the awarding of a Specialist Qualifications in Doctorate of Medicine [DM] and Magister Chirurgiae [MChir] /Master of Surgery.

Postgraduate Medical degrees, Clinical Fellowship degrees and Specialist Fellowship Qualifications of the Cook College of Physicians & Surgeons.

Degrees are offered in Medical & Surgical Specialties by the several sub Colleges under the Cook College of Physicians & Surgeons.

Training periods ranges from three to six years.  All programs aim at providing exit qualifications for graduates to practice independently and at Consultant level. 

Since its inception in 2001, there have been 201 graduates, Graduates are scattered throughout the Oceania, Americas, to the United States of America, with 95% currently practicing in the region.

All programs aim at providing exit qualifications for graduates to practice independently and at Consultant level in various Disciplines throughout the Oceania

Applicants should be graduates in Medicine from a Medical School or University recognized by the James Cook School of Medicine and be fully registered to practice in any of the Oceanian Countries unless Applicant is an Intercollegiate Applicant (International Medical Graduates)

Preference will be given to those who excel in their respective fields during their undergraduate training.

Time spent in gaining post-internship experience in Emergency Medicine, along with ATLS and ACLS certification, will be of benefit to candidates seeking entry into various medical and surgical programs.

Program durations are between three and six years depending on the specialty/subspecialty.

The courses are divided into two parts.  The programs have a common two-year Part 1 training period spent in rotations of three months each in various surgical disciplines.  During this period there are structured teaching in Applied Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology along with Principles of Medicine/Surgery in general. 

At the end of this training period there will be a written and oral examination in each of the four disciplines

Following successful completion of the Part 1 examination, candidates proceed into the second part of the training.  This is spent exclusively in the chosen speciality using six-month rotations.  .

The penultimate year is available for elective rotations in any approved institution.  In this part of the course the candidate is required to prepare a Casebook with commentaries or a research projects/papers for publications in peer reviewed journals before presenting for the final examination. 

To graduate, the candidate should have successfully completed the training period with respect operative experience, have satisfactory assessments, submitted and obtained acceptance of the casebook, and be successful in the written and oral Part II examinations.

Upon completion of Training Physicians/Surgeons/ are conferred a Doctorate of Medicine (D.M.)/Magister Chirurgiae (M.Chir.) degree and a Certificate of Specialist Training.

Upon completion of Training Physicians/Surgeons/ are conferred a Certificate of Clinical Fellowship (CCF) in their chosen subspecialty