A family practice startup is usually a continuity clinic: shorter visits than many specialties, a larger share of the day in exam rooms, and more of the work carried by the administrative and allied team. After-hours expectations, if you offer them, belong in the model from the start.
The College of Family Physicians of Canada is the national body for the discipline. It does not replace the provincial college. In Ontario, the Ontario College of Family Physicians supports family physicians and does not issue the licence. The licence is the CPSO's. Start with the Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia page for the regulator, and with the opening guide for the build sequence.
What changes in the build
- Room mix follows physicians on site at the same time, not a hoped-for panel in year three.
- The front desk, the phones, and the recall work are part of the design. They are not leftover space.
- Scheduling density is a financial and a staffing decision. It belongs in the financial model before you commit to rent.
- Recruiting colleagues is often the constraint. Treat physician recruitment as a workstream with a date, not as a favour.
- The EMR has to survive a high volume of ordinary visits, results, and messages. Choose it on the EMR page, against that workflow.
After opening
Family practices feel operational strain in the schedule and at the front desk. Operations work is how that gets looked at once patients are real. A second site is a later decision, and only after the first clinic has a rhythm. See growth and a second location.
Questions physicians ask
Does the College of Family Physicians of Canada licence a clinic?
No. The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is the national college for family medicine. The licence to practise comes from the provincial regulator, such as the CPSO in Ontario, the CPSA in Alberta, or the CPSBC in British Columbia. Confirm both certification and registration with the bodies that issue them.
How many exam rooms does a family practice need?
Enough for the physicians who will be on site at the same time, and for the visit length you intend. A room count copied from another clinic is how practices pay rent on rooms they cannot staff.