Assessing medical fitness of pilots and air traffic controllers

The Civil Aviation Medicine Branch of Transport Canada appoints and employs doctors who check aviation personnel for medical conditions. These exams are done based on international medical standards for aviation.

If you are a pilot, air traffic controller or flight engineer and need to find a doctor to complete an aviation medical exam, search our list of approved Civil Aviation Medical Examiners.

There are six regional Civil Aviation Medicine branch offices.

Also refer to the Civil Aviation Medicine – FAQs to learn about how our examiners assess specific medical conditions.

On this page

Handbook for Civil Aviation Medical Examiners

The Handbook for Civil Aviation Medical Examiners – TP 13312 has information about how to conduct an aviation medical exam, as well as Canada’s role in regulating medical aviation standards.

Civil aviation medicine seminars

All CAMEs who are newly appointed must attend a Transport Canada training seminar as soon as possible, and then no less than once every four years.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, CAM seminars have been suspended.

How to become a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner

Licensed Physicians may apply directly to Transport Canada to be interviewed by a Regional Aviation Medical Officer. Fill out the Civil Aviation Medicine Credentialing Form (26-0852) (PDF, 755 KB) and contact a Civil Aviation Medicine regional office to schedule an interview.

Guidelines for medical examiners

As a CAME, you must know the current guidelines for specific diseases and conditions. We have established guidelines for:

Civil Aviation Medical Examination Report forms

You must fill out the form in full during and after a medical exam you perform on behalf of Transport Canada. All new applicants must be assessed using the Full Civil Aviation Medical examination. Others who do not qualify for renewal by attestation should be assessed remotely with the telemedicine form. See the Changes to the civil aviation medical examination procedures. Send your completed forms to a regional Civil Aviation Medicine branch office.

Forms should always be submitted via the Electronic Medical Examination Report (eMER). To get an account for the eMER system please contact: CivAveMer-AvCiveREM@tc.gc.ca.

If you cannot use the Electronic Medical Examination report please use the paper form and send your completed forms to a regional Civil Aviation Medicine branch office.

Reporting a medical condition

Under the Aeronautics Act and the Canadian Aviation Regulations, physicians and optometrists are required to report to the Minister if they believe that a patient (who is a pilot, flight engineer, or air traffic controller) has a medical condition that is likely to be a hazard to aviation safety. The physician or optometrist is required to inform Transport Canada of the reasons for their opinion.

Under the Aeronautics Act, holders of Canadian aviation documents are also required to notify physicians and optometrists that they are document holders at the time of examination.

The Aeronautics Act protects physicians and optometrists from legal or disciplinary proceedings arising from providing medical information to Transport Canada, if it is done in good faith. The Aeronautics Act provides that the holders of Canadian aviation documents are deemed to consent to the disclosure of their information to Transport Canada by physicians and optometrists making these reports.

Physicians and optometrists are requested to use this form to make their reports to Transport Canada.

Other members of the public should contact Transport Canada directly to report aviation safety concerns.

To submit forms to Civil Aviation medicine, or contact a staff member, please see Civil Aviation Medicine contacts.

Related links

You may be interested in these websites related to medical fitness for aviation in Canada and internationally. Note: We are not responsible for content external to the Government of Canada.