Tom, I like that term, "pseudo-profession".

Today, doctors get trained in different ways, so there is more than one correct approach. For instance, our local medical school uses a problem-based learning approach, with not one single lecture in four years of training.

If competency is the reason behind certification, why are foreign-trained doctors kept from working in Canada? Proper competency assessment could address questions about ability, in a multiple of ways, as the judge in the College of Teachers case pointed out. Certification has a strong tendency to become self-serving and protectionist. Yes, I want competent doctors but I'm not sure if current certification practices really meet that need.