OPEN LETTER |
||
|
OPEN LETTER The Future of Our Medical Careers Open Letter to International Medical Graduates in Canada Open Letter to Canadian Students at Saba University School of Medicine Revised July 31, 2007 Please E-mail Your Comments -->
admin@caribbeanmedicine.com "For Canada to permit regulations to stand, which have as their sole
foundation, appeals to discrimination toward Canadian citizens who are graduates
of foreign medical schools, is to commit, a violation of the
Bill of Rights, as heinous as the original set of injustices and
inequalities, for which this Bill of Rights Act was created" Thank you for taking the time to read this. First off, let me start by
addressing some of the most common comments I have heard among Canadian
students here at Saba University School of Medicine: A) "I am going to do all my clinical rotations in Canada" An IMG (International Medical Graduate/Student) (which is what we are) CANNOT do core rotations in Canada. Regardless of wether you are a Canadian citizen or not. You can only do electives. In addition, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada has ruled that the maximum length of time out-of-country medical students may be accepted for training in Canada is 12 weeks (www.afmc.ca, David Hawkins: dhawkins@afmc.ca). Now, some Canadian's here at Saba have the idea that they will do their electives, and have Saba University count them as cores. For example, you go to Ontario (or somewhere else in Canada) and do, let's say, an elective in surgery, then Saba University accepts it for the Core surgery requirement. See what I mean? Well, this is a big mistake. Let me tell you why: When you finish medical school, and residency and apply for a license in
Canada, the Canadian medical governing bodies will evaluate (in great detail)
every clinical you have done. And if all your clinicals were essentially just
"electives", and you broke the rules by doing more than 12 weeks of electives in
Canada as a foreign student, do you think one of the strictest countries in the
world is going to grant you a license to practice medicine? . . .I'll let you
ponder this. B) "I going to transfer to a Canadian Medical School" None of the sixteen Canadian medical schools accepts transfer students from
outside Canada. In fact most, wont even look at an application from WITHIN
Canada. C) "I am going to get a residency in Canada" It is a fact that of all the IMG's that come to Canada, 90-95% will not obtain a residency. The few that do, do so, after either years and years of trying, or, because they know people in high places who 'pull strings' for them. Just visit www.carms.ca and see how few IMG's get a residency in Canadian match every year. There are currently 12,000 (twelve thousand) IMG's in Canada, actively seeking a residency position. In Ontario alone, there are currently over 4000 (four thousand) foreign doctors with no job and no residency. Then you have all this talk about being able to get a residency in Canada 'outside the match'. Where? How? Don't just hear that and think that your set, you must have facts! The only ones that will be able to take advantage of this are those with some serious 'inside' connections. Their rumors, and hearsay are bogus, and we all know it. I definitely won't plan out my medical career based on the 'doors will open up' theory. Because quite frankly in Canada they never will, definitely not for graduates of foreign medical schools. Across Canada there are thousands and thousands of desperate foreign trained doctors. Some of them are outright Canadian Citizens! Of those select few that actually complete all the requirements needed just to apply, only 10% will obtain a residency position (it has varied between 4% and 16% over the past 12 years). Also, those residency positions are the worst, left over ones, that NO Canadian medical graduate wanted.
Keep in mind that CaRMS only lists the number of IMG's in the 'match'. You can only enter a rank order list and be in the match if you receive at least one interview. There are hundreds of IMG's that apply but never get any interviews and thus are not in the match, but these IMG's are not included in the statistics! So the actual 'match rate' is even lower than 10% if you were to include ALL the applicants. Please read the CMA interpretation here: www.CaribbeanMedicine.com/article18.pdf In the Canadian Residency Match, 93% of all residency positions in Canada are filled by graduates of Canadian medical schools. The only residencies available to IMG's are those left over 2 year rural Family Practice spots, that NO Canadian medical graduate wanted. In Canada, Family Practice is only a 2 year program, in the United States it is a 3 year program. So in Canada you are getting basically 2/3 of the educational time you would compared to the U.S. Also, many of those left over FP spots in the second iteration are rural spots, so if you did get one, your opportunity to learn is very limited, because of the small patient population. It amazes me that highly qualified foreign medical graduates, allow the
Canadian medical system to degrade and humiliate them like this. IMG’s, have
some pride! Do not let CaRMS, MCC, OIMGP and other Canadian medical
organizations rip you off of your hard earned dollars. Because in the end, in
Canada, you will have lost a lot of years and money and will have nothing to
show for it, except your used airplane ticket.
IMG's being able to enter the first round (first
iteration) is not as good as it sounds. All this info is here: http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1_eligibility_prov_e.shtml E) "I am not going to write the USMLE, because I am going to Canada, so I won't need it" If you don't write the USMLE, your life and career will turn into such a big
joke, that even the best comedians in Hollywood will have difficulty portraying
it . . . that's all I'm going to say about this. F) "I am going to come back to Canada, after doing a residency in the United States" This won't happen. After you finish residency in the U.S. and return to Canada, you cannot practice medicine. Why? Because Canada does not accept the USMLE, Canada does not accept the ECFMG certificate. To work in Canada as a doctor you would have to do the entire Canadian certification process all over again. That's right, you would have to write MCCEE, MCCQE Part 1, MCCQE Part 2, and the Canadian board exams for the residency that you did in the United States. Also you may have to do extra year(s) of residency training in Canada, for example if you did an Internal Medicine residency in U.S. you would have to do one more year of residency in Canada. Ontario residents: Keep in mind that you cannot return to your home province initially. You have to go to another province first and then work your way back to Ontario via reciprocity. And when you do return to your home province you must go to a rural/underserviced area for five years. For more info contact: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) www.cpso.on.ca , (416) 967-2617 Also to go through that whole process to come back to Canada to make a lot less money makes no sense either. After you finish your residency in the U.S. you will be offered a job for $150,000 (that's U.S. dollars). You are trying to tell me, you will pass this up to go back to Penetanguishene, Ontario to work in some rural area for $90,000 Canadian dollars (which converts to only $64,000 U.S. dollars by the way). Verification: http://jobfutures.ca/fos/M521.shtml
O.k. since you persist with this, let's entertain this delusional comment. To obtain a residency in the U.S. you have to pass USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 and USMLE Step 2 CS. Then during your U.S. residency you have to pass USMLE Step 3. Then to graduate from that program you have to pass the residency board exam. For example, if you are doing a residency in the U.S. in Family Practice, you have to pass the U.S. Family Practice board exam. Let's see, so far there are five board exams you need to pass. Now after you complete all this and go back to Canada, you must write all the Canadian board exams in order to obtain a license to practice medicine in Canada. Those tests are the: MCCEE, MCCQE Part 1, MCCQE Part 2, and the Canadian Residency board exam. That's an additional four board exams. I know people who could not even pass USMLE Step 1. It is impossible for me to believe that they will pass nine board exams. Whatever. . . Even if you did achieve this phenomenal and miraculous feat of academia, it would result in you ending up in some rural area like Northern Manitoba or the Yukon, earning half the salary that you could earn in the United States. For further info contact: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada - http://rcpsc.medical.org
The truth is that as soon as you get on that airplane and head toward a foreign medical school, you have pretty much cut Canada off forever. Therefore you'd better fully accept this certainty before going abroad for the M.D. degree.
H) "I am going to write a letter, to have Canada eliminate the Evaluating Exam, because there is no need for it" Canadian medical licencing authorities have the right and obligation to ensure Canadians get the best medical care in the world and it is my view this can be accomplished through generally accepted standardized tests such as the MCCEE that the RCPSC requires. Visit: RCPSC - Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Contact the CPSO for more info: Even the most massive letter campaign is NOT going to get them to change this requirement. I mean c'mon, that's like me saying "oh, I am going to write a letter to ECFMG, and ask them to eliminate the CSA, because I know my English well and because the CSA is too expensive." Be realistic. O.K. now let's look at some of the points, we as Canadians need to be
aware of, and consider when we are planning out our medical career and
future: 1) The licensing exams you need to pass, to practice in Canada are: 1. successful completion of the MCCEE (evaluating exam) Information about the Evaluating and Qualifying Examinations of the Medical Council of Canada may be obtained from Medical Council of Canada, Box 8234, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, KlG 3H7,
telephone: (613) 521-6012, fax: (613) 521-9417 www.mcc.ca 2) One year of unpaid clerkship requirement for IMG's in Ontario. One the requirements for obtaining a residency in Ontario, is to first obtain and complete one year of unpaid post-graduate training. MYTH: In the Ontario IMG Program, there are 50 spots for residency in
Ontario for IMG's. The OIMGP provides this pre-residency training to evaluate and to upgrade the
qualifications of IMG's. Contact the OIMGP for details: Let's talk a little about this: Basically, after getting your M.D. from a foreign medical school you would have to: 1) Pass the MCCEE ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS PROCESS. 9) In Ontario you cannot enter the first or second round of the Canadian CARMS residency match, you have to wait until after the second round. And after the second round there is nothing left. Keep in mind that there are 4000 (four thousand) IMG's in Ontario and 12,000 (twelve thousand) IMG's across Canada, who are actively seeking a residency position or employment as a physician in Canada. There are several thousands more IMG's who are in Canada but have long given up on this process. Reality my dear friends. Reality. The Practice Ready and PGY-2 positions are only for those IMG's who have
completed a residency or at least some post graduate training in their home
country. So this is not an option for Canadians who have gone abroad for their
MD degrees. The only thing available to IMG's outside of Ontario (other Canadian provinces) is some other worthless, left over, two year rural family practice spot that NO Canadian medical graduate wanted, not to mention that it will be in some boony town where it is -30 (minus thirty) degrees celcius everyday with a non-diverse population, up north (eg goose bay, labrador, or north battleford, saskatchewan). Will you honestly be happy with this? 3) Not much left in the second iteration, and nothing left after the second iteration. Let's talk briefly about the CaRMS match. Canadian Resident Matching Service The match is done in two rounds (iterations). The first round is open ONLY to graduates of LCME (Canadian and American) medical schools. Not foreign medical schools! The second round is open to graduates of foreign medical schools in some
provinces. But if you go and visit the CaRMS web site, you will see that there
is didly squat left in the second round . . . nickel and dime. 4) B-1 Visa for clinicals. Yes, Canadians need a B-1 Visa to do clinicals in the United States. Apply as early as possible for this otherwise you won't be allowed into a hospital to do your rotations. US Embassy: www.usembassycanada.gov 5) The H-1B visa for residency training in the U.S. To get the H-1B visa a residency program in the U.S. has to be willing to sponsor you. Unfortunately very few residency programs in the U.S. do this. To get this visa you will have to write USMLE Step 3 before starting your residency. Around twelve states allow candidates to register for this exam before residency (Step 3 is normally written DURING residency). The great thing about this visa, is that once you get it, you can then apply for a Green Card, which will allow you to live and work in the U.S. permanently. This really is the BEST option. To find out which states, visit: To find out about the USMLE Step 3 visit: www.usmle.org For info about the J-1 and H-1B Visa's visit: 6) The J-1 visa for residency training in the U.S. First of all look at the requirements you have to fulfill to get this Visa: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/care-soins/2005-postgrad -postdoct/2005-famil/index_e.html www.ecfmg.org/evsp/index.html To get this visa from the ECFMG you will first need to get an offer from a residency program in the U.S. and you will need to get a "Statement of Need" from the Canadian Health Ministry. You need to pass the MCCEE before you can get that "Statement of Need" from Canada. If you get the J-1 visa, then you are entitled to stay in the U.S. to do a residency. But after the residency is completed you have to return to Canada for a minimum of two years. By law, this is a MUST, because when you first get the J-1, Canada requires you to sign a consent form which will allow them to recruit you when you finish residency in the U.S. When you return to Canada, you have to get your U.S. residency training assessed by the Royal College of Canada (for which they charge a hefty fee). Then you have pass ALL the Canadian board exams in order to obtain a license to practice medicine in Canada. Those tests are the: MCCEE, MCCQE Part 1, MCCQE Part 2, and the Canadian board exams for the residency you did in the U.S. Now, when you go back to Canada, your U.S. training alone is not eligible for Ontario, so forget about Ontario. You will have to go to some other province, where they will place you in some small rural town, where it is minus thirty degrees everyday (Labrador, Northern Alberta etc). But to get a permanent license to practice medicine there (or anywhere else in Canada), you MUST pass ALL the Canadian board exams! All this nonsense and degradation just to make half the salary you could have earned if you were allowed to stay in the U.S. If you are doing a residency in the U.S. on a J-1 visa, it is possible to stay in the U.S. after your residency, if you get a J-1 waiver. You can obtain this waiver by agreeing to work as a physician in a health manpower shortage area (rural/underserviced area in the U.S.) for 3-5 years. Each state in the U.S. has 30 J-1 Waiver spots per year. For more information about these J-1 waiver programs, visit: www.caribbeanmedicine.com/j1waiver.htm
7) So as you can see, Canadians are in a different stream than all
other IMG's, and that stream is appropriately called "Sh*ts Creek".
By now I am sure all of you have heard about this. But don't get too excited. Yes there is a doctor shortage in Canada. But the way Canada is solving that doctor shortage is by increasing the number of spots at Canadian medical schools. Every medical school across Canada has increased enrollment. In addition Canada has decided to open up a new medical school in Northern Ontario which will produce a new batch of Canadian medical graduates (Canadian MD’s) that will be used to solve the doctor shortage. New Northern Ontario Medical School: www.normed.ca Think about it! There are 12,000 (twelve thousand) foreign trained doctors across Canada with no job and no residency, 4000 (four thousand) of them are in Ontario. They have passed the Canadian exams (MCCEE, MCCQE), they are ready to work now! . . . AND there is a doctor shortage. Why doesn't Canada provide opportunities for them? Why all this effort and money into this new Canadian medical school? Because the bottom line is that despite a doctor shortage, Canada will never
provide jobs to graduates of foreign medical schools, even if you are a Canadian
citizen. Canada only wants graduates of Canadian medical schools. 9) Applying for a residency in the United States: To apply for a residency in the U.S. to have to apply through the ERAS The U.S. residency match is done by The list of all available residency positions in the U.S., is nicely
summarized at this excellent site: 10) Canadians need to be very realistic about their goals. The worst Saba student, who de-celled twice and failed USMLE on his/her first
try (but is a U.S. citizen) will be able to get a residency in Internal Medicine
in the U.S. without ANY problem. But you as a Canadian, even with a 90 on your
USMLE and a #3 ranking in your class could still get screwed, blued and tattooed
come match time. Hospitals look at applicants without a Visa, the way you and I
would look at our feces, if we were suffering from inflammatory diarrhea.
We have (I hope) already established that Canada is a closed door for IMG’s. So our goal is a residency in the United States. Doing all your clinicals in the U.S. allows you maximum opportunity to make contacts, which are invaluable come residency selection time. Also, the USMLE Step 2 exam is based entirely on U.S. clinical experience, doing clinicals outside of the U.S. does not prepare you well for the Step 2 exam. Never do clinical rotations in Mexico or Canada or the Caribbean
islands, this is a total waste of time. The whole point of going to a Caribbean
medical school is to get clinical rotations in the U.S. at ACGME accredited
hospitals. That is what maximizes your chance of getting a residency in the U.S.
12) Is the United States a nice place to raise a family? YES! For those Canadians afraid to go to the U.S., let me offer you this:
there are plenty of places in the U.S. that are as safe, and crime free as Goose
Bay, Labrador . . . so don't sweat it. You can live a happy life, with your
family, keeping your culture alive, and your children will have a prosperous
future. It is a fact that the best and brightest Canadians move to the U.S., and
never come back. 13) Caribbean Medical Schools were never intended or designed to educate Canadians. They were opened to cater to rejected U.S. applicants. That is the whole premise, and that is for whom this whole system is geared toward. But what happened over the years is that, it became so ridiculously difficult to gain admission into a Canadian medical school that many, many Canadian students flocked down to the Caribbean. The Association of Canadian Medical Colleges states in their manual every year: "Applicants should be aware that enrolling in dubious, proprietary, for-profit medical schools opened specifically to cater to rejected applicants to medical schools in Canada or the USA is highly unlikely to be a path to practising medicine in Canada." Verification: www.cfms.org/pre_med/applying.cfm The American Association of Medical Colleges (www.aamc.org) publishes a list
annually of the most difficult places to gain admission into a medical school.
Ontario tops the list every year, followed by California, New York, British
Columbia and Texas. When I was younger, I always wondered why foreign doctors immigrated to Canada, when it is a world wide known fact that Canada is career suicide for them. Well the reason is as follows: Canadian Embassies around the world lie to foreign doctors. These embassies tell them “Oh yes, come to Canada, we need doctors!”. Canadian immigration organizations lie and paint this picture that Canada is Utopia, because they want foreigners to come to Canada. Why? Because foreigners bring money and they after they come they do the blue collar jobs. That is exactly what Canada wants! The Canadian government wants foreign money and cheap foreign labor. So after being deceived, these foreign doctors, pack up, and immigrate with their families (spouse, children) to Canada. They have to bring with them at least $10,000 and pay an additional $1500 to land in Canada. Canada has an immigration quota of 250,000 per year. So please do the math, 250,000 multiplied by $10,000 each equals a whopping 2.5 Billion dollars that Canada gains from immigrants every year. However, after they arrive, Canada shuts the door in their face and tells them that their foreign credentials are not ‘good enough’ and that they need to pass a series of expensive tests and do additional unpaid training. Shame on those Canadian embassies! This forces the foreign doctors to get minimum wage jobs like factory work,
driving taxi cabs or delivering pizzas, and to try whatever they can to support
themselves and their families. They have passed the Canadian exams (MCCEE, MCCQE),
applied for residency positions with CaRMS year after year, yet the end result
is nothing. This is the tragedy associated with immigration to Canada.
15) Let's help each other. I love to share info I have gathered with my fellow Canadians.
If you know something that I don't, please share it with me, I am
willing to listen, but please back it up with proof and fact. As one of my
Canadian classmates would say --> "During a drought, don't piss on my leg, and
tell me it's raining". In other words, don't give me false hope, . . . depressed? Don't be! Here's what you need to do:
Whew! Well, that's it for now my Canadian friends. I hope this has provoked some thought. I sincerely wish you all the best of luck. Asad Raza Foreign Medical Graduates! Please email me your story --> admin@caribbeanmedicine.com CARIBBEAN MEDICAL SCHOOLS ABOUT ME I did an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics at York
University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My GPA was 3.76. My MCAT scores were 9, 12, R, 10. So since I really want to study medicine I looked into Caribbean schools. I am a recent graduate of SABA University School of Medicine in the Caribbean. I am currently doing my post-graduate (residency) training in the United States on the H-1B visa. I will live in the U.S. permanently. View my: Why SABA University? I chose the school for the following reasons: FAQ's FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions- Answered by me 1) How much loan can I get for Medical school and from what source? With CanHELP (through IEFC), as a medical student you can apply for $25,000 (USD)/year on your own signature. Or, up to the full cost of education per year including tuition and living expenses with a credit worthy Canadian Citizen as your co-signer. There is however a very high interest rate! Only certain schools are eligible. OSAP/CSL gives a max of $8580(CAN)/year for studying outside of Canada. In addition, any one of the banks (Bank of Montreal, Scotia Bank, CIBC, TD
etc) offer a student line of credit for studying medicine abroad. Please contact
the organizations for details. 2) Can I get a residency in Canada after graduation? Realistically, no. The residency match in Canada by CaRMS is done in two rounds. The first round is open only to graduates of Canadian medical schools. IMG's can only enter the second round. On average, about 95% of all the residency spots in Canada are filled by graduates of Canadian medical schools. Some provinces will allow you to enter the second round, but there are very few residency spots left after the first round. In short, there are virtually no opportunities for IMG's to enter into medical training programs in Canada. In Ontario, you cannot enter the second round either, you have to go through the Ontario International Medical Graduate Program (OIMGP). MYTH: There are 50 spots for residency in Ontario for IMG's. The OIMGP provides this unpaid pre-residency training to evaluate and to
upgrade the qualifications of IMG's. There is also a very long waiting list that currently exists. Those thousands of IMG's on the waiting list have to be selected first, and this may take up to five years. New applicants can apply, they can pay their fees and sit for the exams, but they have to wait for years for the people on the wait list to get selected. So do you see how hopeless the situation is for a new foreign medical
graduate in Canada! My friends, these organizations will not tell you the truth,
they will lie to you on every occasion to get your money. I have done eight
years of research into the Canadian medical system, in order to find out the
realities. The conclusion is that: there is nothing in Canada for IMG's.
3) Will I be able to practice in Canada after I finish a residency in the U.S.? It depends. Most residency programs in the U.S. are one year shorter than the programs in Canada. For example, Internal Medicine in the U.S. is 3 years, but it is a 4 year program in Canada. Psychiatry in the U.S. is a 4 year residency, but it is a 5 year program in Canada. So after you complete a residency in the U.S., and then return to Canada, you will have to do one extra year of residency in Canada to meet the Canadian requirements. But here is the problem: there are no 'one year' residency spots in Canada. So basically you are screwed. Your career is over. The only exception is Family Practice. It is a 3 year program in the U.S., but only a 2 year program in Canada. So if you do a residency in Family Practice in the U.S. and then return to Canada, you can obtain a license, but you will have to pass all the Canadian exams. Those exams are: 1) MCCEE (www.mcc.ca) (Evaluating Exam) Keep in mind, that you cannot go back to Ontario, you have to try for another
province. If you want to go back to Ontario, in addition to completing all of
the above, you have to: There are additional requirements for an Independent Practice certificate, but those noted above are the basic requirements. The medical licensing requirements across Canada vary somewhat, and physicians seeking licensure are encouraged to contact each PROVINCIAL LICENSING AUTHORITY. The bottom line is, once you finish a residency in the U.S. you will most
likely stay in the U.S. because to go back to Canada to earn half the salary and
pay twice the taxes makes no sense whatsoever. 4) If there are virtually no opportunities for foreign medical graduates in Canada, then why don't foreign doctors, who have come to Canada, take the USMLE's and apply for residency in the United States? Great question. The reasons are as follows: Not every IMG can go to United States. They have families and can't relocate their children for residency time and then move somewhere else. Their spouse often doesn't want to move to U.S., this is especially a problem for ethnic women who have married a man who is living in Canada and does not want to move or compromise for his wife. Many IMG's are rejected by the U.S. embassy in Canada, to go to the U.S. to take the CSA and USMLE Step 3. So they have no other choice but to stay in Canada and take those useless Canadian medical licensing exams. A lot of IMG's, are scared of USMLE Step 1. Because that exam is based on the first two years of medical school, and most IMG's have long forgotten those subjects. Other reasons include insecurity, lack of self confidence, refusal to face reality, being very stubborn, unwilling to accept accurate advice, and lack of knowledge about the fact that there are virtually no opportunitites in Canada for foreign medical graduates. You would be surprised at how many foreign doctors that have come to Canada
have beed lied to and deceived by the Canadian embassies and the Canadian
medical organizations. 5) Do you know of any recent news that is encouraging? Sure! Here are some great new changes pertaining to Canadians who wish to study at a Caribbean Medical school: a) The CanHELP loan is now available to Canadian Citizens studying at
Caribbean Medical schools. As a medical student you can apply for up to $25,000
(USD) on your own signature. Or, up to the full cost per year w/ a credit worthy
Canadian Citizen as your co-signer. No U.S. co-signer needed anymore! b) The number of residency spots in the United States has increased, and the
number of applicants for those spots has decreased! c) In Fall 2000, the Congress completely exempted universities and non-profit
hospitals from the annual H-1B visa cap of 65,000. This should really help
future Canadian applicants when applying for a residency in the U.S.!
Frequently Asked Questions - Answered by others QUESTION 1: Hi, is it true that IMG's (who are Canadian citizens) who do their clinical
rotations in Canada can get exempted from the one year of postgraduate training
requirement in Ontario? Dear Asad: If you are referring to the clinical rotations in medical school, the answer is no - clincal rotations in Canada do not exempt you from the IMG Program requirement. You would still be considered an IMG, and be required to go through the IMG Program. You may obtain further information about the Ontario IMG Program on our web
site. Regards, Hi thank you for answering my questions! one more: because they can't get residencies in the match, because in Ontario IMG's can't enter the first or second round of the CaRMS match and after the second round there is nothing left. ANSWER 2: Yes - Ontario IMG Program residencies are separate from the CaRMS match. This list is subject to change for future sessions of the IMG Program. Mary Cunningham QUESTION 3: Hi, regarding the OIMGP requirement that: "All applicants must have lived in the Province of Ontario for a minimum of 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the commencement date of the International Medical Graduate Program" How can I be living in Ontario for a year prior to the start of the program when I am doing my clinical rotations in the USA? Some say -> "do your clinical rotations in Canada". But Canada only allows a maximum of 12 wks of clinical rotations for students attending foreign medical schools. Does anyone have an answer for this? ANSWER 3: Dear Asad: Regards, Mary Cunningham, Administrative Coordinator QUESTION 4: Can you please give me some information about requirement for obtaining a license to practice medicine in Canada? ANSWER 4: Good morning: C. Fronton celine.fronton@rcpsc.edu QUESTION 5: Hi, can you please give me information regarding residencies that are available outside the match in Canada, thanks. ANSWER 5: In reply to your inquiry, none that we are aware of. Lynda Nesbitt (nesbitt@carms.ca) QUESTION 6: If a student from a foreign medical school who is a Canadian citizen does their clinical rotations in Canada are they excempt from the MCCEE (evaluating exam)? ANSWER 6: I have contacted the Medical Council of Canada www.mcc.ca, and the answer is no, as one will still be considered a foreign graduate. E-mails I have received: Dear Asad: Hi. My name is Mark Gallow. I am a Canadian. I graduated from AUC in 1995. I completed a 3 year FP residency at St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan in July 2000. I had to wait 2 years (1995-97) for a "green card" before starting a residency. I am Board Certified in FP and work for a small practice in Warren, MI. I live in Windsor, Ontario and cross over to Michigan each day. I compliment you on the accuracy of your site. If anyone disputes your findings tell them that I and many others have researched this and have found it difficult or impossible to overcome the obstacles to return to Canada. Your findings are RIGHT. You may want to revise some things since the situation in Canada is changing because of the critical shortage of physicians. I have been contacted by recruiters for medical placements in Canada. They inform me that the Western provinces of Sask, Alta and BC have in the past provided temporary licensing to physicians willing to work in underserviced areas. I was offered a job in rural BC for $220,000.00 (that's right) by one of the recruiting services- Canadian Medical Placement Services, (they have a web site). I was originally contacted by Dr. Sussman. If you check the Ontario Parlimentary site for May 31, 2001, you will find my name mentioned by Windsor MPP Sandra Pupatello as an example of how stupid the barriers are to well qualified Canadians working in the US who want to return to Canada. It may be several months before any changes occur but if you want to return to Canada hope exists. I have done numerous local interviews with newspapers, radio and television. I had a 15 minute face-to-face meeting with the Minister of Health in Ontario - Tony Clement - to advise him of the terrible situation Canadians have returning to practice in Canada. He agreed that changes needed to be made. There may be another method of returning. In New Brunswick they grant reciprocity to licensed physicians in the Maine. Ontario may soon be forced to grant a reciprocal license to MD licensed in another province because of federal legistration requiring free movement of professional individuals. The Act has been passed and is due to be in force July 1, 2001. One of my classmates is in NB now. Please feel free to contact me if you have other questions. Mark Gallow, M.D. Hi Asad: I just read your open letter to Canadians. I am a Canadian who lived in Canada for over 17 years. I completed my high school and undergrad in Ontario and then went to Spartan. I graduated in 1995. I passed the USMLE 1, 2 and 3. Got a H1 visa (Canada screwed me for 2 years over the J1 visa - I did not know about their restriction in 1995). Completed a family practice residency in the U.S. in 2000 and now am practising. Right after graduation in 1995, I passed MCCEE, QE1, QE2 and held the LMCC and went through Carms twice...NO MATCH in Canada. What's the lesson here? Take the USMLE exams, all of them ASAP. Take all the Canadian exams, ASAP. NEVER say, I wont need this. You WILL need them. In 1995, things were more restricted. Only 24 positions in IMG, NO WAY to get J1 letter from Canada,etc. Now, Canada is in crisis with shortage of doctors. I am practising in Edmonton. I will take the CFPC exam in May and move back to Toronto soon. I already have my "Diplomat of the American board of family practice" (even though, I dont NEED it). By the way, as far as residency or work in Canada...DO NOT count on it at all. Apply in both countries if you can. It will work out. Dont worry. I was in a similar situation. I completely understand the frustration. Email me if you have questions. It is sad that Canada restricts us so much, when it needs doctors so bad. It is also sad that we have to go to Caribbean for medicine! Say hi to guys in Saba! Regards, Asad Raza I read your article or info on your web page. It is true word by word. I am an IMG living in Canada for the last 2 years.I had 6 years of postgraduate experience before immigrating to Canada, including completed residency in surgery from south east Asia. All of my training spots are recognized by the Royal colleges of surgeons of uk.I passed MCCEE on my immigration. Despite this all I am working in a warehouse as general labor.Daily I hear the plunders and blunders of Canadian health care system in the news,the shortage of doctors the long waiting lists of patients and get frustrated. I am good enough to to teach anatomy to the medical students here but not good enough to work as resident ( by the way this job is hourly, part time position specifically 8 hours a month and not enough to pay for grocery bill.I am doing it to deceive myself that I am working in an academic unit). In my opinion the Canadians don't have a system for IMG. The matching system ,the Ontario assessment program or others, mean only to keep IMG doctors busy and collect money from them, as if the taxation is not enough. It is also necessary for Canada, to keep her good books and avoid the comments of philanthropic organizations such as Humane rights commissions. The matching system here encourages you to apply to each and every post available in 2nd iteration They are arranged the way that you have to apply to almost all if you want to be secure but all you receive is that "sorry you were not matched". You may ask why I immigrated to Canada. The answer is that When I applied to immigration,they accepted my application without telling me any detail.All they did was to sent me a paper telling me that I need to pass certain exams to get in medical profession.It was here that I realized that I am in deep shit.Anyhow this is my personal experience about Canada.I am sorry if these words discourage some one.But it is good to be safe than sorry. Sincerely
Canada is a closed door for International Medical Graduates Even for those who are Canadian Citizens The sooner you conclude that Canada is a dead end for IMG's, the better it will be for you. There are thousands (!) of IMG's in Canada who pass the Canadian exams (MCCEE, MCCQE) and apply year after year for a residency or a job. They never get anything. Then, finally, reality hits them, so they sit for the USMLE's, after having lost a lot of time and money. Do yourself a favour, forget about Canada from day one. Take a look:
|
||
|
Download the E-Book
|
Home | E-Book Overview | E-Book Tour | Forums | Contact | Advertise | Tell | Menu | About | Links | Canada | H-1B | Schools | Terms | Stats
Copyright © 1999-2007 CaribbeanMedicine.com. All rights reserved
Update on the 2007 Canadian (CaRMS) Residency Match
