IMG ( Canadian!? READ THIS PLEASE!

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Originally Posted by MontereyMD

Hi Dixon

Here is what you should do:

Apply for Canadian PR at the same time as you apply for J-1 and US Residency.

There are thousands of positions in the US for citizens of India. You don't need US citizenship or US PR. India citizen can apply for J-1 visa with the US Department of State.
So apply widely in US for residency.
Go to the US and do residency.
By this time you should have perhaps been approved for Canadian PR.
The problem with J-1 visa is that you have to return to your country for 2 years after completion of US residency. However if you have Canadian PR then you can cross the border into Canada and perhaps start practice there. But just remember everyone wants to go to Vancouver or Toronto so look at rural areas and there should be openings.

thanks for the detailed guidence Monterey MD.

Originally Posted by Giemsa

Assuming you are a Canadian citizen / PR:

It may be possible for family physicians.

The CCFP designation may be granted without examination by the CFPC to those physicians who have met all of the following:

1) successfully graduated from accredited postgraduate training in family medicine in a jurisdiction where the standards for accreditation of postgraduate family medicine training and the criteria for certification are judged comparable and acceptable to the CFPC;
2) hold certification in family medicine in that jurisdiction;
3) met all other requirements for Certification in the CFPC;
4) met all other requirements for licensure and apply for or are granted registration to practice in a Canadian province or territory

Approved jurisdictions include:

United States of America: Graduates of family medicine residency training programs that have been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and who also are Diplomats of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)

Australia: Graduates of Australian General Practice Vocational Training programs that have been accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and meet the standards of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and who also hold Fellowship in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP)
Note: These programs vary from Canadian programs in that training in intrapartum care is not compulsory.

Ireland: Graduates of general practice vocational training schemes that have been accredited by Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and who also hold Membership in the Irish College of General Practitioners (MICGP)

http://www.cfpc.ca/English/cfpc/educ...efault.asp?s=1

As for specialists, depending on your specialty you may be eligible to have your training assessed by the Royal College in Canada on the basis of holding fellowship with one of the approved colleges within the Australian Medical Council. The Royal College reserve the right not to approve your training. If they do, then you are eligible to sit the Royal College exams in your specialty. These are quite challenging for IMGs, I understand, but if you can pass then you can be certified by the Royal College.

Note that each province controls licensing to practice medicine within the province, and the individual provincial of College of Physicians and Surgeons may or may not accept your credentials on an individual basis. The CFPC and the FRCPC do not confer license to practice. It would be very wise to contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province you're interested in practicing in, and putting this question to them.

I am an Australian-US citizen, and I was merely asking just out of curiosity. I know that Canadian MDs often have difficulties practicing in Australia mostly due to limits on where IMGs can be employed, the dreaded 10 year rule which restricts them to rural areas. So I guess Canada is a closed door as well. One doctor I know returned to Canada because of this rule, I guess every country is restrictive. Britain used to welcome Australian trained doctors as equals to theirs, until they became part of the EU, now EU doctors take precedent over Australian physicians, despite the fact that our education systems are nearly identical.

The US takes foreign trained doctors but they tend to wind up in less desirable (Primary Care or Inner City hospital) locales.

Dear Dr.,
I read tour letter.Is absolutely true,realistic.
Unfortunately I myself immigrated to Canada passed MCCEE with a very low score.
Just passed.What are my chances if I apply in Carms.
Babra

Start a new thread, don't resurrect old ones. While I don't know if the first post was completely accurate 5 years ago, many things have changed (while I'll accede that many more have not). Still, with your scores and non-native English, I'd realistically say your chances are almost nil unless your application has outstanding merits in almost every other category.

i am new in this forum, i am new immigrant in canada, just arrived,i am MD(physician) from india, working since 5 yrs as private practitioner, now i am looking for option in my field, i read all your post and confuse weather i did good step? so need your advise, 1) i read and heard that to practice in canada i need to go through all exam, and residency, which is quite difficult, and statistic also proving it. while US EXAM and residency little bit easier as i read in forum. so what is good US or canada exam. 2) if i decide for US,than how, because i just became CANADIAN PR.
THANKS IN ADVANCE.
your any answer will appreciate.
P.S-my wife is M PHARM.

Originally Posted by Ghani2004

i am new in this forum, i am new immigrant in canada, just arrived,i am MD(physician) from india, working since 5 yrs as private practitioner, now i am looking for option in my field, i read all your post and confuse weather i did good step? so need your advise, 1) i read and heard that to practice in canada i need to go through all exam, and residency, which is quite difficult, and statistic also proving it. while US EXAM and residency little bit easier as i read in forum. so what is good US or canada exam. 2) if i decide for US,than how, because i just became CANADIAN PR.
THANKS IN ADVANCE.
your any answer will appreciate.
P.S-my wife is M PHARM.

You've got a long road ahead of you, if you plan to practice medicine in either the US or Canada. It's going to be long, expensive, and difficult -- and not guaranteed.

This thread is a good summary of the process in Canada, so I won't rehash that.

In the US, you'd need to pass the USMLE exams. Each step is about $1500, and there are 4 of them. Just "passing" them isn't advisable, you'd want to score as well on them as is possible, as poor scores may limit your choices, or keep you out of a residency at all. Then you'd apply for a residency position. Unfortunately, many places want US clinical experience, which you won't have (and will have difficulty getting) Perhaps you can get some Canadian medical experience, but that is likely very difficult also. When you apply for a spot in the US, you'll be much more than 5 years out from your graduation, which is often a cutoff for some (but not all) programs. You'd also need a visa in the US, which makes it more difficult to get a spot. From your English in this post, you may have some difficulties around that. And, if your school isn't well known in the US, that can also be a problem.

If you are able to get a training spot in the US, it will likely be in family medicine. You might be able to get a spot in other fields, depending upon your background, how ell you did on the steps, etc. If you do complete FM training in the US, it's 3 years long. IN Canada, I believe you need 4 years of training, so you'd need to find some way of getting one more year.

All in all, your chances of making this all work are not great. It's going to be expensive and time consuming. You honestly might be better off thinking about what else you can do with your prior training -- but I totally understand if you want to pursue being a physician.

Originally Posted by aProgDirector

If you do complete FM training in the US, it's 3 years long. IN Canada, I believe you need 4 years of training, so you'd need to find some way of getting one more year.

2 years!

Yea, totally weird. FM is 2, IM is 4 in Canada.

I have become tired with medical practice in the United States. I have relatives in Canada and my grown children live in Northern Washington.
I graduated from medical school in the US and completed all my training and am board certified in my specialty (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine). Also, my mother was a Canadian citizen when I was born which according to my understanding of Canadian Citizenship Law would enable me to apply for dual Canadian Citizenship.
I wonder how hard it would be for me to enter Canada and practice as a specialist? Impossible?