Canadian board exams ??

[Jani]

Hi there?

Does anybody know what an overseas graduate needs to get a licence in Canada ? Do they accept USMLE I, II ? I vaguely remember sombody saying it is similar to US Board exams , but how close..?

thanks.

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[JPMD03]

The exam you are talking about is the LMCC qualifying examination. It is more or less similar to the USMLE II, altough in Canada we do not have a "part one" to the LMCC. You can get information on their web site (www.mcc.ca).

Tell me if you need more information, I'm preparing for it presently.

 

[stimpworth]

I hear from students in my class that the Canadian boards are harder than the USMLE step 2, is this true?
Do you think it is a "good idea" to take the Canadian boards at about the same time as USMLE step 2 in case one wants to practice in Canada at some time in the future?

Thnks

 

[Ponyboy]

International students have to write the LMCC Qualifying Exam before they can sit for Part I and Part II of the LMCC. Part I of the LMCC's is taken in the last year of med school by Canadian students. I've been told by residents that the LMCC's are harder than Step II of the USMLE and it would be useful to study for both at the same time.

 

[Surfer75]

It's wise to study for both at the same time... I'm studying for both for this May.. I'm from CA, but attend a Canadian school and graduate this May, but continuing on to residency in British Columbia. The reason some think the LMCC is harder is because it has community health / epidemiology on it (~1/6 of the exam)... otherwise it's really no different... the testing style is a bit differently constructed as well, not all simple multiple choice.. but otherwise, I wouldn't say it's harder... oh and btw, only the bottom 5% of this exam fail...

Surfer75

 

[Badkarma25]

Does anybody know what an overseas graduate needs to get a licence in Canada ?

Just an act of god!

 

[mkmgal]

Thanks for the info on Canada's MCC. I'm hoping to learn a little more about the system. I'm currently attending an osteopathic med school in Arizona, but my wife is really wanting us to return to her home in Alberta. What big loop holes do I have to jump through? Will the USMLE suffice for licensing? What are some of the big pros and cons of practicing in Alberta or Canada? Is Canada experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians? Anyway, I hope ya'll can offer a little more insight. Thanks for the help!

 

[The Pill Counter]

To clarify a few things: The first step is to write the MCCEE (Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination) in order to have your degree recognised, then sit the MCCQE Part 1 and 2 just like other Canadian grads. To apply for residency is complicated. Each province has its own rules. Countrywide, the only restriction is that an IMG can only enter the second iteration of the match, so most spots are already filled before you get a crack. The left overs are the usual suspects (FP/OBGYN/Psych) and usually IM/Path and occasionally an Anaesthesia/Sugery spot. Last year a Neurosurg spot was filled by an IMG (albeit in the Prairies). Now, what are the provinical restrictions you ask? Ontario schools could have twenty empty spots in family practice, but you can't apply for them, even in the second round. You must apply for and be accepted to their OIMG (Ontario International Medical Graduate) Program. They take about 75-100 doctors from an applicant pool 5-10 times that size. You are then given the privilege to PAY THEM five grand to spend a year re-doing your final year of med school. Quebec won't take any applicants who can't speak fluent French, and most BC spots are filled in the first round. What does that leave? Your best shots are in the Prairies and the Maritimes. In Newfoundland, you could probably get a decent residency in about half the specialties (but none of the competitive ones). There you go, those are your choices. My choice in a few years time will be to tell them to f**k off, I'm headed to the States. They can say goodbye to another doctor they could have had in this time of severe physician shortage if there wasn't so many damn hoops to jump through.

 

[The Pill Counter]

Mkmgal: You shouldn't have trouble getting a primary care spot at University of Calgary or University of Alberta with minimal hoop jumping. You'd still have to write MCCEE, only American MD's are exempt from it, not DO's.
And yes, there is a severe primary care shortage.

 

[mkmgal]

Thanks for the updated info. EVen though I'm thinking of returning to practice in Alberta some day, I'm planning on doing my residency in the states. From what I gather, it seems the best way to go - less hassels and less hoops to jump through. Would anyone recommend otherwise? Even though I'm not sure when I might end up in Alberta, at what point should I take the Canadian licensing exam (or qualifying exam)? Should I take it at the end of med school, or would I be okay to take it years down the road?

Also, I've heard that lots of Canadian docs have headed south to the states to practice. Why is that? Is it stictly a money issue or do other significant issues exist? The simple issue of avoiding so many HMO headaches is almost enough to make me want to jump the border back to Canada!

 

[Ponyboy]

There are a few issues that you may want to consider. In some provinces, in order to get a license, you need more than the LMCC's. You may also need certification from either the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons or the Canadian College of Family Physicians. I believe that Alberta requires that you need both the LMCC's and College certification. The best time to write teh LMCC's is when the material is most relelvant. Part I would best be taken when you are finishing med school. The more that I look at it, it seems a bit harder than the Step 2. In one section of the exam, we have to pick from a list of admission orders and we are docked marks for incorrect and excessive orders. (And some questions are like: Should you get 'lytes at q2h, q1h, or q4h?). The best time to write part 2 of the LMCC's is 18 months into residency because it's an OSCE on general family medicine concepts (and if you're in a field other than family medicine, you're more likely to remember your general clinical skills when you're closer to med school).

Regarding where to do residency: I think that it would be more helpful to do your residency in Canada if you want to practice there. It may be more difficult to get College certification coming from a residency in the US, simply because some programs in the US may not meet the standards set by the Colleges (and because most Canadian residencies groom their graduates for the College exams). Because of this, you may not qualify to sit for the College exams (eg. The Canadian College of Family Physicians requires that Family Medicine residencies have four month block rotations of family medicine). For this reason, it may be easier to do your residency in Canada.

If you are looking to go into family medicine, right now there are many residency positions available. If you are looking into peds or internal medicine, you have to remember that these are consultant residencies in Canada and are not primary care. Additionally, after this years match, there was only one position open in internal medicine and no pediatric positions (one peds neuro though). Additionally, as a DO, you are an unknown commodity. There are only a handful of practicing DO's in Canada and most program directors do not know what a DO is. You would be fighting an uphill battle to get into a residency or job.