career suicide?

[palmpalm]

Hi all,

I am a Canadian studying medicine abroad. Most of my fellow classmates are Americans and are planning on writing the USMLE and going to the states. Our 4th years just got their American match results and they got some great residencies. The school has a great track record in the states with many of our graduates in some big time positions. The thing is, I want to return to Canada; and I understand it is getting easier to do that. My question is, if I want a relatively easy-to-get residency, such as family or internal med., would it be career suicide for me to NOT take the USMLE and just apply to Canadian programs?

What do y'all think? 🙂

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[PistolPete]

I'm just a lowly MS-0, but I'm thinking that no, it wouldn't be career suicide. Many Canadian programs like for applicants to do audition rotations, or so I hear, so you may want to consider going to Canada for one rotation fourth year in the field you chose. I hear that Canadian PD's place less emphasis on exam scores than US programs, so it's important for them to know you, and pre-clinical grades are more important I think.

However, if you're going to do the Canadian exams, you might as well try USMLE Step 1, right? Do you have the option of not reporting the scores if you don't do well? I would try and be on the safe side and take it, but I think you can still probably match with only Canadian exams if everything else is in order. If you feel that you won't be able to perform that well, then just take the Canadian exams.

Just my $0.02. Perhaps other more experienced Canadian med students/residents can chime in and help the OP out.

 

[Kakoshi]

I agree with PistolPete. Just write the stupid USMLE step 1. I didn't because I didn't think I'd ever want to go down to the US and now as I progress further I realize I do. Let me tell you that exam doesn't get any easier and studying for it during a busy fellowship is tough.
Also sounds like you haven't finished or done your clinical rotations yet so you may change your mind on your training. This is important because it happens a lot. True it is becoming more easy for IMG's to come to Canada for residency but it's not like the US. Who knows, the year you want internal med it could be very competitive as well.
All I'm saying is keep your options open. The USMLE doesn't get any easier and it's always nice to have the option of moving stateside for further training or any training for that matter.
Also I did serve on the admit committee of a reasonably competitive specialty in a nice city. There is the LMCC EE that we can look at in terms of exam stuff. We didn't mandate it but many had done it already. From what I understand though it's more USMLE step 2 stuff rather than step 1. We would also give them an impromptu quiz because my PD was paranoid about them. He would always say,"if they're so good why didn't they stay in Canada?" Funnily enough because of this attitude, he was kinder to grads from foreign countries who were new immigrants to Canada but we still quizzed them.

 

[Unch]

The Step1 is the only US exam that really should be taken in sequence. It is, indeed, much less efficient to go back later and re-learn all the detail-oriented science that won't crop up anywhere else or at any other time. Besides, my classmates in Ireland (where nearly all IMGs write the Step1, regardless of whether they're "sure" they'll need it), the consensus is that the exam is a good forced review that firms us up for final med year and gives us a better idea of the emphases during pre-clinical years back home. The Step2 and Step3 are more like the Canadian exams and can more easily be done later or out-of-sequence.

Strong advice to bite it and get the Step1 under your belt.

 

[Badkarma25]

as a canadian studying in ireland who is seeing his canadian classmates floundering waiting for the 2nd round of the match, i would say that even if you don't wnat to go to the states, write the usmles and cover your keester. it is NOT getting easier to get back to canada at all, and anyone who tells you that is on drugs. there are a lot of canadians studying abroad who want to go to canada who are all well qualified applicants but the reality of the canadian system is that it can't accomodate them all. worst case scenario is you blow a few grand on the u.s. exams and have a better knowledge base from studying. do not put all your eggs in the canadian basket.

 

[cleothecat]

Canadian attitudes to FMG's is almost punitive.

You have a much greater chance of getting a residency position in the US as a canadian, than you would getting a canadian residency as a canadian.