D.O.'s In Canada

[RKK]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if anyone knew if D.O.'s are allowed to practice in Canada. I'm not sure where I can look this up or who to ask so I thought I'd see what you guys had to say.

Thanks

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[cholecalciferol]

Yes, they can practice but have to go through the rigamaroll and hoops that foreign medical graduates have to in order to get licensed. The reason given is that Osteo Med School are not accredited by the Laison Committee for Graduate Medical Education which looks after both US and Canadian Medical school. Pretty lame, if you ask me

What you need to do is, pass the Medical council Equivalence exam, then pass step I & II of MCCEQ and then find do a residency. This may vary from province to province but is the rule for most.

Your chances of landing a residence is next to zero because of the turf protection by the Canadian Medical Association. In other words, they don't want you if you have not graduated from a Canadian Medical School. Imaging 36 spots that will lead to residency in Ontario with 1000's vying for those spots. To make matters worse, they treat you as a 4 th year clinical clerk and once you finish, you can then do a residency.

This is the reason why Toronto, has the most highly educated taxi driving force in the world. I am not joking! A few months ago, a doctor from afghanistan was killed while working as a taxi driver.

It takes two years to do the MCCQE step I and II and the clinical skills assessment and apply for the residency spot. If you fail, you have to start again.

So if you go out of the Country, chances are excellent that you won't be able to practice allopathic or osteopathic medicine.


[This message has been edited by cholecalciferol (edited 06-20-2000).]

 

[RKK]

Thanks for the info. Does it make a difference if I'm a Canadian citizen to begin with?

You're right though, it IS pretty lame. Canada is in great need of doctors as it is and you think they'd try to work something out with D.O.'s, and even U.S. med students for that matter.

 

[cholecalciferol]

It makes no difference if you are a Canadian Citizen or not at the moment.

But things may change in the future if enough Canadians cry about lack of doctors.

But I would NOT hold my breath given the Canadian Med Assoc.'s record

If your interested in medicine outside of Canada, check out Ireland. There's over 100 1st year Canadian med student there. That's equal to the enrollement at most med school in Canada. And they are recruiting Canadians, believe it or not (with apologies to Ripley!)

 

[Ponyboy]

Going to Ireland is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard of. Those Canadians in Ireland are faced with the possibility of never practising medicine in Canada (in addition to having debts of ~$150 000-200 000). If you want to practice medicine in Canada, go to med school (and do your residency) in Canada. This is the simplest (and probably the cheapest) way to licensure in Canada. If you want to study medicine outside Canada in hopes of someday practicing in Canada, your best option is to attend a US MD school. You will not be considered a foreign medical graduate and will not have to take the MCC EE. You will be allowed to enter the first iteration of the CaRMS match and you will also have the option of doing a residency in the US (if you can get the right visa/papers) and transferring your credentials through the FRCP examinations.

[This message has been edited by Ponyboy (edited 06-23-2000).]

 

[cholecalciferol]

Some dreams aren't cheap. If you are good & lucky enough to get into a Canadian medical school than great. But that leaves out a lot of people. I know alot of people with the attitude, "Canadian med school or bust!" But, when rejections after rejections come year after year, they eventually change their tune.

It's true if you go out of the province, your chances of returning to practice are slim. And if you go out of the country, chances are non-existent.

But hey, there is a hugh magnet south of the border that will take you with open arms.
The AMA have been threatening to decrease residency spots for foreign med grads for years but things have not change. So if you want to do meds, hurry it and get it done.

DO's are considered foreign medical graduates, by the way. So know what you are getting into if you go this route


[This message has been edited by cholecalciferol (edited 06-21-2000).]

 

[Ponyboy]

Who ever told you that if you go to med school out of province, your chances of returning are slim?

 

[cholecalciferol]

Originally posted by Ponyboy:
Who ever told you that if you go to med school out of province, your chances of returning are slim?

A couple of years ago, My supervisor at U of T, who also graduated from U of T told me this. According to him you can practice medicine in Ontario alright, but you can't a billing number from OHIP if you are out of province. So if you don't mind working for free ......

How did he know this? His wife, an OB/GYN from Nova Scotia managed to get a billing number before OHIP quit issuing them when he moved from Nova Scotia back to Ontario.

Find out if it is the same in your Province.

 

[Ponyboy]

So that would mean that all the kids who do their residency in ontario but didn't go to school in ontario would have to leave once they finished their residency. Rrrrright.

If this is the case, once again, ontario has proven to be the exception to the rule. Methinks that this may be the case for docs who wish to practice in urban areas but may not apply to those who are willing to go to smaller communities as I know of a few docs who are being recruited to work in small towns in ontario.