How can a Canadian enter U.S. DO programs?

[cosmo_young]

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Before I start asking any questions, I want to thank everybody who offered advice on this site.
I have a few questions, I don't know if anybody can help me.

1. How does osteopathic medicine differ from chiropractice?

2. Out of the 19 accredited Osteopathic Medicine Colleges in U.S., which ones accept applicants from Canada?

3. DO is not accredited in Canada. What is the best method to gain contact with a few DOs. (Yes, I'm willing to travel if I have to!)

4. There are several MCAT prep courses out there, which one/s offer you the best guidance?

Please, please, somebody please help the desperate.

 

[Lennox]

Aside from looking at other section of this website, which clearly define osteopathic medicine, you can e-mail me and I'll help you with it.

[email protected]

-Dave

 

[cholecalciferol]

I am from Toronto and will be going to LECOM. Email me at my user name at hotmail if you have detailed questions

Mention DO and the StudentDoctor forum because I get lots of junk mail and delete most email

 

[Nav]

Actually, DO's are recognized in Canada. BC has 2 and Alberta has one. I do not believe that DO's have full practise rights in all provinces (Definitely not in Ontario).
I am from Alberta and will be attending AZCOM this August. I know of fellow Canadians in Nova and LECOM. They are the only other DO schools I had interviews with. Do not apply to TCOM, Touro, Ohio, West Virginia, New England or Michigan.
If you have any more questions then e-mail me.
As far as the MCAT goes, I would say the best way to study for it is to do as many practice exams you can. Review the stuff that gives you trouble.
Hope I've been of some help.

 

[cholecalciferol]

Originally posted by Nav:
Actually, DO's are recognized in Canada. BC has 2 and Alberta has one. I do not believe that DO's have full practise rights in all provinces (Definitely not in Ontario).

I have to correct this bit of mis-information concerning Ontario. You CAN get practice rights in Ontario as a D.O. However, you will treated as a foreign medical graduate and you will have to do the Equivalency Examination from the Canadian Medical Council and do the MCCQE step I & II (equivalent to the USMLE step I & II) and do a residency to get your license. The reason given for this treatment is that DO schools are not accredited by the LCGME (the folks who accredit both US & Canadian Med School) but rather the AOA. US & Canadian MD graduates only need to complete a residency to get their licence. This is difficult in itself since these residencies are hard to get even for MD graduate from another province

Check this web page for equivalent medical degrees required to write the Qualifying Examination & the MCCQE
http://www.library.utoronto.ca/medicine/oimg/imgadmitreq.htm http://www.mcc.ca/dips.html


[This message has been edited by cholecalciferol (edited 05-31-2000).]

 

[Nav]

I checked out those web sites, now I am totally confused. The DO I shadowed in Alberta did not have to write an exam. What if you did an MD residency in the US,do you still have to write the Canadian exam?
IMG's rarely get residency positions in Canada, I hope that we don't get treated the same way.

 

[cholecalciferol]

Nav:

The above links are relevant only for Ontario. They have greater barriers for IMG's than other provinces. That is what the qualifying examination & the residency requirement were designed to do - keep out foreign docs. It is not a joke. There are foreign docs driving taxis in Toronto.

This may change since the papers are now crying about the coming shortage of docs and the need to increase enrollment or opening up another school, especially in the rural areas.

I know that Newfoundland, Saskatchewan & Manitoba are havens for IMG since most MD grads don't seem to want to practice there. The requirement is less strict than Ontario The situation may be similar in Alberta & B.C. so there may be fewer barriers.

Since I am from Toronto, I have only dug up info relevant to Ontario



[This message has been edited by cholecalciferol (edited 06-01-2000).]