It is a fact that of all the IMG's that come to Canada, 90-95% will not obtain a residency. The few that do, do so, after either years and years of trying, or, because they know people in high places who 'pull strings' for them.
Just visit
www.carms.ca and see how few IMG's get a residency in Canadian match every year. There are currently 12,000 (twelve thousand) IMG's in Canada, actively seeking a residency position. In Ontario alone, there are currently over 4000 (four thousand) foreign doctors with no job and no residency.
Then you have all this talk about being able to get a residency in Canada 'outside the match'. Where? How? Don't just hear that and think that your set, you must have facts! The only ones that will be able to take advantage of this are those with some serious 'inside' connections. Their rumors, and hearsay are bogus, and we all know it. I definitely won't plan out my medical career based on the 'doors will open up' theory. Because quite frankly in Canada they never will, definitely not for graduates of foreign medical schools.
Across Canada there are thousands and thousands of desperate foreign trained doctors. Some of them are outright Canadian Citizens! Of those select few that actually complete all the requirements needed just to apply, only 10% will obtain a residency position (it has varied between 4% and 16% over the past 12 years). Also, those residency positions are the worst, left over ones, that NO Canadian medical graduate wanted.
Verification:
www.carms.ca/jsp/main.jsp?path=../content/statistics/report/re_2006#table33
Keep in mind that CaRMS only lists the number of IMG's in the 'match'. You can only enter a rank order list and be in the match if you receive at least one interview. There are hundreds of IMG's that apply but never get any interviews and thus are not in the match, but these IMG's are not included in the statistics! So the actual 'match rate' is even lower than 10% if you were to include ALL the applicants. Please read the CMA interpretation here:
www.CaribbeanMedicine.com/article18.pdf
In the Canadian Residency Match, 93% of all residency positions in Canada are filled by graduates of Canadian medical schools. The only residencies available to IMG's are those left over 2 year rural Family Practice spots, that NO Canadian medical graduate wanted. In Canada, Family Practice is only a 2 year program, in the United States it is a 3 year program. So in Canada you are getting basically 2/3 of the educational time you would compared to the U.S. Also, many of those left over FP spots in the second iteration are rural spots, so if you did get one, your opportunity to learn is very limited, because of the small patient population.
It amazes me that highly qualified foreign medical graduates, allow the Canadian medical system to degrade and humiliate them like this. IMGs, have some pride! Do not let CaRMS, MCC, OIMGP and other Canadian medical organizations rip you off of your hard earned dollars. Because in the end, in Canada, you will have lost a lot of years and money and will have nothing to show for it, except your used airplane ticket.
