RSPSC certification for IMGs post Canadian fellowship

[sineapse]

(Hoping

..

will see this..)

Was having a look at the Medicine Sub speciality Match on CaRMS yesterday and had a question about doing a fellowship for an IMG and the eligibility for RSPSC certification afterwards..

My story: Last year of med school in the UK, looking to apply for a US IM residency next year. Ultimately want to end up doing critical care. Canada has always been attractive, but has all the issues of R1 applications for IMGs. Of course, if I planned to apply I would need to first apply for PR status.

I noticed for some of the programs, UBC for example, states clearly that their fellowships do not lead to eligibility for RSPSC certification and practise as a specialist. Some others do not accept non-Canadian residency trained IMGs full stop. Some more still do not state any specific exclusions or restrictions on IMGs (Dalhousie and Manitoba for example)

I'm just seeking some clarification on this and any advice would be appreciated. For example, are these restrictions on RSPCS eligibility province specific? Or are they put in place by individual universities for funding/demand issues?

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[Giemsa]

(Hoping will see this..)

Was having a look at the Medicine Sub speciality Match on CaRMS yesterday and had a question about doing a fellowship for an IMG and the eligibility for RSPSC certification afterwards..

My story: Last year of med school in the UK, looking to apply for a US IM residency next year. Ultimately want to end up doing critical care. Canada has always been attractive, but has all the issues of R1 applications for IMGs. Of course, if I planned to apply I would need to first apply for PR status.

I noticed for some of the programs, UBC for example, states clearly that their fellowships do not lead to eligibility for RSPSC certification and practise as a specialist. Some others do not accept non-Canadian residency trained IMGs full stop. Some more still do not state any specific exclusions or restrictions on IMGs (Dalhousie and Manitoba for example)

I'm just seeking some clarification on this and any advice would be appreciated. For example, are these restrictions on RSPCS eligibility province specific? Or are they put in place by individual universities for funding/demand issues?

I'm afraid I won't be able to help much simply because I'm not in IM, and only have a vague understanding of how the R4 match works.

As far as the RCPSC eligibility goes, it is not (so far as I am aware) province-specific. If a specialty or subspecialty is recognized by the RCPSC, then completing the training AND having the required pre-requisites should permit one to sit the relevant exam. (It's the second part of the sentence that is the crux of this matter).

UBC's critical care website notes:
"Individuals with base training from other countries may apply; however, they should realize that both funding and positions are very limited. In addition, they must understand that satisfactorily completing training does not allow them to obtain certification through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Be advised: this is not a back door entry to practice in Canada."
http://www.ubccriticalcaremedicine.ca/adult/application.php

My understanding of this is to point out that this fellowship is only HALF of the training required. To sit the fall RCPSC exam in - say, Critical Care (or whatever) - one must have already completed the spring RCPSC exam in Internal Med (or, for Critical Care, another primary specialty). This will be true of any and all IM fellowships in Canada. You can't avoid doing the primary certification exam (in this case, in IM) by doing the fellowship.

This is why it is so important to have the Royal College assess your training for suitability prior to getting invested in this long and expensive affair. Having said that, Canada recognizes the postgraduate US training so that it should not be particularly difficult to get permission to sit the RCPSC IM exam.

It is very, very important to speak directly with the Royal College yourself. I am not an expert in certification, and certainly not in IM, and your situation is a little complicated (med school from the UK, postgrad in the US, fellowship in Canada). Things may be simpler than I suppose (e.g. there may be a way for you to get around actually writing the RCPSC exam in IM if you're passed your US IM boards) or maybe it's not. But you will definitely want to have a discussion with them about what you will need to do to become eligible to sit the RCPSC Critical Care exam.

One more little thing to remember: some provinces have return of service contracts for their IMG fellows. As a UK medical school graduate, you would likely be considered an IMG in most provinces, and may be subject to return of service contracts. Just a heads up!

PS - All of this assumes, of course, that you have achieved PR or citizen status, as the vast majority of post-grad training in Canada is typically restricted to citizens / PRs. (The term IMG in Canada refers to a Canadian who went abroad for training).

 

[sineapse]

I'm afraid I won't be able to help much simply because I'm not in IM, and only have a vague understanding of how the R4 match works.

As far as the RCPSC eligibility goes, it is not (so far as I am aware) province-specific. If a specialty or subspecialty is recognized by the RCPSC, then completing the training AND having the required pre-requisites should permit one to sit the relevant exam. (It's the second part of the sentence that is the crux of this matter).

UBC's critical care website notes:
"Individuals with base training from other countries may apply; however, they should realize that both funding and positions are very limited. In addition, they must understand that satisfactorily completing training does not allow them to obtain certification through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Be advised: this is not a back door entry to practice in Canada."
http://www.ubccriticalcaremedicine.ca/adult/application.php

My understanding of this is to point out that this fellowship is only HALF of the training required. To sit the fall RCPSC exam in - say, Critical Care (or whatever) - one must have already completed the spring RCPSC exam in Internal Med (or, for Critical Care, another primary specialty). This will be true of any and all IM fellowships in Canada. You can't avoid doing the primary certification exam (in this case, in IM) by doing the fellowship.

This is why it is so important to have the Royal College assess your training for suitability prior to getting invested in this long and expensive affair. Having said that, Canada recognizes the postgraduate US training so that it should not be particularly difficult to get permission to sit the RCPSC IM exam.

It is very, very important to speak directly with the Royal College yourself. I am not an expert in certification, and certainly not in IM, and your situation is a little complicated (med school from the UK, postgrad in the US, fellowship in Canada). Things may be simpler than I suppose (e.g. there may be a way for you to get around actually writing the RCPSC exam in IM if you're passed your US IM boards) or maybe it's not. But you will definitely want to have a discussion with them about what you will need to do to become eligible to sit the RCPSC Critical Care exam.

One more little thing to remember: some provinces have return of service contracts for their IMG fellows. As a UK medical school graduate, you would likely be considered an IMG in most provinces, and may be subject to return of service contracts. Just a heads up!

PS - All of this assumes, of course, that you have achieved PR or citizen status, as the vast majority of post-grad training in Canada is typically restricted to citizens / PRs. (The term IMG in Canada refers to a Canadian who went abroad for training).

Giemsa, thank you so much for your reply, very helpful indeed. Cleared up a lot of things for me. In fact, that was the exact quote from the UBC CC website that got me asking the question in the first place Will probably start speaking to the Royal College a bit nearer the time, probably when I'm in a residency and have a PR application in place.

I think it is perfectly fair and reasonable for some provinces to expect a ROS for IMGs, since they are publicly funded positions. No issues there 🙂

Thanks again.

 

[RMS68]

Hi, i am US trained in Internal medicine with fellowship. I going to take FRCP internal medicine exam, I will appreciate information on how to get notes and questions from old exams as well as how to get in touch with a study group for preparation.
Thanks in advance to any generous soul willing to help me 🙂