South African Psychiatrists in Canada

[DrCautious]

Hi all. I'll get it out of the way immediately. I'm a newbie, so be gentle. I'm a final year resident in Psychiatry in South Africa, having done all my training here through UCT. I'm considering moving over to Canada but am trying to figure out what it's like there, and what it's like GETTING there. Here's what I (think I) know so far:
-It depends which territory you're interested in (I'm interested in BC,AB,OT, and maybe..SK).
-Where-ever you go you'll need to do ALL YOUR UNDERGRAD AND POSTGRAD EXAMS AGAIN!
-You may end up driving a cab instead of seeing patients if you're desperate enough.

I'd like to know, are these points true? Is there any other way? Why do all Sefricans go to Saskachwan?? Also, if there's any specialist out there in the process of getting recognized/emmigrating/moving, I'd really love to be in contact!

Thanks in advance

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[redshifteffect]

Hi all. I'll get it out of the way immediately. I'm a newbie, so be gentle. I'm a final year resident in Psychiatry in South Africa, having done all my training here through UCT. I'm considering moving over to Canada but am trying to figure out what it's like there, and what it's like GETTING there. Here's what I (think I) know so far:
-It depends which territory you're interested in (I'm interested in BC,AB,OT, and maybe..SK).
-Where-ever you go you'll need to do ALL YOUR UNDERGRAD AND POSTGRAD EXAMS AGAIN!
-You may end up driving a cab instead of seeing patients if you're desperate enough.

I'd like to know, are these points true? Is there any other way? Why do all Sefricans go to Saskachwan?? Also, if there's any specialist out there in the process of getting recognized/emmigrating/moving, I'd really love to be in contact!

Thanks in advance

Okay as I contact the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada myself this information is accurate and uptodate as of last week:

1) Saskatchewan has a exemption created for psychiatrists in that if you work for the government you don't need to be a fellow of the Royal College.

http://www.quadrant.net/cpss/registration/register.html#p8

special licenses for psychiatrists to work for the Government of Saskatchewan, a district health board or the Regional Psychiatric Centre. Such licenses are offered to physicians who hold certification in psychiatry from a program accepted by Saskatchewan and for whom a special request is made by the Saskatchewan Minister of Health. Such licenses are only valid while the physician continues to work for the employer that hired them.


Having called a Newfoundland recruiting agency - You will find that it's also easy to get a job there. It will of course be a rural area (google cypress region) but you do not have to pass any exams to start working there.

2. To get a full unconditional license in Canada as a psychiatrist is actually a little bit easier then as a GP. What you will have to do is contact the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (yes there are separate provincial and national licensing bodies) and get your course accredited. I'm not sure if South Africa is on the list, but they have a list of countries that they have accredited, and if your country and discipline is on the list then you can apply for the accreditation process. You will need to send them a very detailed list of all your rotations. Make sure you compare this to the Canadian equivalent, which is also available on their website.

3. After this process which can take 18-24 months (and you need to be a fellow in SA to start the process) you will then be invited to sit for a fellowship exam in Canada. From what I've heard although slightly different, the fellowship exams in Canada are more similar to Aus/SA/UK then to the US. If you have issues go directly to the chief resident of a hospital and ask what sort of study you should be doing. If you don't pass the exams within 3 years, you can't become a fellow. I'm not sure if you can even apply for the process again!

4. You will be exempted from all the exams GPs have to do, including the MCCEE, QE1 and QE2. I'm not sure how the whole Non-citizen vs. citizen factor plays a role though.

 

[DrCautious]

Wow, what an answer! Thanks a bunch! I'm definitely gonna look into this... SA is on their so-called 'A-list' so it would appear I'm in luck. Sheesh. Thanks again dude. :-D

 

[DrCautious]

If you have issues go directly to the chief resident of a hospital and ask what sort of study you should be doing.

What do you mean by "study"? Do you mean if my course doesn't include the prerequisite rotations/length of rotations as stated in the royal colleges requirements, I can get these done in Canada?
If there are any others who have had to do something like this I'd appreciate hearing from you.

 

[redshifteffect]

What do you mean by "study"? Do you mean if my course doesn't include the prerequisite rotations/length of rotations as stated in the royal colleges requirements, I can get these done in Canada?
If there are any others who have had to do something like this I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Yes theoretically you could complete them in Canada - but I highly doubt you'd be able to get a spot, especially if you don't have a Permenant Residency/Citizenship. You'd be better off completing the required rotations in S. Africa.

As for Study - I mean what you will need to know for your fellowship exams. Although the curriculum will be similar there might be unique Canadian material on the exams that you likely wouldn't have come across - the best person to find out all this information from would be a Chief resident (Senior registrar) at a hospital.

You're not going to get a much more comprehensive answer then the one I gave above. The majority of people that frequent this forum aren't pursing psychiatry, and are in the US/Canada already. The US psychiatry program isn't easily recognized in Canada because they don't have the 1 year internal medicine requirement.

 

[DrCautious]

Ohh.IC. Well.. I think I've got a rotation in psychogeriatrics to look forward to, and loads of studying. Shucks. The other thing is that most public service posts require the MCQE anyways..Thanks for your help though.

 

[kumar28]

what is the average salary for a psychiatrist in Canada

 

[kumar28]

bump