CALLING ONTARIO ELECTION CANDIDATES TO END ROADBLOCKS FACING CANADIANS WHO STUDY MEDICINE ABROAD AND WANT TO COME BACK AND PRACTICE IN CANADA
Nearly one quarter[1] of doctors practicing in Canada today received their medical degree abroad. Many of these were young Canadian students who chose to study medicine abroad in accredited universities and have met all required Canadian medical standards in order to practice in Canada.
The Society for Canadian Medical Students Abroad (SOCASMA) is calling on all Ontario Provincial election candidates to recognise and end the existing and increasing roadblocks to Canadians who study medicine abroad (CSAs) from competing fairly for residency training in Canada and returning home to practice. These Canadians also face further government-imposed barriers that prevent CSAs from even completing their residency in many specialities in the United States.
“We must work together to end the myth that we must choose between Canadians who studied medicine in Canada and Canadians who studied internationally – the data clearly shows that we need both to meet our healthcare needs now and in the future.” declares Rosemary Pawliuk, Executive Director, SOCASMA.
Pawliuk knows that “Canadians who study medicine internationally are among our best and brightest. They have earned their medical degree abroad at no cost to Canadian taxpayers, have passed required Canadian exams, and are ready to come home to practice and meet the needs of our aging population. Our governments must recognise the value of supporting these Canadians by removing roadblocks and helping them find a place in Canada’s healthcare system as today’s physicians get set to retire in alarming numbers.”
First Roadblock: Access to Residency in Canada
More than 3,000 Canadians study medicine abroad each year. They enter competitive medical schools and train to meet the same rigorous standards offered by our Canadian universities. Yet most will never come home to practice medicine in Canada. A major reason is that residency placements are not open to CSAs who are not allowed to compete equally for residency positions with graduates from Canadian medical schools. This is true despite the fact that they meet all qualification requirements set out by the Canadian Medical Council. These residency barriers create an unnecessary “brain drain” and undermine our future reliance on internationally trained Canadian doctors. This situation could get worse as the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada has proposed to further restrict access to residency positions for Canadian international medical graduates.
SOCASMA is asking all Ontario election candidates to commit to increasing the number of residency placements and to bring an end to roadblocks that prevent CSAs from fairly competing for available residency spots.
Second Roadblock: Access to specialized residency training in the United States
Given that residency placements are very limited in Canada, many CSAs successfully compete for residency spots in the United States. Surprisingly, the Governments of Ontario and Canada also block the ability of many CSAs to complete their medical residency outside of Canada by denying them the required “Statement of Need” for many specialties, thus blocking their ability to obtain their required Visa.
Our federal government justifies not issuing many Statements of Need on the basis that Ontario and other provinces claim they do not need many specialist positions. For example, provincial governments restrict access to internal medicine and related sub specialties including geriatrics, palliative care, pneumology, gastroenterology, cardiology, endocrinology (i.e. diabetes), etc. despite the fact these specialties are all in high demand by our aging population. CSAs’ careers are jeopardized both inside and outside of Canada because of this policy.
SOCASMA is asking all Ontario election candidates to commit to stop putting roadblocks to CSAs who have the opportunity to complete their medical residency in the United States.
Contact: (English interview): Rosemary Pawliuk, Executive Director, 604-541-4747
(French interview): Carole Lafrenière 705-753-1662
E-Mail: socasma.working@gmail.com
BACKGROUNDER:
Who is SOCASMA?
The Society for Canadian Medical Students Abroad (SOCASMA) is a not for profit organization established to represent approximately 3,000 Canadians who chose to study medicine abroad each year, at their own cost, at accredited medical schools. SOCASMA is similar to the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, except that it is the only group representing Canadian students who study medicine abroad.
Who are these Canadians who study medicine abroad?
Canadians who study medicine abroad (CSAs) are among our best and brightest. These young Canadians choose to enter competitive medical schools abroad for a number of reasons including family and relationships in the country where they study, a taste for adventure, and their determination to become physicians. They are Canadian citizens who have graduated from accredited international medical schools and universities. To apply for residency in Canada they must have met Canadian standards and show they are qualified by successfully passing all Canadian Medical Council exams. CSAs represent a real solution to this country’s need for the recruitment of physicians. In 2018 Canadian IMGs represented almost 25% of all medical doctors practicing in Canada and we need continued access to this highly qualified pool of doctors to continue to meet the future healthcare needs of Canadians.
Quick Facts:
- 20%, or ~500 each year, of all doctors completing medical residency in Canada over the last decade are Canadians or Permanent Residents who received their medical degree abroad. Canada has and continues to rely on this qualified pool of internationally trained Canadian doctors to meet our healthcare needs. source Canadian Post MD Education Registry. https://caper.ca/~assets/documents/2016-17_CAPER_Census_en.pdf
- 25% of all doctors in Canada received their medical degree abroad source Canadian Medical Association https://www.cma.ca/En/Pages/canadian-physician-statistics.aspx
- 40% of physicians in Canada are age 55+, and 16% are already over 65 years, yet only 9% of physicians are under age 35 to replace retiring doctors over the next decade. source Canadian Medical Association https://www.cma.ca/Assets/assets-library/document/en/advocacy/03-spec-age.pdf
Information: Rosemary Pawliuk, Executive Director, 604-541-4747
E-Mail: socasma.working@gmail.com
[1] https://www.cma.ca/Assets/assets-library/document/en/advocacy/09-grad-country.pdf
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