Hi friends
In today's video, I will be explaining about the process of getting a medical license in Canada for internationally medical graduates
I have been getting a lot of queries about this process since I mentioned my education in my intro vlog
So, I am going to explain the process in detail
I did my MBBS in Trichy Government Medical college and moved to Canada
Getting a medical license in Canada is a long and competitive process
International Medical Graduates are referred as IMGs
There are two important steps to get a license as an IMG
Firstly, you have to complete the Medical Council of Canada's exams and get LMCC certified
Then we have to complete a residency program
Post graduation in India is known as Residency in Canada
All IMGs have to get through this process irrespective of their specialty and clinical experience but there are some exceptions for countries like US and UK
As an IMG,, we can apply to residency via two pathways
One way is to apply through CaRMS, Canadian Resident Matching Service
and the other way is through PRA, Practice Ready Assessment programs offered by provinces separately
I am applying through CaRMS and this video might be long since I am going to explain every step of this process
First, we have to confirm if the college which issued your medical degree is recognized by Canada
You can check the list on World Directory of Medical Schools
I will be adding all the links I mention in the description below for your reference
Next, we have to create an account on Physicians Apply
There is an one time fee of $298 to create an account
This portal will be used to get our documents verified, apply for exams and share to organizations
There is separate fee for each document verification. Please do go and check the website for specific details
Once we get all the documents verified, it's saved in the portal forever which can be used for both Canadian and US process
Then it's the exams and the first one is MCC Qualifying part I
This exam has centers worldwide and hence you can complete all the above steps before coming to Canada
Exam fees keeps changing and so please check www.mcc.ca for exam details like dates, centers as well
Current fee is $1305
Next exam is NAC OSCE. IT can be done in Canada only as it is a clinical exam with simulated patients and multiple stations
Current fee for this exam is $2885
We can apply to residency vis CaRMS once we complete these exams
Third exam is MCC Qualifying Exam Part II
This exam is optional and not necessary to apply residency. You can complete this during residency and get LMCC
But I have completed this exam
Having one year of post graduate training is an eligibility criteria for this exam
Not a lot of other country graduates fulfill this criteria as they directly go into residency
But being an Indian graduate, having internship is an advantage since it is equivalent to PGY-1
Even if we get our LMCC certificate after completing all these exams, we won't be able to practice just with that
After we complete the exams, we have to create an account in CaRMS and get ready for the match cycle
Canadian process is completely different from Indian PG process
In India, we have a common entrance exam following which we are ranked and placed through counselling
In Canada, Universities allot specific number of seats for each program which will be posted on CaRMS
Then we have to choose the programs we like and apply with applications individually
Once our application is reviewed, we will be called for an interview by the program and if we do well then we get matched
Just the exam scores are not enough to apply for the programs and we will be needing more additional documents
First, it's the legal status
We either have to be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident
Next, it's the language requirement
Either we need IELTS score of minimum 7 in each part
or we need TOEFL passing score of 93 and minimum 24 in speaking part
Language tests are not required if you have done primary or secondary or post secondary schooling in Canada or US
Next we need three college documents, Medical degree, Transcript and MSPR
We have to get all these documents verified prior through physicians apply
I have already spoke about degree but the transcript and MSPR are new documents which are not regularly issued by our colleges in India
So we will have to get these documents formatted, filled and signed(by Dean)
If you can, try to get these done before coming to Canada
cause it's difficult to reach our Dean via email or phone like we do here and so it's better to go and meet in person
Transcript is a document which has all our exam scores throughout the course combined together
MSPR is similar to a conduct certificate
which mentions about our behavior and posting attendance
You could use some guidance from students or seniors who have done USMLE in our college for these
Next, reference letters
We will be asked to provide reference letters from our professors or work supervisors
to comment on our professionalism, academic performance and clinical skills
Our referees can be from India
or if you could use some Canadian referees from work or observerships
Personal letters are required mentioning why we choose the specific program, specialty and area with word restrictions
Lastly, it's the CV. That's the first thing for a job but I am mentioning it at last
We have to submit a properly framed CV indicating our education and experiences
All these documents are mostly for Ontario medical schools
If you are applying to other provinces like BC and Alberta, then you will have additional province specific assessments to be done
If you refer to the program descriptions, some programs ask for a behavioral test called CASper
Finally, once all these are done and we get matched, we will have to sign a Return of Service contract from 2-5 yrs depending on the province
These is similar to rural service bind in India when we study in Government colleges
Application process takes place once a year, usually from Sept to March
We can check the timelines on CaRMS and get prepared accordingly
Match results will be available in March once we apply and get selected in the interview with good performance
I am not sure how candidates are selected for the interviews as they consider many factors
for example a candidate is selected with overall application which includes year of graduation, recent clinical experience, exam scores, research background, etc
No. of seats are allotted every year for each program
Around 3400 residency spots were there last year throughout Canada which includes Canadian Medical Graduates seats
There are different quotas and IMGs were given around 350 spots
Most of the seats are for Family Medicine, followed by Internal medicine and Psychiatry
IMGs don't have much spots in specialties like surgery, dermatology or radiology
You would be able to figure out the IMG and seats ratio when I mentioned about the numbers
Canada's publicly funded health care system is the main reason for that
for example if we consult a doctor, we don't have to spend a single penny from our pocket
All doctors here are paid by the Government. There are no private sectors
Number of seats are decided depending upon the demand in Country along with the budget
The other pathway is PRA and each province has their own eligibility criteria
I have never researched about these much since their minimum requirement is one year of independent practice
I have not applied to these programs since I don't have practice experience as I moved to Canada immediately after my graduation
These programs require you to finish all MCC exams including Qualifying Part II
Part from these exams, each province has their own assessments to be done
Application process is similar to CaRMS
and once you get selected you will have to go through a training under supervision for 6 months to one year following which you will get your license
Government has developed these programs to help the underserved population
so you should be ready to move out of Ontario either to places like Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Alberta
and you can get only into family medicine and not any other specialties
Another FAQ is that if you can study MBBS here in Canada after +2 in India
MBBS in India are MD 4 year programs Canada
In India, you can directly go to medical colleges in India after higher secondary but you can't do that here
In Canada, you need to complete a bachelor degree in any field before you can apply to medical schools
Additionally, MCAT and GPA scores are taken into consideration
You have to apply to medical schools and the process is similar to residency
Since I don't have much knowledge about this process, I would recommend you to refer to the University websites and contact them directly for queries as they are usually responsive
We can't practice as a GP after MD as we do in India
As Canada doesn't have internship programs like we do, all graduates have to go through CaRMS and do a residency
You will need to complete a family medicine residency to practice as a GP
Many asked me if they can directly be hired as a doctor in Canada or work as a Junior Resident like in the UK
but unfortunately, we can't unless we go through the process I mentioned
Rarely few specialties which are not needed much in the community are hired directly from other countries instead of creating training spots for them. But mostly they are from US and Europe. Never have I seen any hiring from India
What jobs could you work while you going through the process, before getting your license was another common question
If you would like to work in health care, then there are admin roles and office assistant jobs available
For example, I have worked as Medical Office assistant, Program coordinator and transcriptionist
But most of these jobs will pay you basic wages for eg. I was payed $11 - $20/hr
If you are working full time in health care, then you would be able to make around $3000/month
Coming here as an IMG and going through all these process is both physically and mentally challenging
If you are planning on migrating to Canada, please think about the main reason you are moving for
In case if you are looking to get settled professionally quicker, then countries like US and UK are comparatively easier since they have private sectors and more residency spots
But if you like Canada as a country to live and are flexible with your profession then Canada is definitely a great country
Because I have personally met with IMGs who move here and they will be the family's bread winner
ending up in jobs like uber drivers and restaurant employees studying simultaneously
Many have succeeded but there are people who ended up giving their profession and going into alternative careers like ultrasound technicians and hospital admins
I am sharing all these just to let you know the real picture here
because when I came here I had no one to guide me since I had no contacts prior coming here
So I had the impression that I will get a residency if I complete the exams following which I finished all exams in two year with decent scores
But until now I am still trying to get into a residency
It might sound a lot all together
but there is a government funded organization here called Health Force Ontario
HFO helps us to understand this process and guide us with webinars which you could attend from India too
Even after you come here, try to network with other IMGs which will be useful overall
Though I didn't have anyone when I came here, I met a lot of friends who helped me with my jobs and applications, hence it's nice to have a support group
I guess I have given you an overview of this process
After you think well, if you decide to move to Canada, please do come and work on your goals with positive hopes
The process is pretty similar to other health care professionals too though I am not aware of those processes
Please do comment if you have any questions about this video and I will definitely make another video if necessary to address those
Please do like this video if you think it's informative and share with your friends who are going through similar process
and please do not forget to subscribe to the channel. Bye