Canadian Board Certification

[greenpink]

Hello,
I'm a Canadian citizen/US perm. resident, and am currently a first year student at a US med school.
I was wondering if anyone has any information about getting board certified in both countries -- as I'd like to be able to practice in both, if possible.
Thanks!
Greenpink.

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[Badkarma25]

if you want to be certified to practice in both countries i think the smartest thing for you to do would be to get a residency in canada if you can (shouldn't be too hard coming from a u.s. school with your canadian citizenship) and then after that you are golden in the u.s. (let's face it, canada is the most difficult place in the freakin' world to get into medicine or get licensed in)...once you've established yourself in canada, you've got the golden pass and can then write all the relevant u.s. exams and voila!

 

[pitman]

Does Canada have some special agreement with the US to avoid Canadians from having to do res. in the US for US licensure?

-pitman

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by pitman
Does Canada have some special agreement with the US to avoid Canadians from having to do res. in the US for US licensure?

-pitman

Yeah they do. If you're a US student (who is a Canadian Citizen) then you are allowed to get into the first round of CaRMS...whereas if you're an IMG in Canada you can only apply to the second round...after which there is nothing left (expect fp)

The thing to keep in mind is that Canada is getting more competitive..even for Canadians. I saw an article in the T.Star saying that they have increased the enrollment (for Canadian medical schools) but they haven't increased the number of residency spots...so it's getting tough even for Canadian students to get the match they want...and remember as an American student you will be a little less competitive than Canadian students.

 

[pitman]

No I meant for a Canadian licensed doc to practice in the US -- Badkarma25 was saying that after getting a Canadian license, you'd be "golden" for US practice.

-pitman

 

[russellb]

I think that people who graduate from most US residencies can write the Canadian exams. There may be some residencies for which this doesn't apply (e.g. Canadian Neurosurg and Anaesthesia grads weren't eligible write the US exams when I was in med schools-----I don't know if that has changed). In my area (Radiology), grads from US residencies can write the Canadian exam.
As a side note, most people find the Canadian exams to be more difficult than the US exams.

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by russellb
I think that people who graduate from most US residencies can write the Canadian exams. There may be some residencies for which this doesn't apply (e.g. Canadian Neurosurg and Anaesthesia grads weren't eligible write the US exams when I was in med schools-----I don't know if that has changed). In my area (Radiology), grads from US residencies can write the Canadian exam.
As a side note, most people find the Canadian exams to be more difficult than the US exams.

I think the situation has changed. From what I have heard a lot of residencies in Canada are longer than US ones. To be able to write any Canadian exams you must be able to make your US residency the same length as a Canadian one....otherwise you will be unable to write the exams.

Pitman,

The US will only accept a Canadian without writing the USMLE/doing residency in the US (and not all states will do this as well) IF they have graduated from a Canadian uni/ US uni and done their residency in Canada. However if you are an IMG then of course you will require the USMLE etc.

 

[pitman]

So Canadians graduated from Canadian schools/residency have the better deal for practicing here than US grads for practicing in Canada -- the latter requiring at least a beoch of an exam, and maybe more res training?

-pitman

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by pitman
So Canadians graduated from Canadian schools/residency have the better deal for practicing here than US grads for practicing in Canada -- the latter requiring at least a beoch of an exam, and maybe more res training?

-pitman

seems like it ...but some provinces may be different...and some states are different as well.

 

[Surfer75]

If you've got permanent resident status in Canada, you can apply Round 1 CaRMS. And, in terms of doing residency in Canada then going back to the US to practice... there are only certain specialties recognized in terms of equal reciprocity... it was published by McGill in 1999, but the most definite way to find out is to contact the American Board of XYZ to be sure.

JT

 

[Doc Ivy]

If you're a US student (who is a Canadian Citizen) then you are allowed to get into the first round of CaRMS...

Is this true? because I keep hearing different things (I am a Canadian Citizen). Also, can I apply to CaRMS and to ERAS? I would like to maximize my residency training options to include both Canada and the US...and I wouldn't want to just apply to CaRMS, just so that I can maybe practice in Canada one day.

~Doc

 

[moo]

Yes this is true. As a Canadian from a US school you can match back into the first round of CaRMs at MOST programs. You can apply to both American and Canadian matches but the Canadian match takes place earlier so essentially you are ranking all Canadian programs above US programs (except for this year where the American match was before the Canadian one--due to SARS. I don't believe this will be the case in the future).

 

[Surfer75]

Yep, I think it's just this year that the US match is prior to CaRMS... man, I'm glad it wasn't that way for me last year because there was only 1 program I ranked in CaRMS and was willing to forego my US options for. LoL.

S

 

[Doc Ivy]

Thanks Moo... does anyone know, if you match earlier in Canada, then is that it for the US? Are the two match systems totally independent or do they talk to eachother?

Oh one more question, Moo, are you going to take the MCCQE and USMLE exams? Or can you apply to CaRMS with just a USMLE score?

thanks

~doc

 

[Doc Ivy]

Hey Surfer...
where did you go to school? to match to UBC, you must have done something right...

~doc

 

[Surfer75]

I'm from Southern Cal, went to MUN and now am at UBC as of last July. My girlfriend's here and this was the only place I was intending to rank above the SoCAL programs I interviewed at so it worked out well. The two matches are independent, but I wouldn't doubt there is communication between the two.

 

[Doc Ivy]

Muchas Gracias for your response, nice to see an American who can appreciate life north of the border...I'd give my right arm to train in SoCal after medschool, but the family is holding out hope that eventually I'll come home...I'm torn--- I love Canada, but dollar for dollar the States might be slightly more lucrative...

Later

~doc

 

[moo]

The two matches are independent but linked. That is, you apply to both separately, and produce your rank lists separately. however, they are linked in that if you match to a Canadian program you will automatically be withdrawn from the American match.

And yeah I'll take step I this year and depending on if I match back to Canada I'll take the Canadian boards just before I graduate. If not, I'll probably end up in Seattle or something.

And surfer, how did you manage to match to UBC? Do you have Canadian PR?

 

[Surfer75]

Yep, I got my PR in when I was MS3. And yep, you apply to both matches and as moo noted, if you match in CaRMS (presuming it concludes earlier than NRMP) then you will almost instantaneously get an email from NRMP stating that you've been withdrawn from the US match.

S