Selection of international medical graduates into postgraduate training positions in Canada. Who applies? Who is selected?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.76441Abstract
Background: International medical graduates (IMGs) are an essential part of the Canadian physician workforce. Considering current pressures on the health care system, an update regarding application numbers and match rates for IMGs to postgraduate positions in Canada is needed.
Methods: We conducted a quantitative cross-sectional study to explore the characteristics of IMGs who are currently applying to the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) positions to gain a broad understanding of the composition of this group and the factors associated with successful matching.
Results: Out of 1,725 applicants in 2019, 14.1% matched on the first attempt and 6.4% after two to three attempts. Only 22.7% matched with a position (57.6% women). Applicants submitted an average 19.6 site/program applications. The percentage of IMGs matched did not statistically differ by gender. The relationship between the year of graduation or geographic area of medical school qualified and matching was significant for the first and second iterations, with current-year graduates and Oceania/Pacific Islands applicants more likely to match.
Conclusions: This study provided us with accurate numbers and information about the Canadians studying abroad and IMG groups applying, and factors associated with being matched to the IMG positions through CaRMS, which will be instrumental in informing future selection implications for Canada.
References
CAPER. Canadian National IMG Database Report 2019, 2019. https://caper.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/img/2019_CAPER_National_IMG_Database_Report_en.pdf [Accessed on 02 Feb 2022].
Huijskens EG, Hooshiaran A, Scherpbier A, et al. Barriers and facilitating factors in the professional careers of international medical graduates. Med Ed 2010;44(8):795-804. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03706.x
Barer ML, Evans RG, Hedden L. False hope for Canadians who study medicine abroad. CMAJ. 2014;186(7):552-52. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.131704
Walsh A, Banner S, Schabort I, et al. International medical graduates-current issues. Members of the Future of Medical Education in Canada Postgraduate (FMEC PG) Project consortium 2011. Copyright © 2011 by The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada; The College of Family Physicians of Canada; Le Collège des médecins du Québec; and, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. All Rights Reserved. Published by: members of the FMEC PG consortium.
CaRMS. Canadian medical graduate cohort data. 2010a. Available at: https://www.carms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/summary-of-match-results_en_2010.pdf [Accessed on 22 Feb 2024].
CaRMS. Canadian students studying medicine abroad. 2010b. Available at: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/carms-publishes-detailed-report-on-canadians-studying-medicine-abroad-546073382.html [Accessed on 21 Jan 2022].
Campbell–Page RM, Tepper J, Klei A, et al. Foreign–trained medical professionals: Wanted or not? A case study of Canada. J Glob Health 2013;3(2) https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.03.020304
Thomson G, Cohl K. IMG selection: independent review of access to postgraduate programs by international medical graduates in Ontario: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. 2011. Available at: https://cou.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/COU-Independent-Review-of-IMG-Selection-Volume-I.pdf [Accessed on 22 Feb 2024].
Szafran O, Crutcher RA, Banner SR, et al. Canadian and immigrant international medical graduates. Can Fam Phys. 2005;51(9):1242-43. Available at: www.cfp.ca/cgi/reprint/51/9/1242 [Accessed on 02 Feb 2022].
Schabort I, Mercuri M, Grierson LE. Predicting international medical graduate success on college certification examinations: Responding to the Thomson and Cohl judicial report on IMG selection. Can Fam Phys. 2014;60(10):e478-e84. https://www.cfp.ca/content/60/10/e478 [Accessed on 02 Feb 2022].
Grierson LE, Mercuri M, Brailovsky C, et al. Admission factors associated with international medical graduate certification success: a collaborative retrospective review of postgraduate medical education programs in Ontario. Can Med Assoc Open Access J. 2017;5(4):E785-E90. doi: https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20170073
Schabort I. Female International Medical Graduates in Canada. In E.Waugh, S.Ross, S.Schipper (Ed), Female Doctors in Canada: Experience and Culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press 2019:134-177. https://utorontopress.com/9781487523220/female-doctors-in-canada/ [Accessed on 02 Feb 2022].
Patel S, Murugesan A, Awan OA. Barriers to diversity in medical education and ways to address them. Acad Radiol. 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2022.07.017
Pitre T, Thomas A, Evans K, et al. The influence of income on medical school admissions in Canada: a retrospective cohort study. BMC med educ 2020;20(1):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02126-0
Mickleborough TO, Martimianakis MAT. (Re) producing “whiteness” in health care: a spatial analysis of the critical literature on the integration of internationally educated health care professionals in the Canadian Workforce. Acad Med. 2021;96(11S):S31-S38. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000004262
Woods A. Tragic case of Robert Chu shows plight of Canadian medical school grads. Toronto Star 2017. Available at: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/06/17/tragic-case-of-robert-chu-shows-plight-of-canadian-medical-school-grads.html [Accessed on 02 Feb 2022].
Pickel, L., Sivachandran, N. Gender trends in Canadian medicine and surgery: the past 30 years. BMC Med Educ. 2024; 24, 100.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05071-4
Quiñonez RL, DeLight N, Petronic-Rosic V. The impact of international medical graduates in dermatology. Clin dermatol 2021;39(6):1032-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2021.07.004
Ewen C, McGuire-Brown M, Walters J, et al. Expanding pathways to licensure for internationally trained physicians in Ontario: how to get there and why it matters. Toronto: World Education Services, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2021.09.043
Morris-Wiseman LF, Cañez C, Arenas MAR, et al. Race, gender, and international medical graduates: leadership trends in academic surgical societies. J Surgic Res. 2022;270:430-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2021.09.043
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Inge Schabort, Pascal WM Van Gerven
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Submission of an original manuscript to the Canadian Medical Education Journal will be taken to mean that it represents original work not previously published, that it is not being considered elsewhere for publication. If accepted for publication, it will be published online and it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, for commercial purposes, in any language, without the consent of the publisher.
Authors who publish in the Canadian Medical Education Journal agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 Canada Licence. This licence allows anyone to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given. For details of the rights an author grants users of their work, please see the licence summary and the full licence.
