Foreign doctors in Canada fail certification exams

Canada, 5th October: As per the recent studies, several foreign doctors are failing to clear certification exams in Canada.

Canada is facing an acute shortage of doctors forcing medical authorities to allow higher number of medical graduates trained in foreign-nations to work as doctors in Canada.

The recent two studies reveal that out of the total foreign physicians appearing for Canada certification exams, only half clear the screening to make it to the post-graduate training.

And reasons for such poor performance in Canada certification exams by foreign-trained medical graduates could be varied including the quality or the difference in the teaching approach adopted by the foreign medical schools.

Also, a large number of Canadian-born students, after failing to get admission in Canada schools, are getting admissions in medical schools overseas. And this is becoming a cause of great concern for them due to the comparatively low quality of overseas medical schools.

The findings of the two studies do not seem to suggest that Canada should disallow foreign-trained doctors into Canada; on the other hand, what they seem to suggest is that there is a need for doing more to enable foreign-trained doctors become competent medical professionals in Canada.

The lead author of the study on Quebec and the physician regulator of Quebec is Dr. Anne-Marie MacLellan from the Quebec College of Medicine.

Another study has been undertaken by Dr. Rod Andrew at St. Paul Hospital, Vancouver.

According to MacLellan, there can be a few obstacles in the way of any foreign medical graduate who intends to live and work in Canada as a physician.

Prior to the publishing of the two studies in Canadian Family Physician journal, the problem was not known widely although it has been known within the physician community, the doctors admit.

As per the current rules in Canada, medical graduates from medical schools in the US and Canada qualify automatically for a residency- i.e., an on-the-job training of two years duration to become a family physician and five years duration to work as a specialist in Canada.

However, others need to undergo a screening process including language testing and exams to ensure that their level of knowledge in the medical field is same as that of Canadian medical graduates.