CanAm Quarterly -- April2023
CanAm Physician Recruiting Inc.
Canada's leading physician recruitment firm for more than 25 years
This edition of the CanAm newsletter features a collection of announcements over the past few months about removing barriers for internationally education physicians to be licensed in Canada. Has there really been a significant change? Are things progressing fast enough? Share your success stories.
CPSO Removes Barriers for Internationally Educated Physicians
April 4, 2023 -- The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) is pleased to share another significant step it has taken to address the physician shortage in Ontario. This morning, CPSO’s Executive Committee of Council approved amendments to our registration policies that will remove barriers making it easier for physicians trained outside of Canada to practice in Ontario.
CPSO Council removed supervision and assessment requirements for physicians who are trained and Board Certified in the U.S., allowing them to begin independent practise in Ontario immediately. The changes were possible due to the similarities in training programs between the U.S. and Canada, and the historical experience with existing assessment process. CPSO is also introducing a new pathway for U.S. physicians who completed their residency training within the last five years and are eligible for their board examinations. Physicians in these circumstances can come to Ontario and practise under supervision while they complete their U.S. Board Exams.
“We have been working diligently since the start of the pandemic to identify opportunities and leverage every mechanism available to us within the constructs of the current legislation,” said CEO and Registrar Dr. Nancy Whitmore. “We will continue to find innovative ways to reduce barriers to practice while ensuring all Ontario physicians are providing high quality care.”
CPSO also approved changes to make it easier for family physicians from Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States to practice in Ontario. The changes remove supervision and assessment requirements for physicians who obtain certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) without further examination allowing these physicians to immediately start independent practice.
These changes are the result of CPSO’s continued efforts to streamline its registration policies in order to improve access for qualified, internationally-educated physicians who can immediately begin providing quality care to patients in Ontario.
READ MORE:?https://www.cpso.on.ca/News/News-Articles/CPSO-Removes-Barriers-for-Internationally-Educated
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Regulatory changes to "eliminate barriers" in bringing international doctors to Manitoba
March 10, 2023 -- Newly approved regulatory amendments will help internationally trained doctors work in the Manitoba health-care system sooner, the province announced Friday.
According to a news release, changes to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba’s regulations remove the requirement for internationally educated physicians in specific membership classes to pass their Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 (MCCQE1) before registering and practising in Manitoba.
Health Minister Audrey Gordon said the changes will streamline the path to help international physicians provide care sooner in the province.
“We are leaving no stone unturned to strengthen our health system for Manitobans,” she said in the news release.
According to the province, internationally educated physicians who apply for provisional registration in Manitoba already have medical degrees and have completed residency programs with certifying exams. They say the MCCQE1 only assesses medical knowledge and the clinical decision-making ability of candidates at a level expected of a medical student.
“This change allows us to recruit more physicians to Manitoba while maintaining high competency levels. The exam was holding back many qualified, internationally trained physicians from coming to the province,” said college registrar Dr. Anna Ziomek.
“From a regulatory standpoint, we must take all steps possible to eliminate barriers to assessment without compromising quality and patient safety.”
Gordon said existing processes and policies will continue to support patient safety and care, including competence assessments and practice supervision requirements.
SOURCE:?Winnipeg CTV News?
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College Announces More Physicians?Now Eligible for Licensure
March 6, 2023 -- American Board-certified physicians are?now eligible ?for Full Licensure in Nova Scotia, without the requirement for Royal College certification. Nova Scotia is the first province to do so.
The College will also accept enrolment in the relevant continuing professional development (CPD) program in the United States in lieu of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program with the Royal College or the Mainpro+ program with the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
“These are challenging times for Nova Scotians seeking access to care in the face of physician shortages.?We are making every effort to open the door wider to welcome physicians seeking licensure who are competent to deliver safe care to Nova Scotians”, said Dr. Gus Grant, CEO & Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.?
Full Licensure will also be available to international subspecialists without Royal College certification.?This is particularly relevant for physicians in the subspecialities of internal medicine, coming from jurisdictions where their post-graduate training was exclusively in the sub-specialty. The details of this approach are found in the College’s new policy?Subspecialist Examination Affiliate Program (SEAP) Designates: Requirements for Full Licensure .
All physicians holding a Full licence are expected to practise to the scope of their specialty or subspecialty for which they have the knowledge, skills, training and recent practice experience. It will be incumbent on hospitals and health authorities to ensure physician privileging aligns with training and experience.
The College’s Registration Policy Committee, composed of physicians and public representatives, is committed to exploring all routes to license safe and competent physicians.?The College’s Strategic Plan identifies Access to Care as a top priority.
https://cpsns.ns.ca/college-announces-more-physicians-now-eligible-for-licensure/
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Doctors in Atlantic Canada will soon be able to work in any of the 4 provinces
February 20, 2023 -- Atlantic Physician Register expected to launch May 1. Doctors living and working within the four Atlantic provinces will soon be able to work within the region without additional licensing — thanks to a new Atlantic Physicians Register.
The registry was announced Monday?following a meeting of the four Atlantic premiers. The registry is expected to be in place by May 1.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King said the registry has been in the works for "the last number of months." He said physicians and surgeons will be able to opt in to the registry. By doing so, they will be able to work in any of the Atlantic provinces without additional licensing requirements.
"Right now, for example, when I fill out my college paperwork, I just get a licence for Newfoundland and Labrador, so for me to come and work in P.E.I. or New Brunswick or Nova Scotia is quite onerous," said N.L. Premier Andrew Furey, who is also an orthopaedic trauma surgeon.
"People who would like to move around in the summertime, for example, P.E.I.'s a beautiful place and want to spend a couple of week with their family, they can certainly do that."
He said it will also allow the provinces to fill "certain gaps in the system" with a bigger pool of candidates.
"We think that, especially with new physicians, there is a want and desire to have a different style of practice?— one that offers opportunity, geographic opportunities, different experiences — that having this mobility and eliminating the barriers to moving around Atlantic Canada first and ultimately, we hope, the nation will be something that's very attractive."
'Not a competitive space'
The premiers say?the initiative isn't aimed at taking medical resources from each other.
"What we're talking about is temporary pitching in,"?said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, pointing out that if a doctor wants to relocate to a different province permanently, they already can.
They can also travel as locums, but that requires what Furey referred to as about a month of paperwork.
"I don't see this as a competitive space, I see this as a collaborative space and when one wins, we all win," said Furey.
King, however, did hint at this possibly being a recruitment tool.
"We do know, as Prince Edward Island for example,?the 40 doctors that we recruited in 2021 … over 50 per cent of them were locums who came here first through one of these agreements, came here, did some work here, found a comfort level here and opted to come back."
Not a magic bullet
The premiers said the registry wouldn't fix the physician shortage currently facing the health-care system.
"It?gives us more Band-Aids, if you will, to help plug some immediate issues along the way, while we are developing a moderate and modern system for the future," said Furey.
"Nothing that we do in health is a magic bullet that will just miraculously fix everything, but I think this is one more small little thing that keeps us moving forward and will make a difference, not just today but into the future," said King.
King said he hopes to eventually see a similar system extend to other heath-care professionals.
CBC News -- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/atlantic-physician-registry-pei-premiers-meeting-1.6754317
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Royal College announces changes to streamline certification process for internationally trained physicians
January 23, 2023 -- To?help alleviate the health human resources crisis in Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is working to streamline the process for internationally trained specialists to be certified in Canada through several alternate pathways (the standard pathway being medical school and residency done in accredited programs in Canada).
“We’re trying to create the opportunity for anybody, regardless of where they were trained, to be able to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to do the work in practice, observed by experts,” says?Glen Bandiera, MD, FRCPC, executive director of Standards and Assessment at the Royal College.
The Practice Eligibility Route (PER) is for internationally trained specialists who have started practice and it allows them to apply for an assessment for Royal College exam eligibility and, ultimately, certification. This path is designed for recognized primary specialties only.
The Royal College has simplified the process for candidates, including allowing them to take our written exam before moving to Canada. We’ve also changed the requirements for the five years of practice that’s required. Candidates can apply after two years of practice in their home jurisdiction.
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“The scope of practice review step added anywhere from six to 12 months to an application,” explains Dr. Bandiera. “Now that we’ve removed that step, we expect it’ll generate an increase in applications over the next year.”
In 2022, there were 250 applicants for the alternate pathways.
“I think five years from now, internationally trained physicians would be getting into the system within one or two years, regardless of their medical specialty, as opposed to five to seven years,” says Dr. Bandiera.
Here’s what we’re doing now?
Here’s what we plan to do in the near future
For the evolving PER, the Royal College will be reducing the five years of practice requirement to the minimum time required to determine competence – between 12 weeks and two years. Candidates would then be required to successfully complete the relevant specialty examination to be certified by the Royal College.
The Royal College looks forward to continuing to share updates on the evolution of certification pathways as changes are being phased in.
| Author:?Royal College StaffLink to article:?https://newsroom.royalcollege.ca/royal-college-announces-changes-to-streamline-certification-process-for-internationally-trained-physicians/ ---
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Alberta now offering accelerated licensing for internationally trained doctors, specialists
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January 18, 2023? -- Some international medical graduates can now fast-track their licensing in Alberta.
The?College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) announced a five-year pilot project Monday ?to bring more doctors to the province faster, amid an ongoing shortage and strained emergency departments.
The CPSA released a 10-page document that outlines the jurisdictions, fields, institutions?and years studied which make international medical graduates (IMGs) eligible to opt for a three-month process to become licensed in the province.?
The goal of the pilot is to evaluate whether eligible IMGs may begin independently practising in their identified communities faster, the college said in a news release.?
"Physicians are a worldwide resource in demand. While we've put our best foot forward, we realize we can't single-handedly solve the concern with physician staffing in this province just with this program," said Michael Caffaro, the CPSA's assistant registrar.
"We know that there have been several handfuls of physicians who have been holding back on their applications until now."
In 2022 alone, the province began assessing more than 100 international medical graduates,?according to the CPSA.?
The pilot will waive?certain requirements, such as clinical review exams, and the first three-month assessment for IMGs who have comparable training to that obtained in Canadian universities.
Those who qualify will then go directly to their identified communities and begin practising independently while completing their supervised practice assessment.
Approved jurisdictions for internationally trained family doctors and general practitioners include Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom and the U.S.
For specialists, the list of countries is broader and includes Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa.?
Deidre Lake, executive director for the Alberta International Medical Graduates Association, said the pilot is a good way to bring in more specialists to areas that need them.
"Seventy per cent?of positions who are practising in rural areas are internationally trained positions," Lake said.
Lake noted that?Alberta is one of the only provinces to assess internationally trained specialists, so the change could make the province more competitive.
Marianne Mann, who got her medical training in the Philippines,?said the change is not all that helpful.
Although she had been a licensed physician in the Philippines since 2010 with her own dermatology practice, she said that since she moved to Canada?two years ago, getting licensed has been costly and lengthy.
"It's the price I pay because I want to move here. So either I have to start from the bottom or try to take a different path."
She said it would be a great thing if Canada gave her and others opportunities to continue in their?original professions.
The dermatologist said she moved to Canada after rolling lockdowns in the Philippines began severely impacting her business. Now, she works as an esthetician.
"The doctor inside of me knows these things but I know I don't have the licence to prescribe or even do consultations. So it's kind of difficult for me to find a new path here," Mann said.
Mann is living in Vancouver but said she would relocate if it meant being able to practise medicine again.?
Caffaro said there is still hope for those who may not be eligible yet.
"Although we start with a number of jurisdictions, a number of countries, it doesn't mean that this list of countries is?going to be static and it certainly may expand, especially as we get more experience in actually bringing these physicians into the province and evaluating them in our new accelerated process."
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B.C. fast-tracking licensing process for international doctors
?November 27, 2022 -- In a move to address the doctor shortage, the B.C. government is speeding up the process to allow internationally-trained doctors to begin practicing in the province.
Premier David Eby says the pandemic has “exposed” challenges to B.C’s healthcare system, and “too many” British Columbians are having trouble finding a family doctor.
“Family doctors trained outside of Canada aren’t able to practise family medicine, because they lack a pathway to be licensed here,” he said at the announcement Sunday.
“We need to fix this. That’s why we’re taking action to help get more internationally trained doctors off the sidelines and into communities where they are so desperately needed.”
Part of the plan is to expand the Practice Ready Assessment, which is the path for internationally trained doctors to get their license in B.C. Over the next 16 months, the province says the program will be expanded from 32 seats a year, to 96.
“This simply allows us to welcome more internationally trained physicians who have completed their residency in family medicine outside of Canada,” said Minister of Health, Adrian Dix.
The minister says 4,451 international medical graduates are doing their residency in B.C., 2,570 of whom are family doctors.
As part of the announcement, internationally-trained doctors will also be able to work as associate physicians underneath a licensed doctor in community settings. That change will come from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSB) and is expected to take effect in the coming weeks.
CEO of the CPSB, Dr. Heidi M. Oetter, says the move offers an alternate route for international doctors who are otherwise not eligible to practice in B.C.
“We are also pleased to work with the Ministry of Health to develop a structure that enables associate physicians to work in community primary care settings and to seek additional innovative, sustainable solutions to address B.C.’s health human resourcing challenges,” she said.
President of Doctors of BC, Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, says the organization has long advocated for allowing easier access for international doctors.
“We are pleased that the provincial government is making it easier for more U.S. and internationally trained family doctors to come to British Columbia and practise,” she said in a statement. “Given the challenges in our primary care system and the number of patients without a family doctor, these changes will greatly benefit British Columbians.”
All the measures announced stem from the B.C. government’s Health Human Resources Strategy laid out in September, which included 70 “key actions” to recruit, train and retain healthcare workers.
Reported from: City News Everywhere
By?Greg Bowman
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1 年I'd love to hear more, I'm a nurse from London UK and would like a new job opportunity and help with relocation. [email protected] Thanks
M.D., Anesthesiology Specialist, Critical Care Consultant
1 年That’s interesting
Anesthesiologist
1 年Wish we would do the same in the USA ???? Nice job, way to go Canada ????