Trying to swap out of current residency, looking at Canadian/US options

[GolfTangoFoxtrotOscar]

Hello,

I am a current PGY I+n and am trying to swap out of my current residency for a multitude of reasons, and am not alone in my reasoning given the very high transferring out rate my current program has. I tried to transfer last year through second round CaRMS and all other transfer options in Canada but was unsuccessful (I've been told its roughly a 30% success rate). I am writing my MCCQE part two this year and am strongly debating writing my USMLEs at the same time to maximize my chances of leaving my current program. I am open to any family medicine or laboratory medicine residency outside of my current program in English Canada or the United States.

I was browsing this thread and found someone who claimed that 1 year of Canadian postgraduate training and completed USMLEs was all that was required to work in several states. I am extremely interested in hearing if anyone has any further info on this process.

Any advice in getting a transfer in the time of COVID19 would be appreciated as my PGME is being less than helpful.

Thank you,

GTFO

 

[ChemPetE]

I think board certification in the US is a bit trickier, and would likely become a barrier to getting malpractice coverage with an incomplete residency. However, I do recall that after I passed my USMLE STEP 3 that I received an email saying at that point I was free to apply for state licenses. You may get better responses on either **DELETED** or on SDN where the userbase is US predominant, and they might be able to point you in the right direction. I speculate that it may be limited to moonlighting type coverage, or more insurance peer to peer coverage type roles, which may not reimburse as well as a FP would, but I have no direct experience or knowledge in this. Doing the USMLEs should open up US residency programs though, and probably would be your best option. The border during COVID is a barrier, but I think it is surmountable. I also would advise taking STEP 2 CK the same time as LMCC 2 - the format is different, material is similar/harder in LMCC 2. STEP 3 is probably more aligned with LMCC 2, but you usually need STEP 1 and both 2 CS and CK to take STEP 3. However, with the pandemic CS is not required so if you can get 1 and 2 CK done, that is easier. STEP 3 needs to be written in the US though, and also will present challenges to go to the US at the present time, unless you can verify that you will be allowed across the border, and know that you'll be subjected to a 14 day quarantine in Canada afterwards. If you have a month of research you can take in combined with a week of vacation for the test that might be your best bet. Good luck.

[blah1234]

I think a year of Canadian PGME might qualify you to work in certain states. A bigger issue is the visa I think. Unless your a PR or Citizen it may be hard to actually find work.

[insomnias]

Re working without a full residency in the US: It's possible, but most insurance companies won't let you bill (some, like Medicare/Medicaid and some of the advantage plans, might), and most hospitals won't give you privileges unless you're board certified or eligible. Malpractice insurance may also be more expensive. That means you'd be looking at working somewhere where they literally can not get any doctors (ie extremely rural or malignant) or in an outpatient, cash-only clinic. There are some non-clinical jobs, but those are a bit harder to get. SDN had a thread on this somewhere. It's even harder if you're not a US citizen because these jobs might not sponsor visas as readily.

[blah1234]

43 minutes ago, insomnias said:

Re working without a full residency in the US: It's possible, but most insurance companies won't let you bill (some, like Medicare/Medicaid and some of the advantage plans, might), and most hospitals won't give you privileges unless you're board certified or eligible. Malpractice insurance may also be more expensive. That means you'd be looking at working somewhere where they literally can not get any doctors (ie extremely rural or malignant) or in an outpatient, cash-only clinic. There are some non-clinical jobs, but those are a bit harder to get. SDN had a thread on this somewhere. It's even harder if you're not a US citizen because these jobs might not sponsor visas as readily.

Yea, the visa sponsorship is the main bottleneck from what I understand. All these other non-attractive elements don't even matter if you don't have work authorization.