How do I make myself competitive for a community GIM job after residency? Especially in a particular city.

[IMnerd]

Due to needing to take care of sick parents, I would prefer to relocate back to Mississauga after residency (I am currently an R1 in another province planning to do 4 year GIM). What do you recommend me doing to be more hire-able after graduation besides just being a good resident clinically.

[trimethoprim]

does anyone know if away electives are allowed?

[bearded frog]

In terms of jobs, try and do electives there as mentioned, otherwise talk to staff at your program if they have any connections there and can introduce you, and arrange to zoom meet or something and ask about opportunities. Otherwise look for available positions, or just cold call and ask about opportunities, and start with locums if you need to.

[Bluberblubo]

I would tailor your residency towards a 5-year GIM program for 2 reasons:  1. You can then apply to UofT or Mac and be relatively closer to your family at the expense of an extra year of training. 2. There is a plan from CSIM/RC to shift away from the 4 year program and fully move towards a 5 year program for GIM. Not sure when this will happen. Some say it will be in the future and others say it won't happen for another 10 years. In the worst case, you tailor your residency towards the 5 year GIM program, do some electives at trillium/CVH in your 2nd/3rd year of core IM and ask them if they care or if the rules have changed by then. If then you decide you wanna do 4 year, then great. Don't rank anything and you'll default to that. If you decide you will do a 5 year program then you only rank the sites close to your parents. 

Now if you were already in your PGY3 then I'd say whatever do 4 year and be done. With all the money the government spent on covid who knows what changes will come down the line. Just my 2 cents as a GIM fellow looking to also work in the mississauga/GTA region

[ACHQ]

Speaking as a current GIM staff working in a large community hospital in the GTA region, and with colleagues that work in Mississauga and Brampton (West GTA), I can say that all you need to really do is an elective and talk to the right people and make the right impression. Nothing else matters at these centres. They don't care if you do a 5 year GIM vs 4 years. They don't care if you have tons of research or publications or education experience. We want people who are good clinically and good to work with.

Sometimes having a quality improvement background or education background could be a bonus to us, but by no means a make or break. We have hired tons of people without these credentials.

10 hours ago, skyuppercutt said:

I would tailor your residency towards a 5-year GIM program for 2 reasons:  1. You can then apply to UofT or Mac and be relatively closer to your family at the expense of an extra year of training. 2. There is a plan from CSIM/RC to shift away from the 4 year program and fully move towards a 5 year program for GIM. Not sure when this will happen. Some say it will be in the future and others say it won't happen for another 10 years. In the worst case, you tailor your residency towards the 5 year GIM program, do some electives at trillium/CVH in your 2nd/3rd year of core IM and ask them if they care or if the rules have changed by then. If then you decide you wanna do 4 year, then great. Don't rank anything and you'll default to that. If you decide you will do a 5 year program then you only rank the sites close to your parents. 

Now if you were already in your PGY3 then I'd say whatever do 4 year and be done. With all the money the government spent on covid who knows what changes will come down the line. Just my 2 cents as a GIM fellow looking to also work in the mississauga/GTA region

I can never see this happening. The only way this would happen is if they have enough total spots in the CaRMS MSM for all of the residents across Canada, which they don't. That would mean increasing GIM spots by a significant amount... which means $$$$. If they didn't then what would happen to those that went unmatched? Also CSIM/RC have no governing authority of who to grant a license to.... that is CPSO (which is why you will see people without RC practising). So CPSO would have to change its credentialing and licensing requirements. If that were to happen then would subspecialists be allowed to practice/locum in GIM with only 3 years as opposed 5 year requirements that is being proposed? If so why are they allowed to do this while someone can't do that with 4 years or even 3 years... this is fraught with mistakes

[ACHQ]

double post sorry

[Snowmen]

2 hours ago, ACHQ said:

I can never see this happening. The only way this would happen is if they have enough total spots in the CaRMS MSM for all of the residents across Canada, which they don't. That would mean increasing GIM spots by a significant amount... which means $$$$. If they didn't then what would happen to those that went unmatched? Also CSIM/RC have no governing authority of who to grant a license to.... that is CPSO (which is why you will see people without RC practising). So CPSO would have to change its credentialing and licensing requirements. If that were to happen then would subspecialists be allowed to practice/locum in GIM with only 3 years as opposed 5 year requirements that is being proposed? If so why are they allowed to do this while someone can't do that with 4 years or even 3 years... this is fraught with mistakes

It's completely plausible. Quebec has already eliminated the 4-year GIM program and everyone does the 5-year GIM program.

[futureGP]

Plenty of jobs for GIM. Just do elective, be nice and good clinically and dont get cocky. Meet the chief, ask for locum time and eventually youll get there. Even if you dont, just join some random clinic in mississauga and do IM consults and holter etc.

4yr vs 5 yr, nobody cares in community, theyre all 4 year trained anyways.

 

only way 4 year will go away is if all IM residency programs in the country suddenly decide that they’re not offering 4th year program and you must apply for MSM match. 
- cant do because your residency contract for IM includes 4 years of training/funding. i.e. there always has to be a backup option for those that don’t match in MSM - which is by default 4yr IM.

 

Unless 5year GIM programs say they’ll absorb all non-matched trainees. But this goes against their political agenda which is that 5yr GIM started as a ‘selective 5year GIM fellowship program’ with a separate MSM match to give prestige versus other subspecialty programs.