McGill Residents: Your Experiences with Bill 96

[queryradiology]

I'm looking to apply to residency programs this cycle and McGill is as a good choice as any. Montreal's reasonable rent, cost of living, size and location stands out to me. I'm also pretty enthusiastic about the McGill programs that I am applying to, especially with the degree of support and personal communications from people in the department.

I was hoping to get McGill Anglophone residents' thoughts on their experiences with the new Bill 96. There's lots of misinformation on the web and it's really been difficult to sift through what's real and what's not, ranging from "Literal anglophone apocalypse" to "business as usual." I'm leaning towards "business as usual" but I could be wrong.

Personally, I have some French background (did French first language in my youth and then did advanced French in secondary school) but my proficiency dropped off after secondary school because of the lack of use. I'm sure I could get (some of) it back if I put effort in but obviously the transition to residency is already taxing for all of us.

I'm eager to hear any and all thoughts from McGill residents. Thanks!

[MDee2B]

Business as usual.

I’m not a resident yet, but especially given your background in French I would not let the usual nonsense deter you from going to Montreal . The city’s pros, some of which you cited, certainly outweigh the cons imo .
 

The language politics have long been around in QC and aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, it’s the cumbersome language politics themselves which actually help drive some of Montreal’s advantages you mention (ex relatively cheap rent /cost of living), because it makes Montreal a less attractive place to live (than say Vancouver or Toronto) for most people, bcuz most people don’t have any foundation in French. but you do.

so again, I would not let language politics stop you from choosing residency in MTL. Up until this year, McGill didn’t even require proof of any French proficiency to apply to med. Starting this cycle I think they did, but I believe the level they require is considerably lower than the level of French proficiency required by the French med schools in qc.
 

tldr; I think you’ll be fine at McGill especially if you have some background in French. U de m would be more of a challenge.

 

 

[hero147]

On 1/6/2023 at 9:23 PM, queryradiology said:

I'm looking to apply to residency programs this cycle and McGill is as a good choice as any. Montreal's reasonable rent, cost of living, size and location stands out to me. I'm also pretty enthusiastic about the McGill programs that I am applying to, especially with the degree of support and personal communications from people in the department.

I was hoping to get McGill Anglophone residents' thoughts on their experiences with the new Bill 96. There's lots of misinformation on the web and it's really been difficult to sift through what's real and what's not, ranging from "Literal anglophone apocalypse" to "business as usual." I'm leaning towards "business as usual" but I could be wrong.

Personally, I have some French background (did French first language in my youth and then did advanced French in secondary school) but my proficiency dropped off after secondary school because of the lack of use. I'm sure I could get (some of) it back if I put effort in but obviously the transition to residency is already taxing for all of us.

I'm eager to hear any and all thoughts from McGill residents. Thanks!

A bit late but depends onw hat you want to do. It would be hard to do psychiatry without fluency in french but who cares if you're doing something like radiology or pathology. 

[collegedude22]

If you have a reasonable base knowledge of French, that is enough to understand most of what you hear, and you make a reasonable effort to learn the medical vocabulary, you will be fine. 
 

While you don’t need to prove you’re highly proficient in French to match to McGill for residency, you will need to pass the French exam of the Office québécois de la langue française to become a member of the Collège des médecins du Québec before you finish your residency if you want to be hired as staff. You can find information about the exam on their website.