School attended affect your competiveness for matching?

[Guest xylem33]

I was just wondering, if I were to go to a US school, would the school's ranking/name affect how competitive I would be in terms of matching into competitive specialities in Canada? Or does the school's reputation make no difference at all?

[Guest aneliz]

I would say it doesn't really matter. Going to a US school (any US school) will make you likely less competitive for a competitive residency in Canada than going to a Canadian school (any Canadian school). While Johns Hopkins is more recognizable and respected than something like the Hollywood Upstairs Medical College, keep in mind that they are all seen as 'foreign' schools by Canadian program directors and most I think, would prefer a Canadian grad where they know the school that they graduated from. Canada is a small enough place that program directors are familiar with the various schools in Canada and feel comfortable that they can estimate the skills of their graduates. Not so for the American schools...

 

If you have your heart set on a competitive residency (ophtho, derm, plastics, emerg) in Canada, I would strongly suggest that you complete medical school in Canada. American grads have matched in the first round... but usually to family medicine.

[Guest xylem33]

Really? I thought that as long as I was a Canadian citizen, did my electives in Canada, then I would be considered no differently from other Canadian applicants graduating from CDN schools?

[Guest aneliz]

On paper that's true... you are allowed into the first round of the match... in reality, I think most program directors favour Canadian grads when it comes down to putting together their rank lists (unless you have done electives at that site and they 'know' you quite well).

[Guest moo]

Well I think the more academic programs like UT and McGill actually know and encourage US grads from good schools to apply. The Chief Resident at McGill for anesthesia who interviewed told me that the fact that I went to NU didn't matter. Most PDs I've talked to say they don't care either BUT you must do some rotations in Canada at least to be competitive.

[Guest xylem33]

So if you are in your 3rd and 4th years of med school and you're doing your rotations - how would you be able to do your rotations at say, U of T, if you are going to Albany?? I thought that rotations are always done at the teaching hospitals affiliated with the school. Also, what school is NU?

[Guest moo]

NU=Northwestern

 

Fourth year is when you usually do most if not all of your electives. Some schools have you do electives third year. Anyway, you can do these electives pretty much anywhere in the world. So if you're interested in Internal Medicine at UT you can apply to do a 4 week rotation at UT in some internal med subspecialty or on a gen med service. Get to know some people and make some connections.

[Guest mgupta]

as you get closer to clerkship/electives, you'll see what Moo means. you have to decide where you want to do an elective and YOU have to set it up yourself. So its left upto you to find out if a certain school you're interested in will consider 'american grads' for electives. i highly doubt any canadian school will say no, and Moo can talk to that more than myself.

[DoNair]

So unless I do my electives in Canada I (as a US MD grad) will not be able to enter into the first round of CaRMS? Or does it just decrease my chances? Or does it mean that I can't match through CaRMS at all?