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Good school...much ahead of the other caribbean schools. Great matching stats because American program directors have had good experience with their grads. If you want to be a doctor it'll get you there for sure. You'll probably have some choice with regards to specialty but it'll be limited to primary care for the most part (unless you ace the boards). It's expensive though...

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One you've done post-grad training in the US, the training is usually (not always) accepted in Canada. Some residencies are longer in Canada though so you'll have to do that extra year in Canada.

 

After you do residency in the US, I don't think it's too hard to come back to Canada. Even if you've done your degree in SGU, I don't think it'll have an affect. However, I'm not totally sure on this.

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One you've done post-grad training in the US, the training is usually (not always) accepted in Canada. Some residencies are longer in Canada though so you'll have to do that extra year in Canada.

 

After you do residency in the US, I don't think it's too hard to come back to Canada. Even if you've done your degree in SGU, I don't think it'll have an affect. However, I'm not totally sure on this.

 

 

From what I heard, you get screwed on this visa requirements needed to do a residency. Few programs in the US accept Canadians without any conditions attached. The vast majority of programs insist that you have a letter from the Canadian government stating there is a need for docs in that particular specialty back home. Then when you complete the residency program you MUST go back to Canada. You then must pass the Canadian exams to practice. If you do end up practicing in Canada you must do so in an area which is designated as under serviced. If you don't jump through these hoops you will be in crazy debt without a job for several years until you are allowed to return to the USA several years later beyond completing your residency.

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From what I heard, you get screwed on this visa requirements needed to do a residency. Few programs in the US accept Canadians without any conditions attached. The vast majority of programs insist that you have a letter from the Canadian government stating there is a need for docs in that particular specialty back home. Then when you complete the residency program you MUST go back to Canada. You then must pass the Canadian exams to practice. If you do end up practicing in Canada you must do so in an area which is designated as under serviced. If you don't jump through these hoops you will be in crazy debt without a job for several years until you are allowed to return to the USA several years later beyond completing your residency.

 

 

...what..?

 

What visa requirement? a J1? yeah maybe. You have to go back to canada for 2 years after you finish your residency - that is part of your J-1.

 

If you do an H1B, then will be free of these restrictions. If you do end up deciding to go back to canada after residency, then you have to have the number of years on par. If you don't, well then you can complete your training in canada and give back 1 year for every year of training (so for General internal med is 3 years in the US but for in canada; do 1 year of training in canada and then do 1 year in a rural area), OR you can do a chief residency year or a fellowship in the US to compensate for that. You won't be doing any ROS from this angle. Unlike IMGs, US grads aren't as desperate :D. Things get messy when you need more than 7 years to do your residency and have it equivalent in canada (1 year on OPT, then 3 years of H1B x 2 (renewed only once)).

 

 

But, getting that H1B visa as a carrib grad..is not going to be easy.

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...what..?

 

What visa requirement? a J1? yeah maybe. You have to go back to canada for 2 years after you finish your residency - that is part of your J-1.

 

If you do an H1B, then will be free of these restrictions. If you do end up deciding to go back to canada after residency, then you have to have the number of years on par. If you don't, well then you can complete your training in canada and give back 1 year for every year of training (so for General internal med is 3 years in the US but for in canada; do 1 year of training in canada and then do 1 year in a rural area), OR you can do a chief residency year or a fellowship in the US to compensate for that. You won't be doing any ROS from this angle. Unlike IMGs, US grads aren't as desperate :D. Things get messy when you need more than 7 years to do your residency and have it equivalent in canada (1 year on OPT, then 3 years of H1B x 2 (renewed only once)).

 

 

But, getting that H1B visa as a carrib grad..is not going to be easy.

 

 

Which is spiffy in theory, yet talking with an acquaintance going into this process via SGU the coveted H1B is becoming more difficult to get and the vast majority of programs are going pure J1.

 

Might be something worth looking into...

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From what I heard, you get screwed on this visa requirements needed to do a residency. Few programs in the US accept Canadians without any conditions attached. The vast majority of programs insist that you have a letter from the Canadian government stating there is a need for docs in that particular specialty back home. Then when you complete the residency program you MUST go back to Canada. You then must pass the Canadian exams to practice. If you do end up practicing in Canada you must do so in an area which is designated as under serviced. If you don't jump through these hoops you will be in crazy debt without a job for several years until you are allowed to return to the USA several years later beyond completing your residency.

 

so does that mean that the USMLEs and the MCCQEs are not equivalent?

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so does that mean that the USMLEs and the MCCQEs are not equivalent?

 

I just talked to the associate director of admissions from Ross University and he said that you are no longer required to write the MCCQEs if you pass your USMLEs (as long Canada is lacking doctors in your specialty i.e. family medicine and anesthetics)

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I just talked to the associate director of admissions from Ross University and he said that you are no longer required to write the MCCQEs if you pass your USMLEs (as long Canada is lacking doctors in your specialty i.e. family medicine and anesthetics)

 

I would take whatever the Ross/SGU/SABA university representatives tell you with a grain of salt. Better to consult with the CPSO or equivalent college in your province and work from there.

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J1 visa is not difficult to get and you can get it for any specialty. Just this year the person from SGU who matched into ophthalmology is Canadian and is on a J1 visa.

 

Regarding coming back to Ontario, changes are always being made and it is becoming easier and easier to come back to practice.

 

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/502062

 

 

The United States Medical Licensing Examination or USMLE from 2004 onward is considered equivalent to the MCCQE parts 1 and 2.

 

http://www.cpso.on.ca/Info_physicians/regpol/examequiv.htm

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Which is spiffy in theory, yet talking with an acquittance going into this process via SGU the coveted H1B is becoming more difficult to get and the vast majority of programs are going pure J1.

 

Might be something worth looking into...

 

you are right. I know there was a program director that said the H1B visa is not hard to get for specialties such as IM, but the more competitive the program OR the more competitive the residency the harder it is to get one - this is for a Cdn who is a US grad

 

This is especially especially ESPECIALLY hard for an SGU student.

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I think the USMLE's are only equivalent to the MCQ's in Ontario. It differs from province to province.

 

I'm not counting on Canada to open their doors too much for IMG's. There's a lot of politics involved and it has very little to do with 'ensuring safe practice'. Especially for IMG's from the UK, Ireland, Australia, the training is so similar. SGU is gaining lots of credibility and there should be no worries there either.

 

The fact that some US grads have to jump hoops to practice in Canada is ridiculous. If I were to train in the US, I'd stay there. I think the US is a great country and has many advantages compared to Canada.

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I think the USMLE's are only equivalent to the MCQ's in Ontario. It differs from province to province.

 

I'm not counting on Canada to open their doors too much for IMG's. There's a lot of politics involved and it has very little to do with 'ensuring safe practice'. Especially for IMG's from the UK, Ireland, Australia, the training is so similar. SGU is gaining lots of credibility and there should be no worries there either.

 

The fact that some US grads have to jump hoops to practice in Canada is ridiculous. If I were to train in the US, I'd stay there. I think the US is a great country and has many advantages compared to Canada.

 

they don't really have any hoops to jump...all they require is for you to make sure the number of years of your residency = that in Canada and then you write one exam that I am pretty sure Canadian grads have to write.

 

I know a lot of people complain about the residency requirement but you aren't losing time

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  • 2 weeks later...

hey..so after reading the thread...I was wondering what this leads to?

Should one take the risk of going international if plans are to return back...i mean how is the current outlook for Canadian IMGS returning to Ontario after completion of a residency in US that is equivalent to that in Canada? Will their success depend only on the one MCCQE as far as Ontario is concerned?

Finally where would such a listing of equivalent residencies be available....

Thanks! Im looking into all alternate options!

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  • 2 weeks later...
hey..so after reading the thread...I was wondering what this leads to?

Should one take the risk of going international if plans are to return back...i mean how is the current outlook for Canadian IMGS returning to Ontario after completion of a residency in US that is equivalent to that in Canada? Will their success depend only on the one MCCQE as far as Ontario is concerned?

Finally where would such a listing of equivalent residencies be available....

Thanks! Im looking into all alternate options!

 

I follow the CMA very closely because I do some work for them out here in BC in regards to medical education.

 

My advice, don't do overseas. If you must go overseas then don't go to the Caribbean. Seriously, the majority of those folks going to the Caribbean are going to be so far up **** creek in four years it will blow their minds.

 

It it might not be fair that SGU folks will be screwed, but it is the reality. Caribbean is caribbean and the vast majority of residency directors will look at your application like it is covered in vomit the moment they see "SGU graduate".

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I follow the CMA very closely because I do some work for them out here in BC in regards to medical education.

 

My advice, don't do overseas. If you must go overseas then don't go to the Caribbean. Seriously, the majority of those folks going to the Caribbean are going to be so far up **** creek in four years it will blow their minds.

 

It it might not be fair that SGU folks will be screwed, but it is the reality. Caribbean is caribbean and the vast majority of residency directors will look at your application like it is covered in vomit the moment they see "SGU graduate".

 

oh ok...so what about commonwealth countries such as Australia and South Africa....I have heard that once you graduate from medical schools in these countries and complete your residency there, it is easier to return back to Canada...does anyone have any info for these places?

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It it might not be fair that SGU folks will be screwed, but it is the reality. Caribbean is caribbean and the vast majority of residency directors will look at your application like it is covered in vomit the moment they see "SGU graduate".

Not according to match results for some of the better schools. You might want to back up your statements because they are a bit misleading, at least as far as the data that are available is concerned.

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I knew it was only a matter of time until someone posted that SGU match list.

 

A few comments:

 

1. If your American life is easier coming form SGU. Americans don't have to worry about visas. Pretty much the majority of residency programs are only accepting J1 visas, and the trend is not changing... So you will most likely be forced to accept a J1 visa and therefore be stuck with being forced to come back to Canada after residency. During this time you will have to jump through all the loop holes and tests needed to practice here. There is no guarantee you will be successful in this process. Thus, you might have your MD but will be jobless... But there is a guarantee of massive debt which is several times my own as a UBC med student...

 

2. Yeah yeah, a few SGU people match in Canada... But out of how many Canadians??? I personally only have spoken with Canadian SGU grads who have received the shaft from CaRMS. So great, SGU has a handful of Canadians at the University of Toronto etc. which they can bring out for advertisements... Your delusional if you think this is the normal.

 

 

I am not trying to be depressing. I think it is admirable you are willing to sacrifice so much to become a doctor. Yet, SGU is not a safe decision. It is a gamble, especially as a Canadian. There are numerous obstacles you will face and failure to pass these obstacles all carry the massive penalty of bankruptcy. If you are going to Grenada be realistic and aware of what you are getting yourself into and the consequences it will have on your life for good and bad.

 

In terms of the other Caribbean schools, don't even get me started on them... There is a reason why the CMA has issued a warning about going to these schools. We are not trying to stand in the way of your dreams, we are simply trying to help you make a informed and most importantly balanced decision. Don't get all your facts from one place, ie. SGU...

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