American IM Residency to Canadian Subspeciality

[rskhan29@hotmail.com]

Hey guys,

I have an FMG relative who recently completed a 3 year IM residency (+ board exams) in the US and was accepted into a 2 year US fellowship. However, visa issues have prevented him from attending this fellowship and also prevent him from applying again this cycle. Fortunately, he has recently found out that he would be able to apply for fellowships in Canada and attend one if he was accepted.

 

The following are my questions: What would he need to do to practice in Canada after completing his fellowship? Would he need to complete the Canadian equivalent of the American general IM board exams, or would the American exams suffice? Would he need to take an extra year to compensate for the differences in IM residency length? What would the pay be like in this extra year?

 

Also, are there any subspecialties that are more attainable for an IMG? He has his sights set on the same subspecialty he had previously applied to (its not cardiology or GI).

 

Thanks for any help.

[cheech10]

This can be a tricky situation, since IM training in the US is 3 years long vs 4 years in Canada. Best bet is to contact the provincial college of physicians in the province he plans to practice in and ask about licensing requirements from them (eg. CPSO in Ontario. They may also direct him to speak with the royal college, but start with the provincial college, as they are the ones that actually license physicians.