IMG applying to Canadian Medical schools - please help

[kairosa]

I believe this forum to be the right place to post this thread. I have read the posting sticky and faqs and searched for a relevant post to my case throughout the forum to the best of my ability. If i'm mistaken, do accept my apology beforehand

 

To put it in a nutshell, i'm a 24 yr old IMG canadian resident planning to apply to a canadian medical school and become a canadian medical graduate. Yes. (As far as i know, i should not be denied the chance to apply to med school due to having a bachelor's degree in medicine and i sure hope that's true)

 

Now why am i posting this uncanny post?

 

two main reasons. Aside from seeking advice, the other being the adversity i'm facing in this decision and my reasons behind it. Traditionally, if i take the MCC exams i'm looking at close-to-none chances of having a career in the fields of my dreams (most are surgical and of course highly competitive) if i apply to CARMS as an IMG, and time-wise the expenditure between both tracks (medschool vs MCC exams) is an investment i'm willing to pay for a shot at a gratifying career.

 

The adversity springs from the only place i wouldn't even expect - my whole family (one of my parents is a doctor, one brother is a dentist) do not support my decision at all, regarding it as a waste of time and that i should write the MCC exams and stop wasting my time. They would support my wish to proceed however hold me responsible for my decision.

I'm being headstrong in this choice, however it's a choice i'm facing alone, and thus the uncertainty that brews inside me as my family not supporting me has really shocked me, and the need to turn to you, all respective peer, who can shed light and advice on this endeavor.

 

Secondly, why canada although residencies remain rather competitive for a surgical career even for canadian graduates? Well because canada is the place i would like to live and practice in, with lots of family and friends already there, i would ask for nothing more.

My stats in brief are as follows:

 

Regarding pre-requisites, i've taken Bio, chem, biochem, English and human rights during my years in uni (6-year MD program). What i'll be missing out on is organic chem and math/physics. (which i'm willing to take as a pre-med year if i am accepted to a uni that offers this option, not forgetting the fact that some unis do not require prereqs)

If High school courses are considered, i took A-Level IGCSE Math which, according to cambridge, is a university-level course, in addition to AS- Biology and AS-chemistry (which includes organic chemistry and lab, however AS counts a half university-level course). I have volunteer work, student research, valid Basic life support license and US clinical experience.

 

My logistics and plan:

 

BR was hard to get overseas and i'm short on time to wait for their prehistoric mail-order process, so i'm going to study TPR GC/OC/PHY and EKbio/VR/1001bio. My books are still en-route hopefully by the first week of june i'll have them at my disposal.

are there any more books i should have?

I'm planning to take the MCAT around september, but i could use guidance regarding the optimum time to take the exam, have the results ready and be able to apply this year.

so when should i take the exam? i'm still flexible regarding my exam date and plan. When should i buy online exams and practice? I've browsed frequently through the MCAT forums for days, but i would rather request and expert opinion regarding exam planning concerning my circumstances.

 

i'm an Ontario resident, and plan to apply to medical schools through omsas, in addition to applying to the rest of them hoping for a chance to be accepted following that.

I've read through the omsas handbook on the application procedures, however they still remain quite a hard read to digest. Has anyone done this before and/or is familiar with the steps regarding application as a foreign graduate? could you walk me through them?

 

 

Finally, as it's really hard for me to speak my mind in addition to trying to be as concise as possible, it would be even harder for others to spare the time and read a whole page a complete stranger has written. Even if you didn't/couldn't help me, allow me to thank you very much for hearing me out for it means a lot to me.

Sincerely,

Kay Kairosa

Yet another troubled and confused physician.

[NutritionRunner]

You will have to check with each university to see if you are able to apply to their programs.

 

At McMaster, you will be able to apply. From their FAQ:

http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/qa_admissions.html

 

"Q: Are people with previous medical degrees eligible to apply to the McMaster Program?

 

Yes. People with a previous medical degree undertaken outside of Canada are eligible for the program as long as their overall GPA, including their marks in medical school, are equivalent to at least an overall 3.00 on the OMSAS 4.00 scale."

 

Other universities may have different policies.

 

You will have to have your transcript(s) evaluated through WES.

 

Good luck.

[futureGP]

assuming a previous medical degree is okay for admission,

 

GPA is important and they would probably look at your ugrad GPA/MCAT and everything else like the usual applicants

 

but each school is diff as NR said

 

e.g.

Does the University of Toronto accept applications to the first year of the Doctor of Medicine Program from students who are currently undergraduate medical students in other medical schools?

 

The circumstances of the applicant would be evaluated individually. Any application would have to be made in the usual way, meeting published deadlines, and would be assessed in the same pool with all other applicants for entry in that year.[/Quote]

 

To me this is a tricky sentence and you would probably have to ask them directly.

 

 

but what i am thinking is, if you have a great GPA, great MCAT, great experience and are a great interviewer, why would they not take you on??

:S

 

oh also, you need to have your degree evaluated by WES to get its Canadian equivalency since it's most likely a degree outside of Canada/US

http://www.wes.org/

[leviathan]

You should be able to apply to most places as long as your med school GPA was high enough. If anything it should be seen as a significant advantage.

 

You might also be interested to know there are some medical schools that will accept you directly into the 3rd year of the program / start of clerkship, which might be a better option for you. I think Dalhousie is one, but you have to be considered a Maritimes resident to be eligible. You also have to write the LMCC exams. http://gho.medicine.dal.ca/dalhousie-students/dalhousie-IMG-clerkship.htm

[kairosa]

Thank you Nutrition,Gp, leviathan for your input. it gives me quite a relief feeling i'm not out of my mind like everyone around me is portraying it to be.

I'll have my certificates processed through WES however i'm not sure how will my GPA be calculated (in my uni we are graded numerically by marks)

 

Can anyone answer me regarding:

- the proper time to sit for the exams in order to apply this year?

- study strategy and tips for a nontrad applicant such as myself?

- in addition to the books i've mentioned, any others needed?

- any step by step guides for omsas available besides the official handbook? perhaps a slideshow presentation?

[NutritionRunner]

I don't know the exact date you need to have the MCAT written by, but I believe it is September. I would book your exam date as soon as possible.

 

The EK books are good. Some people like the Kaplan books as well.

[kairosa]

thanks man appreciate it

[simpy]

I think I'm going to have to advise against this path. To be fair, I don't know if it's because I think your idea is a bad one or if I'm just reacting a little bit to the absurdity of you needing to do medical school again to be eligible for a competitive residency.

 

Here's what I don't like about your plan:

 

1) You're layering uncertainty on top of uncertainty. Depending on your GPA from medical school your chance of getting into a Canadian medical school might be slim. Furthermore you're thinking about applying for a competitive specialty - there's no guarantee you'll get it. The chance of both of those things happening is probably not very good, particularly if your life circumstances change (i.e. you get into a serious relationship that limits your career opportunities).

 

2) Alternate paths exist. If you can come back to Canada in a 5-year residency you can try to match into another program at the end of your R-1 year. It's extremely difficult to do and you may need to take a return of service agreement but it's probably not that much harder than your current plan. Post on the CaRMS forum further down in the pm101 list to get the opinions of some residents.

 

3) The cost. You're going to be paying $200,000 for 4 more years of med school plus any additional undergrad you need to do. But most importantly you're losing income. Losing 4 years of practice is going to cost you at least a million pre-tax dollars.

 

I really think the CMG route is a bad one. Do your homework regarding other paths of matching into whatever program you want. Call some program directors and figure out the full scope of your options first.

[Lactic Folly]

I can't speak to the OP's specific questions on MCAT etc., but I do know of a couple of people who have gone this route (redoing medical school in Canada). Assuming they are equally solid from a personal qualities standpoint, the extra background can give them a boost compared to other applicants, and obviously more spots will be available to them as a CMG rather than as an IMG.

[bloh]

I think everyone is forgetting the difficulty that the OP may see to even get into a medical school...

What are the GPA specifics since at the end of the day that's all that matters.