Citizenship for Residency in Canada

Most Canadian residencies are open to permanent residents of Canada and all residencies are open to Canadian citizens.

Securing Residency in Canada

In order to secure a Canadian post-graduate residency, it is recommended that Canadian students take the following preliminary steps during their final years of medical studies in Ireland.

1. Take Electives at a Canadian Medical School
During the final years of study in Ireland, it is recommended that the medical student choose to do a few elective rotations at a Canadian medical school. This allows the student to evaluate the school itself and in turn, the residency to assess the student's clinical and interpersonal skills. Electives may also facilitate letters of reference from Canadian preceptors who can help comment on the student's abilities.

2. Write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
The English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a simple one-day test that evaluates the student's ability to communicate in English. This should be done during the final years of study in Ireland, as it is required for admissions with most Canadian residencies. There is a TOEFL testing center in Dublin.

3. Write the Medical College of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)
As of 2003, the MCCEE can be written during the final year of medical school, so that the student can directly start their Canadian residency upon graduation from the Irish medical school, without any lost time. Offered twice annually, the student should prepare to take this written exam during autumn of the final year of Irish medical school.

4. Enter the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS)
Also during the student's final year of Irish medical school, the student enters the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS), an online service that is designed to match students to desired residency slots. As of the 2007 match, Canadian citizens who studied in Ireland are permitted to enter the first round of the match in most provinces. The match rules vary by province. Some provinces have a parallel match with reserved slots for Canadians who are Irish (or other international) graduates. A few provinces have a unified match whereby graduates of both Canadian medical schools and Irish (or other international) medical schools compete openly for residency spots.

5. Interviews
During the early part of the final year of Irish medical school, the residencies conduct interviews as part of their selection criteria. An interview time is arranged, and the residency programs interview the student.

6. Graduate Medical School and Begin Residency
The student enters a ranked list of their desired residencies via the Internet. Residency directors also enter their ranked list of candidates via the Internet. Students are matched to residencies and the results announced online. The student graduates from medical school in Ireland and starts residency in Canada a few weeks later.

Completing Residency in Canada

1. Take the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examinations
Once the student has graduated from medical school in Ireland and has begun residency training at a Canadian school, the student should arrange to write the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exams. The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I (MCCQEI) is usually written sometime during first year of residency training and the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II (MCCQEII) is usually written somewhere between the second to final year of the residency program.

2. Take the Specialty Examination
Near the end of residency, the examination for the student's chosen specialty is taken. For example, a family physician would take the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) examination.

Provincial Variations

Residency policy in Canada varies widely by province. These provincial variations can be reviewed on the CaRMS website. A residency may have extra requirements, such as proficiency in French for a francophone residency, or having lived in that province in the past. The provinical policies are updated regularly. For official information on licensing please contact the licensing authority in the Province or Territory where you wish to practice.

Variation in Residency Slots by Discipline

There is also a wide variation in the number of second iteration Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) places by discipline. Family medicine classically has many, while other disciplines have moderate to very few.

Canadian Residency Posts 'Outside The Match'

Some provinces have specially funded residency positions available outside the CaRMS match process. Often these are tied with a return-of-service agreement. Details of these specially funded positions can be obtained from the universities or provincial websites.

Concurrent Application to USA and Canadian Residencies

It is possible for a Canadian citizen who trained in Ireland to concurrently apply to residencies in both the USA and Canada. This involves writing the exams for each country and entering both the Canadian (CaRMS) and the American (NRMP) residency matching programs. However, there is a reciprocal agreement between the USA and Canada, in which a student who is matched in one country is removed from the other country's match.

medical council of canada www.mcc.ca
carms www.carms.ca
img ontario www.imgo.ca
association of faculties of medicine of canada www.afmc.ca