How does the Canadian Medical system work?

[Goldenboy101]

I wanted to know if you guys could enlighten me on the path to becoming a doctor in Canada.
Basically I will do pre-med in UT Austin, I am currently undecided what major I will choose. So, I wanted to know what I need for Canadian Medical School, and how can one become a doctor in Canada. I wanted to get into a Canadian Med School and practice there. Thanks in Advance...
EDIT 1: Yeah, I was accepted into the class of 2018 of UT Austin

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[Medix450]

Getting into med school in Canada is crazy crazy hard. Most medical schools don't like international students (even US), and I believe McGill is the only one that has seats reserved for US student. If you are a Canadian citizen, I don't know if the process is different for you, since you'd do your undergrad in the US, but like I said it's incredibly competitive here (less than 10% of applicants get in each year). If you decide to do medschool in US and even residency I think its still possible to get a job in Canada. The pay is quite good, some would say its better than the US. A better source for canadian info would b premed101.com

 

[onelastpuff23]

are you a dual citizen or a US citizen? are you interested in coming to canada because of personal politics? If it's for pay, the US will always pay more. Plus if you're a Texas resident, I highly recommend you attend school there. They have some of the world's best medical centers (MD Anderson, children's hospital etc...) and admissions to their great schools is easier. The only reason you should consider attending an MD school in Canada is if you have personal reasonns

 

[temizyurek]

We waiting to turkey in here education is very easy but working as a doctor is disgusting..

 

[Medix450]

are you a dual citizen or a US citizen? are you interested in coming to canada because of personal politics? If it's for pay, the US will always pay more. Plus if you're a Texas resident, I highly recommend you attend school there. They have some of the world's best medical centers (MD Anderson, children's hospital etc...) and admissions to their great schools is easier. The only reason you should consider attending an MD school in Canada is if you have personal reasonns

I disagree with the paying more, US reimbursements are going down, while in Canada they are going up. Working a job as a hospitalist in most positions guarantees you $300k +

 

[Goldenboy101]

are you a dual citizen or a US citizen? are you interested in coming to canada because of personal politics? If it's for pay, the US will always pay more. Plus if you're a Texas resident, I highly recommend you attend school there. They have some of the world's best medical centers (MD Anderson, children's hospital etc...) and admissions to their great schools is easier. The only reason you should consider attending an MD school in Canada is if you have personal reasonns

I am just a American citizen, I just wanted to get the heck out of Texas, and I thought Canada would be a wonderful area to practice.

 

[Goldenboy101]

Getting into med school in Canada is crazy crazy hard. Most medical schools don't like international students (even US), and I believe McGill is the only one that has seats reserved for US student. If you are a Canadian citizen, I don't know if the process is different for you, since you'd do your undergrad in the US, but like I said it's incredibly competitive here (less than 10% of applicants get in each year). If you decide to do medschool in US and even residency I think its still possible to get a job in Canada. The pay is quite good, some would say its better than the US. A better source for canadian info would b premed101.com

10% is crazy difficult to get in... Yeah, I'm just an American citizen. Do you know whether the University of Toronto has seats for foreign students? Thank you

 

[Medstart108]

10% is crazy difficult to get in... Yeah, I'm just an American citizen. Do you know whether the University of Toronto has seats for foreign students? Thank you

They have like 10 seats or something. Only Mac, Toronto and McGill accept foreign students and I don't even think Mac has accepted any for the last few years. Toronto accepts max 10 and McGill around 4. I'm throwing these numbers out from questionable memory but treat them as rough estimates. Considering the average MCAT is a 35 and GPA 3.9 at UofT for Canadians, you'll need even better stats for internationals, you might as well stay in the US if you just want to get out of texas.

 

[Goldenboy101]

They have like 10 seats or something. Only Mac, Toronto and McGill accept foreign students and I don't even think Mac has accepted any for the last few years. Toronto accepts max 10 and McGill around 4. I'm throwing these numbers out from questionable memory but treat them as rough estimates. Considering the average MCAT is a 35 and GPA 3.9 at UofT for Canadians, you'll need even better stats for internationals, you might as well stay in the US if you just want to get out of texas.

Gosh, then I barely have a chance in Canada. So, can I finish undergrad, and get into a Med school in the USA (preferably in Illinois) and then get matched into a Residency program in Canada, or is that even more difficult than the Med-school in Canada path?

 

[Medix450]

UofT has a special way to calculate GPA. If you are a full time student for your 4 years of undergrad, they will knock out your lowest 4 full year courses, or 8 half year course, of whatever combo of those two that gets you the highest GPA. So for someone (like me for example) who had a dismal first year, all hope is not lost. U of T apparently doesn't care much for MCAT, as long as you get above 9/9/9 (otherwise I think it's a red flag or something).
They also like research, so get on those publications.

 

[AStark]

Gosh, then I barely have a chance in Canada. So, can I finish undergrad, and get into a Med school in the USA (preferably in Illinois) and then get matched into a Residency program in Canada, or is that even more difficult than the Med-school in Canada path?

You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for a residency position in Canada except in Quebec and Newfoundland. However, you would have had to have completed a Quebec MD for the former or any Canadian MD program in the latter.

 

[Goldenboy101]

You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for a residency position in Canada except in Quebec and Newfoundland. However, you would have had to have completed a Quebec MD for the former or any Canadian MD program in the latter.

So is there any other way for me to practice in Canada?

 

[Goldenboy101]

Also, is it better to go into Internal Medicine or Radiology? Anyone can answer.

 

[Medstart108]

So is there any other way for me to practice in Canada?

I believe Canada does take foreign fellows and attendings as well, I believe if you finished med school and residency in the US and applied for a fellowship or a staff physician position it should be possible. They may make you take an exam or two or maybe make you work under supervision for a year I believe.

IM and Radiology are pretty different specialities, so choose the one you are most interested in. There are definitely more jobs in general IM in Canada than radiology though if that is of interest to you.

 

[onelastpuff23]

Canadian billings may be going up but its still a public health care system. It's still a matter of time where costs and expenses must be controlled. Radiologist in Canada make obscene amounts of money because of obsolete billing practices. In the end, you are comparing a public vs private health care systems. You may get paid more money working as a hospitalist in Canada or under specific conditions. The potential for mass wealth is much higher in the US. Elite programs like plastic surgery, derm, ophthomology pay 3-4 times more in the US and there are far more opportunities.

I know you want to leave Texas but you should consider doing so AFTER medical school. Texas has very good tuition and great education. If you are really interested in Canada, your best bet is after residency.

 

[NewCanadian]

The OP asked How Does the Canadian Medical System Work.
The answer to this question fills many books, magazines, reports, websites, etc.
The medical system in Canada is complex and no single response on this forum can answer that question.
If what you wanted to know is how to get into medical school and residency in Canada, then others have answered.
If you want to know how the medical system works, you have a lot of reading to do.
I suggest you start with the Canadian Medical Association.