Canada v/s American Residency Chances for IMGs

This post is more of a debate opener and I hope knowledgeable people will post their inputs in helping us build this. Inspired more by a particularly belligerent pro-Canadian IMG on my USMLE - Residency Group on Facebook, I might be wrong on same places since I admit, I am still learning the details of the Canadian Residency System for IMGs.

To start with, here are some figures that we can put together from 2007 Match results for Both Canada and United States NRMP match:


2007 Canadian Residency Match Results / Statistic for IMGs:

• Total PGY1 Positions in Match: 2449
• Total IMGs in the Match: 1486
• Total IMGs Matched (1st + 2nd iteration) : 298

Hence Match Rate: 20% (Hope I got this right )

Source

Though the Canadian Website did not provide details on how many total IMGs applied and got no interviews to qualify for the match

2007 American Match Results / Statistics for IMGs

(This is only the NRMP match - SFmatch is separate for specialties like Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, etc.)

• Total PGY1 Positions in Match : 21,845
• Total Non-US IMGs in Match: 6992
• Total Non-US IMGs Matched: 3,180
• Total Non-US IMGs who Withdrew : 2,228

The IMGs who withdrew mostly got 'Prematches' and did not participate in Match - but lets say only 50% of them got pre-matches = 1114 Prematches

Hence Approximate number of Non-US IMGs who got PGY1 Residency Positions: 1114 + 3180 = 4294 out of total of 9220 IMGs with interviews = 46%

Source


So, the Residency landing Rate for Non-US IMGs in USA was about 46% in the United States versus a 20% IMG Match Rate in Canada. Thus, if the question were - which place is 'easier', even if the applicants are way more in USA - the probability of IMGs finding a residency is still higher in the United States - considering the exams are as tough in both countries.

Additionally, the process in Canada for IMGs has another rate-limiting factor or a bottleneck - the 1-year Pre-Residency Post-Graduate Training Requirement needed to qualify for the Qualifying exam II (Training Preferred in Canada, but some provinces accept US experience).




[To be continued...]

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IMGs more likely to prescribe unnecessary Antibiotics

This was one of the inferences drawn by a study conducted by Montreal's McGill University and at Montreal General Hospital, Canada. International medical graduates were more likely to prescribe antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections, which do not respond to antibiotics. IMG is a relative term, and the paper found that this applied more to Non-US and Non-British IMGs in Canada

The paper available for free on the Canadian Medical Association Journal, enlists four hypothesis to explain the findings:

1. Improper training
2. More time in practice = More likely to prescribe antibiotics and softening to patient demands
3. Physician training environment and cultural expectations in the IMG country
4. IMGs tend to cut down on patient-physician interaction and give out medicines quick to send the patient home fast


I sorta agree with the third point here and I see some truth in that - at least in some rural parts in India - often a doctor who does not prescribe any drugs at all is considered 'useless' by a patient ..lol - which makes many physicians at least prescribe vitamins if they don't have anything real to prescribe, than to lose the patient to another doctor down the block who will do the favor. There are no complex HMO or Preferred Provider networks out there to tie them to a particular physician, patients are free to go to any doc


Read the paper here

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