Physician credentials

[Terry Ben]

Hello,

Me and my husband are from Pakistan and we would like to get our physician document credentialing done. our medical degrees are from Pakistan, I wanted to know how do i get my USMLE documents verified. How do i contact the FSMB or ECFMG? I have taken my USMLE step 3 as well.
Thankyou.

 

[canuck78]

Hello,

Me and my husband are from Pakistan and we would like to get our physician document credentialing done. our medical degrees are from Pakistan, I wanted to know how do i get my USMLE documents verified. How do i contact the FSMB or ECFMG? I have taken my USMLE step 3 as well.
Thankyou.

The real issue is your residencies. There are very few residency spots available so unless you are from certain specialties your chances of getting licensed are very low. GPs, pathologists and psychiatrists have a better chance and so do French speaking physicians. On top of all that many specialists can’t find jobs after graduation. Wait times are not due to physician shortages in most cases they are purely budgetary issues.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...new-specialist-doctors-cant-find-a-job-after/

 

[Terry Ben]

Thank you. I just want to do my physician credentialing at the time being. Does anyone the same situation as me.

 

[canuck78]

Thank you. I just want to do my physician credentialing at the time being. Does anyone the same situation as me.

Contact info is on their websites. The reality remains the same that if you are considering moving to Canada you have to look at how many residencies went unfilled and whether you will be able to get licensed in Canada.

 

[ingoingoingo]

It’s quite straightforward if all you want to do is get your credentials assessed. You register at physiciansapply.ca and submit all the required information to them (ID, primary medical qualification, +/- specialist credentials). If ECFMG has already completed some/all of this for you for USA checks, then it’ll cut down on time for those done via MCC as they won’t need to be repeated. However, you’ll still need to submit all the information and pay your fees.

Provinces/territories won’t automatically licence you as an independent physician unless meet the Canadian standard (valid degree, LMCC, completed Canadian or poss US residency, have FRCPC). There are potential options but as per @canuck78 it can be very difficult to get a full license and a job in Canada. Be sure to do your research.

 

[canuck78]

It’s quite straightforward if all you want to do is get your credentials assessed. You register at physiciansapply.ca and submit all the required information to them (ID, primary medical qualification, +/- specialist credentials). If ECFMG has already completed some/all of this for you for USA checks, then it’ll cut down on time for those done via MCC as they won’t need to be repeated. However, you’ll still need to submit all the information and pay your fees.

Provinces/territories won’t automatically licence you as an independent physician unless meet the Canadian standard (valid degree, LMCC, completed Canadian or poss US residency, have FRCPC). There are potential options but as per @canuck78 it can be very difficult to get a full license and a job in Canada. Be sure to do your research.

Given that other countries make it so much easier for physicians to practice it boggles my mind that physicians would risk moving to Canada unless one spouse is Canadian. Obviously there are a few exceptions but in general most IMGs are not aware how difficult it is to get licensed and with increased graduation at Canadian med schools it has become more difficult. There are also Canadians who may have attended medical school abroad and they are also competing for the leftover residency spots and actually fighting for in selecting leftover residency spots. On top of all that it is actually quite hard to get a job for many specialists. Some fill locums for a while or work in a rural areas, part-time, do another fellowship or even work abroad and apply for any openings. I had a friend who graduated from the top plastic surgery residency, did fellowships at the 2 best hospitals and won a bunch of surgery awards yet had one so-so job offer that wasn’t even full-time. She did mostly breast reconstruction after cancer and hand surgery so not the cosmetic stuff. Unfortunately people misinterpret headlines about wait times and shortage of doctors as need for more doctors. In general it is a budget issue and there is a need for more money that will not be spent on a hiring spree. In the 90s and early 2000s it was much easier for an IMG to get licensed partially due to lower salaries and brain drain to the US. Unless you are working at a top US hospital it doesn’t make sense necessarily to move and deal with the headaches of malpractice insurance and health insurance in the US. If I was a radiologist,dermatologist,ophthamologist, etc. there is basically no chance of having a leftover residency spot.

 

[Terry Ben]

Thanks for all the advise. I just want to do my ecfmg credentialing. Please can anyone guide me, thanks.

 

[ingoingoingo]

Thanks for all the advise. I just want to do my ecfmg credentialing. Please can anyone guide me, thanks.

I don’t understand what extra guidance you need. Can you be more specific please?

I have given you the website ready above for the Medical Council of Canada service physiciansapply.ca. You need to go to that website, create an account and pay the fees, then follow their instructions. You have to send various release and ID forms, your passport, details and copies of degrees etc. They’re step-by-step but I found some information could be clearer, even with English as my first language. So do post again if you have a question. But further advice “for guidance” is not possible.

Having been through a lot of this process myself, believe me that if you cannot do what it asks on physiciansapply.ca yourself ... which is one of the easier steps ... then you’re likely to struggle a lot with future steps. It’s a long process!

If you want someone to do the forms for you, then you’ll need to appoint and pay a regulated immigration consultant or lawyer. In my opinion, this isn’t necessary. But for some people it could help. I’d not be surprised if some of these individuals don’t always know themselves what to do, so instead post on forums like this with generic posts for help. Whilst charging you lots of money!

If you’re looking for a residency as an IMG (e.g. see https://www.aimg.ca/ for Alberta), then they may be able to offer some support with the various steps. But to match on these programs you need to have done certain exams and be a competitive candidate.

Good luck! And be sure you’re making an informed decision before spending money.

 

[ingoingoingo]

Thanks for all the advise. I just want to do my ecfmg credentialing. Please can anyone guide me, thanks.

Btw my reply only applies if it’s Canada that you wish to come to as a physician. Lots of countries use the ECFMG system (eg Canada, UK, Australia, NZ etc). You go to their website and follow their processes, and behind the scenes they use ECFMG. If you actually want your ECFMG credentialing to be done for the USA, then it’s not the Medical Council of Canada site (and you’re on the wrong forum).

 

[canuck78]

I don't think you may be appreciating how difficult get licensed as a physician will be. What type of doctors are you? Passing all the exams are difficult but definitely not the most challenging part of becoming licensed as a physician in Canada. Matching to a residency spot is incredibly difficult especially because some specialties don't have any leftover residencies spots available. You really need to do a lot more research before deciding to try to immigrate to Canada. Have you considered immigrating to other countries?

 

[ingoingoingo]

I don't think you may be appreciating how difficult get licensed as a physician will be. What type of doctors are you? Passing all the exams are difficult but definitely not the most challenging part of becoming licensed as a physician in Canada. Matching to a residency spot is incredibly difficult especially because some specialties don't have any leftover residencies spots available. You really need to do a lot more research before deciding to try to immigrate to Canada. Have you considered immigrating to other countries?

Completely agree. I’m about 2 years into this journey with the last 8 months in Canada (already qualified specialist outside of Canada/USA). There’s probably another 12 months ahead and, even with the support of other Canadian physicians, there are several more hurdles where everything might fail. There are zero guarantees and a huge amount of time/money along the way.