Evidence of meeting #7 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was imgs.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
I guess that's directed to me, Madam Chair.
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
Thank you.
The evaluating examination is created by a panel of Canadian physicians who are practising in Canada at this moment, and the pass is established on what would be expected of a Canadian graduate just entering a residency or entering a program.
So it is a minimal exam. It is also stripped of Canadian context as much as we can. Because these items are written by Canadian-educated physicians, there's obviously a Canadian bias in it, but there is no public health or organizational aspects to that exam.
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
The attempt is to reduce the cultural bias, as much as a Canadian writing an examination question can. Obviously, they won't be on the country's perhaps predominant health questions, because there are now our predominant health questions.
There has been some work in terms of web-based sites to help with communication and cultural acceptance. There's one we support, which was developed through the University of Toronto, and it relates to our objectives. So there is an attempt to do this. It's available as a recommendation when you go on our website.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I'm wondering if an assessment in the future would look at cultural bias. I appreciate the actions that have been taken, but if there's an actual assessment...
I'm also wondering if IMGs sit on that panel, those who have become doctors.
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
The president of the Medical Council of Canada is an IMG.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
What number of IMGs do we lose after a failure, in terms of how many come through? If we lose people after a failure, you would be able to see the numbers. Is there a gap? How many do we lose, or do they retake it? What's the percentage?
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
We have looked at those data. I can certainly provide them to the committee, but I don't have them on me.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
That would be extremely helpful.
What is the average number of times an IMG takes to pass, depending on geographic location?
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
I can show you some data that explicates it, but there is a decreasing number. If you look at it, it's a graph that falls off, and there's certainly a percentage who pass the first time, and then two or three times, and--
Liberal
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
Yes.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Are supports available to IMGs in finding alternative health occupations? Do you think this is a role the federal government could help with? Because it seems to me we're losing tremendous expertise.
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council of Canada
I think that was Dr. Varastehpour's point. There really aren't effective bridging programs for physicians who want to find alternate careers. The provincial governments, Ontario, for example, have established a physician assistance program. Manitoba has a physician assistance program. Alternate careers for people who've been out of the system too long is something that perhaps could be addressed by the committee.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
That's very helpful. Thank you.
What is the average number of times an IMG uses CaRMS before being successful, and how does that compare to Canadian grads?
General Manager, Canadian Resident Matching Service
I don't have the data on that, but I'd be glad to share it with the committee. As I said earlier, approximately half the IMGs in each year's match, for the last two or three years, have been returning IMGs--half of the 1,600.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Ms. Lefebvre, I think you wanted to make a comment on that as well.
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada
Just a comment on the counselling when it looks as if medicine may not be a career. That is mentioned in the pan-Canadian framework as a role of the medical regulatory authorities. We suggested that while it's an important function, it's possibly not the role of the medical regulatory authorities.
General Manager, Canadian Resident Matching Service
Just as a quick point on that, alternate pathways for IMGs, HealthForceOntario hosted a little symposium for 300 or 400 IMGs for the first time last year. Half a dozen or a dozen organizations told them about different paths completely outside of medicine in some cases. It was well attended. It was very well received by both the partner organizations that were participating in it and the IMGs.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you, Dr. Duncan.
I would like to thank our witnesses especially. I want to wish you a very happy Easter. I hope you have a lovely weekend. We as a committee very much appreciate your presence here today and your insightful comments.
To the committee, happy Easter to you all. I look forward to seeing you after the break week.
The meeting is adjourned.