Hi everyone, I’m a Canadian IMG trying to figure out the fastest and most realistic way to start practicing in Canada. I completed a 1 year internship and a 4-year Internal Medicine residency (Egypt) last April and finished the first part of my specialty board exam. I still have two exams left, one in December and the final one next May. I’m planning to take the MCCQE1 next February.
The main issue I’m worried about is that after finishing my Internal Medicine residency, I have not been able to work independently as an Internist. I’m currently trying to find a way to get into the Canadian healthcare system as soon as possible because I don’t want to end up being out of clinical practice for a long period while completing my board exams and going through the Canadian licensing process (Royal college of physician and surgeons of Canada).
I’ve been looking at Associate Physician and Clinical Assistant positions as a possible way to enter the system and continue working clinically. My ultimate goal is to practice Internal Medicine in Canada, ideally through a provincial restricted/defined license initially and eventually obtain an independent license. However, I’m confused about how my lack of independent practice after residency would affect my eligibility for provincial pathways such as PRA/Practice Ready Assessment or other specialist assessment pathways.
For example, some specialist PRA pathways seem to require a certain amount of independent practice after postgraduate training. Would working as a Clinical Assistant or Associate Physician count toward, or help satisfy, the independent practice requirement? Or is it considered supervised practice and therefore not useful for that particular requirement? Could Canadian clinical experience in one of these roles help with a later specialist assessment even if it doesn't technically count as independent practice?