Student Corner - Winter 2008/2009

Entering Foreign-Trained Doctors into the Canadian Medical Workforce

Nour Schoueri is a PhD student in the department of Health Studies & Gerontology at the University of Waterloo. Her main research focus includes immigrant and minority women’s health and the influence of culture on health behaviour. She is currently applying this focus to STI/HIV prevention research.

Canada is currently facing medical doctor shortages, especially in underserved areas. This gap exists even though many foreign-trained doctors immigrate to Canada with the hope of using their skills. However, foreign-trained doctors have great difficulty entering the medical workforce in Canada, and face a number of barriers, including: 1) dealing with immigration issues, 2) lack of clear, centralized information, 3) lack of available step-by-step progression through the medical system, and 4) language barriers.

In order to address these barriers, programs have been developed to help foreign-trained doctors enter the medical workforce. Common evidence-based components to many of these programs include:

• Providing study groups for foreign-trained doctors in order to prepare for exams,
• Providing information on the medical system,
• Identifying the steps to enter the medical workforce,
• Developing groups in order to increase social support among individuals facing similar experiences,
• Providing employment training such as résumé building and interviewing skills,
• English-language training, and
• Volunteer/mentoring/work placements.

However, while these programs do exist, many lack a comprehensive focus. For example, several programs merely prepare foreign-trained doctors for qualifying exams. Given the medical professional shortages in Canada, it is vital to create comprehensive programs, using evidence-based practices, to aid foreign-trained doctors in completing their re-accreditation in an efficient and effective manner.

A review of the literature that I conducted for a University of Waterloo graduate course (Building Community-University Research Alliances) suggests that gaining hands-on experience in the medical workforce is a crucial step in the re-licensing of foreign-trained doctors. However, it is clear that future programs should take a comprehensive approach, and attempt to target the main barriers foreign doctors face. Many of the evidence-based practices go hand-in-hand, such as study groups for exam preparation and providing group interactions in order to increase social support, and may thus facilitate program development and implementation. Entering foreign doctors in the medical system while increasing doctor availability in Canada is a winning situation for all.