A 12-week program for the assessment of internationally trained doctors is in the pipeline to address healthcare labor shortages.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, a self-regulating body, is planning to start a three-month program by the next spring to accelerate the recognition of international credentials of foreign-trained physicians. Such Practice Ready Assessment programs are already in place across several provinces to boost licensing formalities of Internationally Educated Physicians (IEPs). The programs aim at:
- Prompt assessment of physicians’ foreign credentials over 12 weeks through direct observation and supervision
- Posting of successful candidates at communities facing physician shortages
- Establish a pathway to help foreign-trained physicians get licenses
Physicians with foreign credentials face challenges while getting a bloody residency in Canada. The number of residency spots for internationally trained physicians is declining since the eighties. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario proposed a rise in the residency positions for internationally educated physicians.
The regulatory body aims to reduce the brain drain of foreign-trained physicians by creating a faster and smoother credential recognition system.
