why do canadians choose ireland, australia, nz,....over caribs?

better name and reputation; less stigma. plus easier to get back to canada as compared to a carib grad (but that is changing)

__________________
"Remember your Hippopotamus Oath."
-H. Simpson

how is it changing?

at least from SGU, there are an increasing number of SGU grads matching into canadian residencies. Plus with ont carms opening its second round, it should be easier for those carb grads who want to match into canada to do so

__________________
"Remember your Hippopotamus Oath."
-H. Simpson

As Posted in The Saba Forum... Thought you may find it an iteresting read.....

An Open Letter - From A Different Perspective

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AN OPEN LETTER – FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE


INTRODUCTION

TO FOREIGN TRAINED MEDICAL DOCTORS, STUDENTS AND OTHERWISE WHO HAVE TAKEN THEIR DREAM TO STUDY MEDICINE ABROAD OR WHO HAVE HAD THE COURAGE TO RELINQUISH THEIR MEDICAL CAREERS AT HOME IN HOPE OF STARTING A NEW LIFE IN CANADA. THIS OPEN LETTER “FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE” IS INTENDED FOR YOU!

THOUGH CHANGES ARE PAINFULY SLOW, THEY ARE COMING BUT WITH CAREFUL AND SINCERE ATTEMPTS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND ***** ONE’S FOREING TRAINING.

I HAVE ENCLOSED MY OPEN LETTER “FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE” AND A COPY OF A “REFLECTION” THAT APPEARED IN THE CANADIAIN FAMILY PHYSICIAN JUNE 2006 EDITION. I AM SURE YOU WILL ENJOY, RELATE AND AGREE WITH MUCH OF THE CONTENT THAT MRS. GREENBERG SHARES WITH THE READERS.
GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS.


AN OPEN LETTER – “FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE”

Saba University School of Medicine June 1st, 2006
Medical University of the Americas

FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES

Dear Colleagues:

I’m just dropping you all a line to give an update on my medical career after SUSOM.

I will be completing my first year in Academic Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan School of Medicine, Regina Program.

After spending two months in the program, I ran and was elected as Co-Administrative Resident for my year of residents. In that same time period, I was elected to the Faculty Council of the Provincial Association of Interns and Residents of Saskatchewan (PAIRS). As PAIRS Representative in a meeting for the Canadian Association of Interns and Residents (CAIR) in Toronto, I had the privilege of being on the Board of Directors of CAIR, where we have representation on multiple national sub-committees, like that on The International Medical Graduate Task Force.

Through my involvement with the above mentioned committees, I had the opportunity to provide feedback on a few of my SUSOM/MUA colleagues who had applied for second round match spots in Regina for this coming academic year. One of them obtained residency elsewhere in Canada, and the second, from MUA, was successful in obtaining a residency and will be joining our program this July 2006. I am glad that, though in a minute way, I was able to contribute to the overall favorable reviews that they both received from the Department. In addition to the above, I have been keen on replying back to the dozens of emails that I receive from students contemplating medical school and those inquiring about residency positions in Canada. I am glad that some of those emails have translated into a realization of dreams coming true. For example, I was approached by the Head of the Pediatrics Department at the RGH who wanted to inquire about the school that I trained in. By mid-summer 2006, his son had applied and secured a seat at MUA, and has been back to visit once already. He is having the time of his life.

Only recently, I initiated an Academic Family Medicine Resident Library. The resources include a collection of key information of relevance to Academic Family Medicine, such as Clinical Procedural Skills Manuals, Preventative Medicine articles, Patient-Centered Medicine self-improvement reviews and Concise Reviews and Discussions on such topics like Critical Appraisals, Mother Risk, Woman’s Health, Internal Medicine and so forth. So far, this project has been welcomed by the Department and has been met with much enthusiasm from the residents and medical students of the University of Saskatchewan.

Whilst keeping busy with the above amongst other things like volunteering as a Junior Physician in the Canada Games, I was capitalizing on the foundation that was laid out for me at SUSOM and scoring above-average/excellent marks in the various rotary year block times. In doing so, I have enjoyed meeting numerous preceptors. Above all, however, I think they have enjoyed meeting me. They were fascinated by my story of having studied medicine on an island in the Caribbean, by the “perseverance”, “courage”, “diligence”, “responsibility” and “dedication” that I displayed, and by the general “enthusiasm” and “respect” that I lent them. These are qualities that bring together “many, many” of my colleagues at SUSOM and other Foreign Medical Graduates. Capitalize on them!

I am also much pleased that I followed in the footsteps of my SUSOM colleague Dr. Rob Horner. I took much pleasure in sharing the co-Administrative Resident position with him and together we represented SUSOM with character and professionalism. So much so, that we have both agreed to extend our representation as Co-Chief Residents for the coming year.

The proudest moment for both of us, however, was on the evening of the Resident Appreciation Dinner on May 26th, 2006. Talking to a crowd that included the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region Members, the Members of the College of Medicine of Saskatchewan, our Academic Program Directors, and faculty, the Associate Dean of the School of Medicine reminded the physicians in attendance of their ”social duty to acknowledge the Canadian students who have taken their dream to study medicine abroad … to the Caribbean.”

After completing one year of post-graduate training, I am still grateful for the opportunity that SUSOM has provided me with, and the hundreds before me and probably thousands to follow. I am driven to excel and a few things give me more purpose and drive to do so than to hear of the leaps of accomplishment happening in our school.

I congratulate you all for making me proud to have graduated from SUSOM. Likewise, I hope you will be equally as proud of your graduates.

I invite any of my colleagues, both contemplating the island, on the island, or in N. America doing clinical rotations or seeking residency, to contact me for more information.

Enjoy your trip. The final destination is worth every minute of your time spent training in medicine.

--Basil Al-Saigh, MD, B.H.Sc., B.Sc.
University of Saskatchewan School of Medicine
Academic Family Medicine PGY-2 - Regina Program
Co-Chief Resident – Regina General Hospital
Faculty Council - PAIRS
Board of Directors - CAIR
Direct: 416.509.0909
Email: DrAlSaigh@Hotmail.Com


IT IS A PRIVILEGE
--Taken from the Canadian Family Physician June 2006 Edition


It is a privilege


As a social worker in an academic department of family medicine, I have been teaching behavioral sciences since the early 1990s. Back then a snapshot of an incoming group of Canadian-trained residents reflected young men and women in their early 20s to mid-20s, single or perhaps newlywed, with homes throughout Canada. I remember one of my very first seminars on death and dying elicited several personal stories of losing a beloved family pet. I was somewhat surprised that so many of these new physicians had thus far been protected from the illness or death of a family member and had to remind myself of their youth.

My first recognition of the changing profile of residents came several years later when one resident emphatically tried to win me over to his perspective that developing rapport with patients was complicated by English being his second language. This was echoed by other internationally trained residents, and gradually I began to see the evolution of a theme. The next prominent memory was several years ago when a resident spoke of civil war in her homeland that resulted in the death of her oldest brother. Several peers nodded their heads in an understanding born from similar shocking experiences of loss. As our small group sat around the conference table sharing stories of bereavement and its effect on their roles as physicians, something very special began to happen to me. I would like to share my thoughts.

The cohort of residents in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in Regina has undergone a huge transformation. A dozen years ago most, if not all, of our residents were born and educated in Canada. Today’s profile looks vastly different. More than half of our residents come to us from around the world and have graduated from a United Nations of medical schools and systems. English is their second or third language. Many have immigrated to Canada in search of a dream, a safe landing spot, an opportunity to grow perhaps in ways not available at home. These amazing individuals frequently relinquish successful medical careers in hope of working in their chosen professions in a new country. The struggles of these courageous men and women to obtain a residency spot in a Canadian department of medicine are worthy of legend. Once the prized position is obtained, the arduous journey continues as international medical graduates learn the ins and outs of the Canadian system while simultaneously striving to meet program standards. Many of these remarkable individuals are in their 30s and, yes, even 40s, are often parents and partners in dual-career marriages, and frequently have elderly parents in a homeland on another continent. Residency is just one of many responsibilities that must be met simultaneously.

Yes, the profile of family medicine residents in Regina has gradually changed, and I am in the privileged position of teaching behavioral sciences to these magnificent people. It is an honor to participate in their journeys and to teach and learn from these courageous international medical graduates. Although I initially responded to the changing resident profile with some ambivalence, that has long since evaporated. Instead, I am humbled by our residents, am awed by their accomplishments, admire their flexibility and determination, and am deeply and genuinely proud to play even the smallest of roles in helping make some dreams come true. The world now seems smaller, the drama and foibles of the other side of the globe closer, and our responsibilities to one another more real. For all this, I have the international medical graduates to thank.

-Gail R. Greenberg, MSW
Regina, sask.
by email

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Another Kanuck with a Kid in the Karibbean,Eh!
Finally Off The Rock - 2 years Down & a Gazillion $ in Debt ...