Thread: canadians and the residency,...ALL CANADIANS SHOULD READ THIS

Hi

I am from vancouver canada, currently thinking of applying to saint james. I have read a ton about becoming an IMG and pretty much know everything now what things a canadian IMG will need to secure a residency and get licensed in the US. So far I can agree with many that getting your residency
program director to sponsor an H1B is the best route but I've seen that very few programs are willing to do this. So the best opportunities for us is the J1 visa. BUT, the "statement of need" form we need to get from Health Canada states that we must first write the MCCEE medical exam ($1000), pass that, wait 6 weeks for the result, then we can apply for J1.

I guess you should all try to do your best to try and convince the residency program directors to fix you an H1B but I don't know how big of a deal it would be for them.

Sooo, I would really appreciate ANYONE who has written the MCCEE or any canadian who has thought about all the hell they are going to have to go through to get a residency,...PLEASE share your views and comments about this. I am sure all canadians at SJSM would like to hear about this.

yes, everything written above is true. canadians should be aware of this.
a friend of mine recently wrote the MCCEE and she found it a lot easier than step 2 ck. she passed with a decent score studying only from the kaplan books. toronto notes were way too detailed according to her.

good point. im in a similar boat and am planning to write the MCCEE regardless. i guess, now i have to write it. Makes no difference but my q. is around the consensus (even from the docs at the clinic i work at) say its better to write it during step 2 time. so, when exactly is the best time to go for it? Jus want to reinforce the consensus on this forum at a greater detail. Any other info regarding this matter is apprecited as well.

Hmmm banned huh?

Originally Posted by Dr. X

good point. im in a similar boat and am planning to write the MCCEE regardless. i guess, now i have to write it. Makes no difference but my q. is around the consensus (even from the docs at the clinic i work at) say its better to write it during step 2 time. so, when exactly is the best time to go for it? Jus want to reinforce the consensus on this forum at a greater detail. Any other info regarding this matter is apprecited as well.

recently a friend of mine did write the mccee....keep in mind though the material for mccee is changing.....
also though mccee covers material mainly found on usmle step 2...i was told u could only write it once u have obtained your md degree....thats y my friend had to wait till he finished all the rotations and requirements set forth by sjsm....
Toronto notes i think is the best...but the material is very similiar to Kaplan USMLES Step 2 Lecture notes...

Originally Posted by mstrad

Hi

I am from vancouver canada, currently thinking of applying to saint james. I have read a ton about becoming an IMG and pretty much know everything now what things a canadian IMG will need to secure a residency and get licensed in the US. So far I can agree with many that getting your residency
program director to sponsor an H1B is the best route but I've seen that very few programs are willing to do this. So the best opportunities for us is the J1 visa. BUT, the "statement of need" form we need to get from Health Canada states that we must first write the MCCEE medical exam ($1000), pass that, wait 6 weeks for the result, then we can apply for J1.

I guess you should all try to do your best to try and convince the residency program directors to fix you an H1B but I don't know how big of a deal it would be for them.

Sooo, I would really appreciate ANYONE who has written the MCCEE or any canadian who has thought about all the hell they are going to have to go through to get a residency,...PLEASE share your views and comments about this. I am sure all canadians at SJSM would like to hear about this.

check out the forum for canadian img for your answers....

Originally Posted by canadiankid

recently a friend of mine did write the mccee....keep in mind though the material for mccee is changing.....
also though mccee covers material mainly found on usmle step 2...i was told u could only write it once u have obtained your md degree....thats y my friend had to wait till he finished all the rotations and requirements set forth by sjsm....
Toronto notes i think is the best...but the material is very similiar to Kaplan USMLES Step 2 Lecture notes...

thnx ck. who is putting the restriction that you can only write it after your md degree? also, do most ppl use toronto notes and kaplan step2 notes in conjunction and take both exams within a same period. Or its better to tackle step2 with kaplan notes and then work with toronto notes to tackle mccee? from the opinions of those who have went through this, which has worked better? thanx.

well, from what i have heard is that the toronto notes are a pain, so a lot of people opt for the kaplan notes only (with the ethics section from the toronto notes).
i was not aware that you have to have your md before you can write the mccee. well, that is truly a pain since it is very similar to step 2 ck. it would be best to write them both around the same time. another thing is that the mccee can only be written three times a year. any other restrictions that anybody has heard of?

At risk of going off topic, why did Canada stop accepting the USMLEs as equivalents?

della love canada stuffs