Fine then, be that way Canada

I am super pissed right now at the Canadian medical system. Probably even more pissed than the two times I went through the application process to get INTO medical school in Canada (and wasn't even interviewed).

On Asystole I eluded to the CaRMS meeting we had last week with regards to returning to Canada to complete our residencies once we're medical graduates.

I feel seriously betrayed by the Canadian medical education system and their completely myopic approach to solving the horrendous shortage of MD's in Canada.

First off...I am a resident in BC and AB. My family lives in AB and my friends (and lifestyle of choice) is found in BC. So it would seem logical that I want to return to one of those places if I'd like to have a residency there. Yeah, not an option. My third choice was Quebec because Tobie is Quebecois and we'd like to go there together as he's moving back there in 2 years once he's done his program here. Strike three.

I CAN'T ACTUALLY APPLY to any of those three provinces for residency. Why you ask? Because if you are an IMG (international med grad) you have to have *permission* to apply to those provinces for Residency (when I say 'Residency' I am referring to the post-grad training you have to do in order to develop your specialty in Canada...you don't just graduate with MD and start working in a clinic the next day). To gain this great privilege you have to have written all of the qualifying exams that foreign doctors have to write, and you have to have passed them. Fine, I get that. BUT you have to do that AFTER you graduate which means I will graduate in the summer and then have to wait until Sept or Nov to write the exams and since I wont be done all of the exams until the CARMS intake is closed for that year I will have to SIT ON MY ASS for an entire year waiting for the next match with all of my passing grades. Plus Quebec has the added barrier which is you have to LIVE there for a year before you can apply for *permission* to be a Resident.

Which would be fine if I had money. Then I could travel the world, take my yoga instructor course, play mandolin all day long, etc. However I will be a QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS in debt when I am done school which means that I will have thousands of dollars of payments to make each month while also observing my total debt rise with the unpaid chunk still accumulating interest. Yes, because most of my tuition was paid for by a LINE OF CREDIT not a STUDENT LOAN.

Screw you Canada.

So my options are Ontario (5 year return of service), Sask (7 year ROS), NFLD (3 year ROS) or Manitoba. If I actually choose a specialty I will be free from Ontario when I am 44 years old. Yeah, that is 14 years from now.

All because I wanted to be a doctor.

If I had known then what I know now...I can definitely say I would have done SOOOO many things differently.

Like stayed a nurse for one.
Reapplied in Canada for two.
Applied in the US for medical school for three.

Also, guess what, I don't want to be a plastic surgeon living in TO doing boob jobs all day. I actually want to work in underserviced areas and as a volunteer overseas. Where is the support from the government? From the medical schools to promote physicians who want to serve RURAL communities?

Grrrrrrr...... *snaps pencil in half*