What to do as a med school graduate in Toronto?

[Member12345679]

I graduated from med school as an IMG last summer and applied for the 2013 match. Unfortunately I did not get a residency spot and I will be spending another year in Toronto. I guess the most important thing for me to do is to keep in touch with medicine somehow for the next few months until I apply again and I can add that to my CV. I've spoken to some people and they all suggested that I should try to get an externship. However, it seems really hard to get an externship here in Toronto. Is an externship the only answer or could I just get into anything in Toronto that involves interacting with patients and keeping in touch with clinical skills? Wouldn't that be sufficient? Thanks in advance.

[shima]

you have to see why you did not match, was it your below average marks, was it your IV skills, was it the fact that the school you graduated from had their clinical rotations in doctors offices and not actual hospitals, so you got all your LOR from just attending rather than Program directors. If you graduated from INDIA, Paskistan and Middle east you should have no problem matching, if you graduated from ROSS, SABA, SGU no problem either. But schools like All Saints, Xavier and other low tier schools you have no chance, well you do but very very very low.

Now what you could do is to do CAD exams and score very well. and try to get externship in USA, most likely contact ACA since now these type of services would be better for you.

Once again if you went to low tier schools, try to get a lawyer and get your tuition back.

many many residency programs are very strict on which schools graduates they will interview [from Carib_IMG]

[patelMD]

Originally Posted by shima

you have to see why you did not match, was it your below average marks, was it your IV skills, was it the fact that the school you graduated from had their clinical rotations in doctors offices and not actual hospitals, so you got all your LOR from just attending rather than Program directors. If you graduated from INDIA, Paskistan and Middle east you should have no problem matching, if you graduated from ROSS, SABA, SGU no problem either. But schools like All Saints, Xavier and other low tier schools you have no chance, well you do but very very very low.

Now what you could do is to do CAD exams and score very well. and try to get externship in USA, most likely contact ACA since now these type of services would be better for you.

Once again if you went to low tier schools, try to get a lawyer and get your tuition back.

many many residency programs are very strict on which schools graduates they will interview [from Carib_IMG]

I disagree & agree.

Disagree: School names increase/decrease chances of matching
Agree: Xavier & All Saints and many of the newer schools are awful and just cash grabs.

I've met a few students from "lower tier" (ie. Windsor) schools who matched this year in good programs, school name is meaningless when everyone is an IMG. The PC's don't know one from another unless they have a resident from your school in their program.

Also, I'd think board scores matter more then school name. Many of my classmates with shitty board scores failed to match (I was in a top 4 school).

[shima]

Originally Posted by patelMD

I disagree & agree.

Disagree: School names increase/decrease chances of matching
Agree: Xavier & All Saints and many of the newer schools are awful and just cash grabs.

I've met a few students from "lower tier" (ie. Windsor) schools who matched this year in good programs, school name is meaningless when everyone is an IMG. The PC's don't know one from another unless they have a resident from your school in their program.

Also, I'd think board scores matter more then school name. Many of my classmates with shitty board scores failed to match (I was in a top 4 school).

True, but when the program director, asst. program director , chief resident are from the Big 4 [Ross, SGU, AUC, Saba] I think we know the chance is higher.
Windsor is a decent school, I bet those kids had good marks.

[patelMD]

Originally Posted by shima

True, but when the program director, asst. program director , chief resident are from the Big 4 [Ross, SGU, AUC, Saba] I think we know the chance is higher.
Windsor is a decent school, I bet those kids had good marks.

I think in that situation yep, its a different story. Unfortunately people from my school (Ross) had quite the superiority complex, badmouthed even some American schools only to go unmatched lol.

Windsor is a decent school? I don't agree. They need to stop advertising on tv and making themselves seem like a degree mill.