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Medical schools in Canada

Medical Schools in Canada

 
Canadian medical degrees are internally reputed and allow the degree-holders to practice anywhere in the world.

However, getting into medical schools is not easy, and only 25 percent of applicants are admitted. Canadian medical schools follow the US pattern, offering only graduate courses in medicine.
 

Admission Requirements

The entry requirements would vary depending upon the medical school you’re applying to.
 

Bachelor’s degree

The foremost requirement is to earn a bachelor’s university degree from a recognized university.

You require outstanding academic credentials and a high GPA. Some college may require only two years of completion of post-secondary training.

Medical schools tend to prefer BS degrees (science) that includes biology and chemistry and insist on coursework in science.
 

MCAT

Many medical schools in Canada, as in the US, require you to pass the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).
 

Language proficiency

You need to prove your proficiency in the English language with IELTS or TOEFL scores. Those with a bachelor’s degree require 6.5 in IELTS and 80 in TOEFL, and those with a postgraduate degree 7 in IELTS and 90 in TOEFL.
 

Reference letters

Medical schools may also ask for reference letters which can be obtained from employers or faculty members. These letters give the admissions committee more insights into the type of student you would be.
 

Application

Admissions to medical schools in Canada can be extremely competitive, especially for international applicants. This is because majority of the seats are available only to Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents.

This leaves very few seats for international applicants.

Only a few of the 17 medical schools / universities admit international students: among them are the universities of, Toronto, McGill, Dalhousie, McMaster, Montreal, Memorial, San Juan Bautista, Central del Caribe, Laval, Sherbrooke and Queen’s University.

Some programs have French as the medium of instruction and candidates are required to meet the requirement of fluency in French language, so make sure you’re choosing the right program where you fit in.
 

Tuition fee

The median cost of studying medicine in Canada is around C$40,000 (US$30,000) a year, including tuition (C$30,000) and living expenses (C$10,000 minimum). Top universities charge much higher fees.

For example, the tuition fee at Toronto University is C$30,000-C$56,000 and at McGill University C$17,000-C$45,000for foreign students.

To become a doctor, you need to spend around four years in a medical school to complete your MD (Medical Doctor).

The first two years would involve spending time in classroom and laboratory, whereas the remaining two years would give you a chance to work with patients under the supervision of an experienced physician.

After completing your medical school, you’d be required to take the medical licensing exam – Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE).

After this you’d have to complete the residency requirement in order to be able to practice independently. During this period, you’d be working with and learning from experienced doctors.

The residency requirement for a family doctor would be around two years and could go upto six years if you’re choosing a specialisation.
 

Scholarships

Both government and non-governmental scholarships are available to medical students in Canada.

The government scholarships mainly comprise the Canada graduate scholarships and the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) postgraduate scholarships.

The non-government scholarships consist of the Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation scholarships and the Trudeau scholarships and fellowships, and various university scholarships.

According to Payscale, the average compensation of a family Physician / doctor would be C$123,000 at entry level and experience less than five years, C$143,000 for someone with 5 to 10 years experience which can go up to C$206,000 for someone with greater than 20 years of experience.
 
Also read:
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Medical Schools in the UK
Medical Schools in Australia
Medical schools in Singapore
Medical Schools in India
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