I Matched: An International Medical Graduate’s journey into Canadian Residency

Written by: Oluwatobi Fasola

INTRODUCTION

I recently matched into the General Surgery residency program of University of Toronto - a
huge feat, especially for an international medical graduate from Africa. I was overwhelmed
with requests for a detailed review of my journey, so below I have described my story as
succinctly as possible. Thereafter, in Part Two, I provided generic advice to those who seek to
walk these steps.

PART ONE

My Story:

I’m Tobi, and like many young bright kids in Nigeria, I chose to be a doctor. I got admitted to
Obafemi Awolowo University College of Health Sciences to study medicine. At OAU, the motto
is “For Learning and Culture” and that became my motto too. I became an avid learner, strove
for excellence and got involved in a variety of extracurricular activities. In my final year, I took
advantage of the period for medical school electives; I sent tons of cold emails to medical
schools in Canada, and eventually secured and completed a four-week elective at the
Pediatric General Surgery service of the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg.

Following the elective, I returned to Nigeria to complete medical school, then internship
(House-job) and then the compulsory one year of National Service. I eventually started
Surgery residency at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. In my third year of surgical
training, my wanderlust kicked in again; I sent several cold emails to surgical programs in
Canada. I got many rejections but I was finally able to secure a General Surgery elective in
Winnipeg, Manitoba and an observership with a urologist in Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto.
My experience during these times exposed me to the Canadian Health System and an
understanding of what it took to get into practice in Canada. I made sure to remain in contact
with the supervisors and other residents I met.

I returned to Nigeria to complete my residency training in Urology. I should add that during
my surgical training, I volunteered for medical missions to Rural Ghana and Nigeria. I also
participated in leadership roles such as being elected the Vice President of the Association of
Resident Doctors. Towards the end of residency in Nigeria, just like many young people who
are disillusioned by the state of things in the country, I applied for and got the Canadian
Permanent Resident immigrant status. This process required source verification of my
medical credentials via physicianapply.ca. I eventually migrated in the thick of the pandemic.

Within the year of 2021, I completed the required examinations to enter residency in Canada:
Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination 1 (MCCQE1), the National Assessment
Collaboration Objective Structured Clinical Examination (NAC OSCE), the IELTS (Academic)
and CASPER, a situational judgment test (takealtus.com).

©2022. Oluwatobi. I Matched – An IMG’s journey into Canadian Residency

For the MCCQE1, I used UWorld Step 2 CK question bank, Practice Tests from the MCC website
(mcc.ca) and medical ethics information on the Canadian Medical Protective Association
(CMPA) website for my preparation. While for the NAC OSCE, I joined *MedCognito, a
preparatory class where we practiced OSCE cases (medcognito.com).

I also completed Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training
to improve my CV. I arranged for a Dean’s letter from my medical school and requested for
Letters of Reference from previous supervisors in my residency training and
elective/observership opportunities.

I spent several hours researching the programs on the Canadian Residency Matching Service
website to understand the requirements for successful matching. I got a notebook and
highlighted all the criteria the programs generally require and assess how well my experiences
fit each criterion. The Help Desk of the CaRMS website contained a wealth of information and
was very helpful. I made sure to attend virtual information sessions of the different program,
where several questions were usually answered.

I had the help of a mentor, (via medcognito), who helped to proof-read my personal
statements, curriculum vitae and other required documents. The process of preparing and
uploading documents on the CaRMS portal is strenuous so I made sure to start early. After
submitting the applications, I was offered interviews for three disciplines and programs. I
prepared for the interviews by practicing with friends, mentors and I also subscribed to an
interview prep course by *BeMo Consulting. I made sure to be myself and remained calm at
the interviews. They really just wanted to know who I was and if I was a “great fit” for the
program.

I then ranked the programs in order of my preference and waited for the Match Day with so
much anxiety. I opened the result with trembling hands and I was very excited to match to
my desired program.

Summary of the Residency pathway:

1. Register for an account on physicianapply.ca
2. Source verify your credentials
3. Take MCCQE1, NAC OSCE, IELTS Academic and Casper examinations
4. Some provinces require you to participate in assessment programs
5. Get Canadian citizenship or permanent residency
6. Prepare your documents: Personal letters, essay and CV.
7. Request for Letters of reference, Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)/
Dean’s letter
8. Submit applications via the CaRMS website and get interview offers
9. Prepare well for the interviews and give your best.
10. Hope for the best on Match Day.

©2022. Oluwatobi. I Matched – An IMG’s journey into Canadian Residency

PART TWO
Advice on Residency Match:
1. If you are currently in medical school:
a. Strive for excellence, aim for distinctions, and Honors if possible
b. Volunteer and/or participate in extracurricular activities that showcase
leadership and teamwork
c. Get electives in Canadian medical schools and the specialty you hope to train
in the future. Check for schools that usually have IMG spots for the specialty
d. Get involved in research in the field you are interested in
2. If you are done with medical school:
a. Seek opportunities for electives, and observerships at many of the Canadian
programs and be proactive about establishing contact.
b. Get involved in some research (i.e., posters, peer reviewed publications).
c. Join relevant societies or organizations in your desired specialty or field.
d. Read up information available on many of the program websites, CaRMS, MCC.
3. If you have completed postgraduate training
a. Consider applying for subspecialty fellowships or research fellowships
b. Maintain currency of practice.
c. Sell your experience

CONCLUSION
It is true that it is an arduous process to get residency positions in Canada for IMGs because
the positions are very competitive, however, you can increase your chances by making sure
you “tick all the boxes” of your desired program/specialty and giving it your best so that you
can stand out. The absolutely important things in improving your match are:
1. Good command of English language and splendid communication skills (IELTS etc.).
2. Relevant clinical experience in Canada (Electives, Fellowships, Clinical Assistantships,
Observerships etc.)
3. Proven and consistent academic excellence
4. Good performance at the required examinations (MCCQE1, NAC OSCE, Casper,
Assessment programs etc.)
5. Recency of clinical practice or experience (Don’t stay out of clinical practice too long)
6. Well researched knowledge of the programs
7. Lots of luck.

Oluwatobi (Tobi) Fasola.

© 2022 All Rights Reserved

*Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement for these programs.

Resources
1. https://physiciansapply.ca/
2. https://mcc.ca/examinations/
3. https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/education-events/good-practices
4. https://www.carms.ca/
5. https://carms.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

©2022. Oluwatobi. I Matched – An IMG’s journey into Canadian Residency