U of M Docs: We Want You!

October 31, 2012 at 9:46 am

We are committed as a faculty to attracting the majority of our graduating medical students to U of M residency programs who will, ultimately, meet the health care needs of Manitobans across the province.

The Faculty of Medicine’s Student Retention Steering Committee recommended a number of changes to the 2013 Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) process for international medical graduates (IMGs) and Canadian medical graduates (CMGs).

We are taking the following actions to recruit and retain 70 % of our graduates and Manitoba residents to U of M residency program positions in 2013:

•Departments/programs must interview all U of M grads and self-identified MB residents during the CaRMS process.

•We are developing formal weighting criteria relating to the students’ connection to Manitoba, in ranking applicants in the CaRMS match process.

•We will allocate a much larger percentage of spaces for U of M and CMGs. In 2013, 116/138 spots (84 %) will be filled by CMGs compared to 85 in 2012.

•Like the majority of Canadian medical schools, we will run two parallel streams for CMGs and IMGs during the CaRMS match.Last year IMGs filled 36 spots. In 2013, IMGs can fill a maximum of 22 positions (or 16 %). IMGs matched to a U of M residency position will be required to complete a return of service in Manitoba.

•IMG designated positions are distributed to many, but not all, departments. In smaller residency programs, 1/5 (20 %) of positions may be designated for IMGs while 11/53 (21 %) of Family Medicine positions are earmarked for IMGs.

•The parallel streams mean positions will be designated for each stream for the first iteration of CaRMS and there will be no cross-overs or transfers between the two streams.

•Any unfilled positions after the first iteration will be blended in to a single stream for the second iteration and will be open to all eligible candidates.

Why are we doing this? We know that where doctors earn their MDs, and where they complete their residency training, both have an effect on where they might practice.

Seventy-three per cent of physicians who completed both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Manitoba practiced in Manitoba 2 years after completing their training (65% practiced in Manitoba 5 years after training, and 58% after 1O years).

We want our graduating students –many who were born and bred here- to choose to stay in Manitoba for postgrad training because we offer high quality residency programs with broad clinical experiences.

The University of Manitoba is one of just 17 medical schools across Canada. As the province’s only medical school, we have a responsibility to keep the physicians we educate and train in Manitoba for service to all Manitobans.

What else should we be doing to recruit and retain our MD grads to U of M residency positions?