Ottawa, November 14, 2017 – The CMA joins the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) in welcoming the recent news from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC). On Oct. 25, the Deans of Medicine across Canada announced a series of actions to reduce the number of unmatched graduates from Canadian medical schools as well as to improve flexibility for medical resident transfers.
The CMA has long advocated for a more flexible postgraduate medical education system so that highly-skilled and well-trained Canadian physicians can pursue their medical careers in Canada and are not forced to seek postgraduate training elsewhere, such as in the U.S.
The CMA’s policy “Flexibility in Medical Training” recommends that medical students be provided with sufficient choice to seek the training that best matches their skills and interests, as well as societal demands.
“Throughout the course of my own 40-year career, caring for my patients has brought me such immense joy, honour and pride,” shared CMA President Dr. Laurent Marcoux. “We have graduating students ready to start their own meaningful careers caring for Canadians, so let’s build a system that allows them to do that”.
According to data from the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS), a total of 145 Canadian medical student participants were unsuccessful in securing a residency position after both iterations of the most recent match cycle – the highest number in the history of the service.
The CMA will continue to work with key stakeholders, including the CFMS, the AFMC and CaRMS, to ensure students receive support in making informed career choices and enjoy a broad range of clinical experiences before they have to choose a specific discipline.