Canada has traditionally relied on a significant number of international medical graduates (IMGs) to provide medical services, particularly in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. Data from the 2002 CMA Masterfile list of physicians indicate that 23% of Canada's practising physicians were trained outside the country. The presence of IMGs in practice ranges from a low of 12% in Quebec to a high of 56% in Saskatchewan.
The split between family physicians and certified specialists trained outside Canada is identical to the split within the overall physician population (52% vs. 48%). IMGs tend to be older than the majority of physicians educated here. Forty-seven percent are aged 55 or more, compared with 29% of all physicians. As well, a smaller proportion are female (22% vs. 30%).
Overall, 31% received their education in Europe and 12% in South Africa. However, of those who graduated since 1990, only 16% were trained in Europe, compared with 43% in South Africa.
International medical graduates represented 24% of all physicians who moved abroad in 2000 and 16% of those who returned, Canadian Institute for Health Information data indicate. Consequently, the net loss involved a greater proportion of foreign graduates (37%) than their 23% share of the overall physician population.
In the postgraduate training system, there are currently 369 trainees in ministry-funded positions, up from 291 positions in 1999 but down from 790 in 1993. The Canadian Post-MD Education Registry Annual Census for 2001/02 shows there are an additional 1511 visa trainees within the system, funded primarily by sources outside Canada. — Lynda Buske, Associate Director of Research, CMA
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