There are many immigrant and foreign trained medical doctors who come to Canada in hopes of living a better life for them and their families. Unfortunately for them, even after dealing with immigrating to and settling in a new country, they are also faced with the hardship of not being able to practice in their own medical profession. Foreign trained medical professionals who come to Ontario must take part in a grueling accreditation process, which includes passing all Canadian Medical Exams, receiving the Licentiate of Medical Council of Canada, passing Ontario Clinical Assessment Exams, English Language Exams, and enduring many interviews. This process is very time consuming, expensive and simply hard on any individual both mentally and physically. Even after this process, they still have a hard time getting a residency position, and therefore are unable to obtain a license to practise in Ontario. This is all happening while there is a shortage of much-needed doctors, and long wait times in clinics and emergency rooms persist throughout the province. How is it fair that these individuals, who have years of experience and education from their own countries, lose all of this the second they cross a border into a different country. This petition is to the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care, as well as to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, to change the grueling accreditation process for foreign trained medical doctors, so that it is easier for them to pick up where they left off in their profession, and are not forced to take low paying jobs just to stay afloat because they are not seen as “qualified” in a different country. Obviously there must still be an accreditation process in place, however it should be re-evaluated so that it is more accommodating and possible for foreign trained medical professionals to get what they need, as quickly and as inexpensive as possible, so that they can continue to practise their profession in Canada.

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