Residency and fellowship training

in Canada

MOHAMMAD ALKHAZIM ALGHAMDI, PT, PHD

DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP DEPARTMENT
SAUDI ARABIAN CULTURAL BUREAU IN CANADA
2016

Outline
Introduction
Historical Legacy
PGME Training in Canada
Statistics
Application Process
Arrival

Introduction
The Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau (SACB) in

Ottawa, Canada has facilitated training

opportunities for Saudi physicians since 1978.
Residency and Fellowship training opportunities

are based on contractual agreements between

SACB and Canadian medical schools.
The Medical Admissions Department at SACB

assists applicants starting from the application

process and throughout physicians medical
training in Canada.

Historical Legacy

Canada has been Saudi Arabias major partner in medical

education for over 30 years.

This partnership has produced over 4,000 Saudi medical

graduates; many of whom have now assumed senior
leadership roles within Saudi Arabias health care system.

Today over 1000 Saudi physicians are receiving

postgraduate medical residency training in hospitals across
Canada and are providing treatment and expert medical
care to millions of Canadian patients.

Postgraduate Medical Education in Canada

Population

35,000,000

Total doctors (not

trainees)

78657

Medical Schools

17 s

Medical Students

2700

Residents

13439

Fellows

2446

Teaching (full-time)

13360

Teaching (part-time)

9603

Saudi Arabia

Canada

High School

High School

Undergraduate
Medical Degree

Undergraduate
Degree

Undergraduate
Medical Degree

Postgraduate Medical Education Residency

Teaching (volunteers)

28537

Research resources

3 billions $

Postgraduate Medical Education Fellowship

The Association of Faculties of Medicine

*Annual Census of Post-M.D. Training (CAPER)

Related agencies

Saudi Doctors Graduates:

The Past 5 Years

2015

129

2014

144

2013

185

2012

156

2011

165

2010

SHERBROOKE

SASKATSHWAN

LAVAL

MONTREAL

18

DALHOUSIE

27

QUEEN'S

28

MANITOBA

30

CALGARY

46

ALBERTA

48
80

WESTERN ONTARIO

87

MCMASTER

107

92

OTTAWA

2009

103
0

50

100

98

MCGILL

150

200

110

BRITISH COLUMBIA

307

TORONTO
0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

Number of Graduates 2009-2015

80

Alberta
71

British Columbia

70

Calgary

Number of Graduates

60

Dalhousie

56

Laval
48

50

Manitoba

46

McGill
40

35

Montreal

30

30

Ottawa
21

20

McMaster

Queens

15

15

16

16

10

10

16
10

Saskatchewan
Sherbrooke
Toronto

0
2009

2010

2011

2012

Year

2013

2014

2015

Western

Development Over the Past 15 Years

1100
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200 118
100
0
1990 / 1991

1098

2015 / 2016

OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, CANADA HAS TRAINED MORE THAN 4,000
SAUDI PHYSICIANS. MORE SAUDI DOCTORS ARE CURRENTLY BEING
TRAINED IN CANADA THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.

Performance on MCCEE with Respect to All

Candidates
4000
3500

3155

3173

3247

2912

90%
3141

88%
86%

85%

3000

83%

2500

80%
2000
76%

1500

75%

86%

75%

86%
84%

1000
500

249

270

245

294

278

2012

2013

2014

2015

0
2011

76%

70%

Saudi Arabia Pass Rate

77%

65%
2011

All Candidates Pass Rate

40-60 % of Saudi medical

graduates apply for MCCEE

2012

2013

2014

2015

RCPSC Certified Physicians

(2007-2011)

Saudi Trainees

Total IMGs

450
400
409

350
300

354

328

355

385

20%

250
80%

200

150
100

79

89

84

98

103

Saudi Trainees

50
0
2007

2008

2009

The National IMG Database Report 2012

(CAPER)

2010

2011

Total IMGs

Comparison of Saudi Physicians to Other IMGs

Training in Canada (2015)
450
400
350
300
250

200
150
100
50
0

CAPER

Residency

Fellowship

Sponsored Saudi Doctors in Canadian

Schools (2015)
Laval

480

Fellowship

Queen's
Manitoba

388

Residency

Montreal
Calgary

Postgraduate
Studies

Kaplan / Language Institute

60

Dalhousie

45

Dentistry

Alberta
Ottawa

35

Preparatory

British Columbia
Western Ontario
McMaster

Certificate

11

Toronto
McGill

-10

Bachelor

40
Certificate

90

140

Saudi Physicians and Sponsoring Agency

(Data as at Dec. 2015)

Other Sponsoring Agencies

Other Sponsoring Agencies

88

King Saud University

180

Ministry of Education

158

King Abdulaziz University

130

Ministry of National Gard

82

King Fahad Medical City

65

Ministry of Health

53

King Faisal Specialist Hospital

46

King Saud bin Abdulaziz

40

Ministry of Defence and Aviation

37

King fahad Specialist Hospital in

37

University of Dammam

36

Taibah University

19

Umm Al-Qura University

17

Jeddah University

13

King Abdullah Medical City in

Qassim University

11
10

9
8

Taif University
Mohammed bin Abdulaziz

7
7
6
6
5
5

King Abdullah Uni Hospital

Imam University
Jazan University
King Saud Medical City
King Khaled University
Prince Mohammed Med City

5
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
1
1

King Faisal University

Security Forces Hospital
Prince Sattam University
Princess Nourah University
King Faisal Medical City
Majmaah University
University of Hail
Al-Baha University
University of Tabuk
Royal Saudi Land Forces
Ministry of Interior
Shaqra University

Saudi Bureau deals with 40 Saudi Sponsors

Factors for Success

Achievement of Saudi
Physicians
Master's / PhD Thesis

20

Passing Royal College Exam

136

Presentation Merit Awards

138

Publication Merit Awards

139

Academic Merit Awards

400

Contractual Agreements Between SACB and Canadian Medical Schools

5-year agreements with 15 (out of 17) schools.

Tuition is unified among all schools.
SACB pays the doctor stipend through the medical schools
Doctor consent to release information for Saudi bureau
Doctors to be back home (Saudi) after training
SACB is the only guarantor for all Saudi trainees

The development of an application system MAS

A generous sponsorship program

The Application Process

Candidate

Call for Interview

Saudi Bureau
Sponsor

Offers

Canadian University

MAS = Medical Application System

Required Documents

SACB Nomination
Form completed by
sponsoring agency

Medical Council of
Canada Evaluation
Examination (MCCEE)

CV

Personal Statement

Medical School
Transcripts

Internship Certificate

Medical Diploma
(MBBS Certificate)

Three recent
Reference Letters

Choice of specialty
(as indicated by
sponsoring agency on
Nomination Form)

Board Certificate
(Fellowship
applicants)

Nomination Form

MCCEE/ Evaluation Exam

The Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE) is a fourhour, computer-based examination offered in both English and French at more
than 500 centers in 80 countries worldwide.

International medical students or U.S. osteopathic students in the final 20

months of their program and international medical school graduates or U.S.
osteopathic graduates must take the MCCEE as a prerequisite for eligibility to
the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examinations.

MCCEE
This is required for all residency applications to ALL medical schools

and for fellowship applicants to McGill, Dalhousie and Manitoba. The

remaining universities dont require the MCCEE for fellowship.

Very Important Considerations:

We suggest not to rush into taking the MCCEE exam, especially if you have

more time before the application is needed to be uploaded on our website.

Please note that once you have passed the exam, you will not be allowed to retake it should you wish to try again to improve your score.

The MCCEE score is one of the key factors in the selection of the doctors for the

interviews, so please make sure to prepare for it to ensure a good score.

http://mcc.ca/repository/educational-credential-assessment/

http://mcc.ca/examinations/mccee/

MCCEE Locations of Prometric Centers

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait

Men
Saudi Arabia AMIDEAST Saudi Arabia, Al Kindi Plaza
#57, First Floor, Diplomatic Quarters
Riyadh

Qatar

Kuwait

Women
AMIDEAST Saudi Arabia, Al Kindi Plaza
#57, First Floor, Diplomatic Quarters
Riyadh

Ibrahim Adham Street, Al Hamra District

Jeddah

Floor 1 Office 3, Ibrahim Adham Street

Jeddah

Eastern Province, Training Centre

Dammam

Entrance C (from the back of the building)

Al Khobar

New Horizons Computer Training Company

Al Waab City B, Salwa Road
Doha
AMIDEAST Kuwait, Sharq, Ahmed Al Jaber
Street
Plot 1, Floor 2, Commercial Bank Building
Kuwait

Required Documents
Curriculum Vita (CV)
Must be well written and reflect a summary of the applicants basic information, academic
credentials, professional achievements and experiences, etc.
Personal Statement
A 1-2 page document that provides a brief summary of the applicants background and
objectives that motivates their interest in joining the desired program. A reflection on the
impact of Canadian medical training on the applicants professional development and in
particular, the Saudi Health Sector is also recommended.
Three Recent Reference Letters
The date of issue of reference letters cannot exceed 1 year from the date of
application.
All letters must be dated, signed and issued on official letter-head.
If referees wish to provide confidential reference letters, they may send them to SACBs
Admissions Team directly via email.

Copies of MBBS, Internship and Board Certificates*

Saudi Passport and Saudi ID
Please pay special attention to spelling, layout and overall format of all
documents. Make someone expert to edit/ review it for you

Special Requirement: TOEFL or IELTS Results

University

MCCEE (for fellows)

Language Requirement

Dalhousie

Required

TOEFL IBT 24 or ILETS IBT 7.0 each section.

McGill

Required
(USMLE Step 1 and 2 )
Not Required
Required
Required

Not Required

British
Columbia
Calgary

Required

TOEFL IBT (minimum 96 with a 24 in each section) or IELTS

IBT (7.0)
TOEFL IBT 24 or ILETS IBT 7.0 each section

Manitoba

Required

Toronto
Western
Montreal

Not Required
Not Required
Not Required

McMaster
Queens
Alberta

Required

Not Required
Not Required
TOEFL IBT 24 or ILETS IBT 7.0 each section

TOEFL IBT (total score of 100 and a score of 24 on section

but 25 on each of the speaking and listening components)
IELTS IBT (minimum 7.0 each section) with an overall band
score of no less than 7.
Not Required
Not Required
Test du Franaise FTI ( minimum 850/990)

MCCEE is required for all residency programs

Application Process: Submission

Once all documents have been uploaded and any necessary

revisions have been made, the application will be received

and complete on MAS. An email notification will be sent to
the applicant confirming this.
SACBs Admissions Team is in direct communication with

PGME offices throughout the entire process. Any new

updates / important information received from medical
schools will be relayed to applicants (i.e. updates on
interviews and offers).

Application Process:
Medical Application System (MAS)

Please visit the following Bureaus website for a step-by-step guide on the application and
placement process.

Current Application cycle (Up March 15th 2016)

Currently completing
training in Canada

Applying from Saudi

Arabia

Total

Fellowship

Residency

Fellowship

Completed
applications

199

343

477

1019

Sent applications

469

1246

1650

3365

Number of
Interviews

228

275

124

627

Final Offers

189

97

139

425

Visa Funded Positions in Canada

Year

Residents*

Fellow

Total

Saudi Arabia
Residents (%)

2010

755

1430

2185

389 (51%)

2011

697

1394

2091

377 (54%)

2012

659

1397

2056

381 (58%)

2013

624

1407

2031

377 (60%)

2014

605

1499

2104

371 (62%)

2015

584

1477

2061

385 (66%)

Resident numbers decreasing - SA % of positions increasing

Source: Canadian Medical council

Application Process:
Time Frame
Beginning of new application cycle every March/April

SACB starts receiving information from Canadian Medical Schools

regarding:
available programs
application deadlines for each program
any new processes, changes or requirements from medical schools

SACB communicates the information received from medical schools to all

prospective applicants:
a comprehensive mass email to all physicians on our contact list
announcements and any updates posted to the Bureaus website

Application Process:
Time Frame

With the exception of a few Pediatric Fellowship programs, the following applies to majority of programs:

Complete applications must be received by SACB between March-May.

SACBs admissions team will review application documents submitted on MAS. Complete applications are
then sent to relevant universities between June and August. *

*This is subject to program availability and any specific application requirements for some universities, i.e. MCCEE and TOEFL or IELTS.

Short-lists for interviews are received and selected applicants are contacted by universities between
September-November.

Interviews take place between October-December.

Time-frame in which interview results are communicated to the candidates is extremely variable (can take
anywhere from 2 weeks to a few months).

Usually only candidates that receive offers will be contacted by the program or PGME of the university.
As previously mentioned, some university application systems allow applicants to track the progress of their application (i.e. Toronto,
McGill). Interview result will be available for applicant to view once the result is updated on the universitys system.

Program start dates for most Residency programs range between April-July of the following year. Start
dates for Fellowships are usually more flexible as fellowship training can begin in January, July,
September or October of the following year.

Application Process:
Sending Applications to Medical Schools

Applications are sent to the universitys PGME

PGME office which then channels applications to the respective program.
Universities of: Dalhousie, McMaster and Toronto
SACB admissions team will initiate access for applicant on each universitys online
application system (applicant must upload application documents directly).
University of Ottawa
SACB admissions team will send a link to applicant access the system (applicant must upload
application documents directly).
McGill University
SACB admissions team will send a link to applicant access the system (applicant must upload
application documents directly).
It is crucial that applicants do this, otherwise application will not be considered.

Toronto and McGills systems allow applicants to track the

status/progress of their application.

Application Process:
Interviews

Programs will short-list the applicants they wish to interview. Once selection is made, applicants will be contacted
directly by the PGME with the interview invitation.

One exception however, is McGill: they will contact SACBs admissions team with the short-list, who will then
contact selected applicants with interview invitation / details.

Types of Interviews:

In-Person Interview (usually Residency): with program directors and members of selection committee

Interviews referred to as Electives: are usually longer in duration (i.e. interviews for some fellowship
programs, Neurology residency programs, and some programs at Dalhousie can take this format).

Skype/Video-Conferencing (usually for Fellowship, sometimes possible for residency): Videoconference interviews are hosted by the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. For interviews via Skype,
candidates will be asked to provide the program with their contact information.

Please note:

Interview information is entered and tracked on SACBs MAS system: applicants will receive an email from MAS
asking them to confirm interview attendance. A Visa Support letter that can be included with the candidates visa
application is also generated through MAS.

SACBs Legal Affairs Office can help with TRV facilitation (i.e. intervene in cases of delays/ complications).

Available Programs
Information on available programs for Saudi doctors is provided

by PGME offices across Canada. This information is then shared

on the Saudi Bureau website.
For each applicant, applications will be sent to all medical schools

that have indicated availability for the respective program.

McGill University (Example 2017)

The following programs are closed for the 2017-2018 academic year.
1) Anatomical Pathology
2) Family Medicine
3) Family Medicine Emergency Medicine
4) Family Medicine Mother and Child Healthcare
5) Public Health & Preventative Medicine

The following programs are open for the 2017-2018 academic year to applicants who are
training in a residency program in North America. Please do not send any application

files for the programs below, unless candidates have North American training.
1) Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
2) Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology
3) Colorectal Surgery
4) Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
5) Hematology
6) Medical Oncology
7) Pediatric Emergency Medicine
8) Pediatric Hematology Oncology
9) Pediatric Infectious Diseases

McGill
Applicant Eligibility for Residency Programs:
We can consider trainees sponsored by your government and born in

Canada.
We cannot consider files for applicants who are permanent residents or
citizens of Canada
(who are not born in Canada), or for applicants who are applying for
permanent residency status.
Trainees who change their legal status and no longer meet these
criteria will no longer be
covered under the agreement and will need to be deregistered.

Electives and Observerships:

Short-Term Medical Training
The Bureau only facilitates applications for long-term medical training

(Residency/Fellowship).
Physicians interested in applying for Electives/Observerships must do

so independently by communicating directly with the program of their

choice.
We highly recommend that you take an elective/ observation at

Canadian medical school. This will improve your CV and chances of

acceptance
There are some consideration, you should know about elective/

observation (continue)

Elective and observationship

Electives

Medically insured of safety of patients examined as well as physicians;

Trainees are allowed to practice under supervision;
The duration of elective opportunities vary between one and three months as well as
the cost;
The opportunities are available throughout the year.

Observerships

Trainees are not permitted to examine and diagnose patients.

Electives
Sufficient
TOEFL/IELTS
Scores & Efficient
Commutation
Skills

Observerships

Admission
Success

Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)

You will also need to obtain a (TRV) visa to come to Canada.
Family members must complete their own application forms.

However, you may send their passports and other documents

along with yours in the same envelope and use one payment
receipt for the total amount.

Note: Your spouse and children must meet all of the

requirements for temporary residence in Canada.

It is recommended that you submit your family application

through the nearest VAC. Make sure you obtain the VAC
tracking number of your submission.

Guidelines & Hints for Applying for an Initial Work

Permit in Saudi Arabia
Canadian Embassy in Riyadh:
Embassys home page:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/saudi_arabiaarabie_saoudite/index.aspx?lang=eng

Information RE Work Permits:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/saudi_arabiaarabie_saoudite/visa.aspx?lang=eng&menu_id=2

Do your medicals up-front!

www.cic.gc.ca/pp-md/pp-list.aspx

Contact Saudi Bureau, if have difficulties finding them.

Arrival In Canada

Upon arrival in Canada, physicians are advised to open

a sponsored file. The file opening system is can be

accessed via the Saudi Bureaus website.
Once this is done, an email notification will be sent to

physicians with the contact information of the Advisor

within the Medical Department assigned to assist them
throughout their training.

Dental and Undergraduate Medical

DENTAL

Undergraduate

Master/ PhD

Requirements
MCAT
Basic degree

Internship
Residency
Fellowship/ surgery

Application
Saudi Bureau involvement

Saudi Bureau

agreement with
Dalhousi

Saudi Doctor representatives

Medical Department Contacts

www.saudibureau.org
Internal Medicine Residency & Pediatric Fellowship Lzein@saudibureau.org
Lilian Zein:
ext. 314
All Residency (except Internal Medicine)
Rima Bouagada
All Medical Fellowship Programs
Ghada Qadan
All Surgical Residency Programs
Hasan Wais
All Surgical Fellowship Programs
Ghada Lteif
Head of department
Dr Mohammad Alghamdi

Rbouagada@saudibureau.org
ext. 312
Gqadan@saudibureau.org
ext. 301
Hwais@saudibureau.org
ext. 303
GLteif@saudibureau.org
ext. 317
malghamdi@saudibureua.org
Ext 300

CONCLUSION
&
QUESTIONS

Thank you

malghamdi@saudibureau.org