Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Medical Council of Canada (MCC)?
The MCC grants a qualification in medicine known as the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) to graduate physicians who have satisfied the eligibility requirements and passed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Parts I and II. The Medical Council registers candidates who have been granted the LMCC in the Canadian Medical Register.


Q: What is the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)?
The MCCEE is a general assessment of the candidate's basic medical knowledge in the principal disciplines of medicine. It is also designed to assess the skills and knowledge required at the level of a new medical graduate who is about to enter the first year of supervised postgraduate training or practice. It is four hours (computer-based examination) offered in both English and French at more than 500 centres in 73 countries worldwide. International medical graduates, international medical students in their final clinical year must take the MCCEE as a prerequisite for eligibility to the MCC Qualifying Examinations.


Q: What is the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I (MCCQE Part I)?
The MCCQE Part I assesses knowledge, clinical skills, and attitudes as outlined by the Medical Council of Canada’s Objectives. It is a one-day, computer-based test that assesses the competence of candidates who have obtained their medical degree, for entry into supervised clinical practice in postgraduate training programs.


Q: What is the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)?
CaRMS is a not-for-profit organization that provides medical students with an electronic application service and a computer match for entry into post-graduate medical training throughout Canada. CaRMS is the way for applicants to decide where to train and for program directors to decide which applicants they wish to enrol in postgraduate medical training. CaRMS administers the matching process for postgraduate Year 1 entry residency positions (our main residency match) and Year 3 Family Medicine - Emergency Medicine residency positions. The match occurs in two rounds, called iterations, with the unmatched candidates from the first iteration entering the second iteration.

The basic eligibility criteria includes: you must be either a medical student or graduate having obtained or obtaining a medical degree by July 1 of the match year from:

• a Liaison Committee on Medical Education/Committee on Accreditation on Canadian Medical Schools (LCME/CACMS) accredited school
• a school of osteopathic medicine
• an international medical school

Applicants applying to the match who are not from LCME/CACMS accredited schools must be attending or have graduated from a school listed with the International Medical Education Directory (IMED), published by the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) and:
 
    1. Must have written and passed the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE); OR 
    2.  Must be registered for the September MCCEE exam (registration deadline can be found on the Medical Council of Canada website) and must provide CaRMS with the MCC candidate code*.

* Important note for the 2009 Match: to qualify for the first iteration of the 2009 match, applicants will need to have written the MCCEE in 2008. Applicants scheduled for the January MCCEE will be able to register for the 2nd iteration of the match.


Q: What is Centre for Evaluation of Health Professionals Educated Abroad (CEHPEA) and the CE1 Exam?
The Centre for the Evaluation of Health Professionals Educated Abroad (CEHPEA) is a new, not-for-profit organization that was launched on in April 2007. CEHPEA's mandate is to serve solely as an evaluation centre. To be assessed by CEHPEA, candidates must have passed the MCCEE and MCQE1 as well as meet the eligibility requirements. Candidates who meet the basic eligibility requirements can participate in the Clinical Examination 1 (CE1).

The CE1 exam is a general broad-based comprehensive clinical examination designed to test a candidate's appropriateness for the PGY1 level.


Q. Will I have to do return of service?
Yes, a return of service is required but you have a wide range of communities to choose from – for example, there are many eligible communities where family physicians and specialists can return service, including Burlington, Oshawa, Windsor, Goderich, Belleville, Parry Sound, Perth, Huntsville, Brockville, Orangeville, Stratford, etc.

These communities are eager and interested in you. We will work with you to help you find a community that meets your personal and professional interests.


Q: How many positions will be offered for the 2010 match?
There is significant interest in the match so you should anticipate the match being competitive.  Ontario offers many positions each year, more than all other provinces combined, to accommodate the number of people applying.  We will stay in touch with you to be able to provide you with the number of positions available in the year of your match.

Q. What Ontario residency programs can I apply for?
In 2009/10, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will offering a certain number of assessment and training positions for IMGs to enable entry into medical practice in Ontario. There will be a set number of these positions offered at the first year residency level. 

In the past, the positions were offered in the following specialty areas (final numbers and available specialties will be posted on the Canadian Residents Matching Service (CaRMS) website:

• Anesthesia
• Community medicine
• Diagnostic radiology
• Emergency medicine
• Family medicine
• General surgery
• Internal medicine
• Lab medicine
• Neurology
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Orthopedic surgery
• Pediatrics
• Pediatric neurology
• Psychiatry
• Radiation oncology
• Physical and rehabilitation medicine

Once we know the final number of assessment positions for International Medical Graduates and the final positions offered in the year of your match, we will be in touch with you and let you know.


Q: Is there anything else I can do to strengthen my CaRMS application?
There are several options a Canadian studying abroad has to strengthen his/her application to CaRMS: 

• very good reference letters
• solid training records, transcripts and MCCEE results are highly preferred, and
• completing a medical elective (and collecting reference letters) in Ontario