Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad

Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad To remove barriers in the medical residency access to enable Canadians who have studied abroad British Columbians cannot find family doctors. To bring B.C.

Society of Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad (SOCASMA)

Societal Issue:
British Columbia, like most Canadian provinces, has a significant shortage of doctors. British Columbians must endure long waiting periods to see specialists, many times to the detriment of their health. Political agendas seem to get in the way of capitalizing on readily accessible doctors who have graduated from medical schools overseas. Increasing the number of residency positions in British Columbia and giving qualified British Columbians and other Canadians who have studied medicine overseas access to these residency positions would go a long way to reducing the doctor shortage and improving the quality of medical care in the province. Values: SOCASMA believes in the fundamental value of equal opportunity to all Canadians. Allowing entry into a profession based
on one’s ethnic heritage, what university he or she attended, or some
other criteria irrelevant to the characteristics and knowledge required or that profession, will inevitably reduce the quality of care. SOCASMA strives to make the parties involved accountable to ensure the following values:

1. That all medical graduates who are permanent residents or citizens of Canada who have passed the national examinations have the right to compete on an equal footing on the basis of merit for the residency positions presently reserved for graduates of Canadian and American medical schools;

2. Fair competition requires that admission criteria and process be transparent and open to public scrutiny;

and

3. Successful applicants should be selected by those best able to identify the best qualified candidate. Goals :
SOCASMA has the following goals:

1. To work towards the development of a system of selection for medical residents in British Columbia that
a. is based on merit with no preferential treatment; and
b.is accessible to Canadians studying abroad in the year that they graduate from medical school;

2. To improve the quality of medical care by putting selection of residents in the hands of program directors and other working
doctors who are most experienced, knowledgeable, and best able
to select for characteristics and skills most suited to the area of practice the medical graduate is applying for;

and

3. medical graduates who have just graduated from medical school overseas home to help fill the doctor shortage that is negatively affecting British Columbia’s quality of life. Facilitating Goals:
1. Increase the number of residency positions in British Columbia;

2. Make available qualifying exams that allow Canadians studying abroad to take these exams in time to be eligible to compete in the CaRMS match in the year that they graduate;

3. Provide all British Columbians, who are first time trainees and have passed the qualifying exams equal and unfettered access to the first iteration of CaRMS;

4. Mandate that the selection of residents is to be determined on the basis of merit with no preferential treatment to any group;

5. Mandate that the selection of residents is to be determined by the program directors and other supervising medical practitioners who are most knowledgeable, experienced, and best suited to identify the characteristics that are necessary to determine the best candidate for the particular areas of practice that is being applied for;

and

6. Establish an oversight mechanism to ensure that these recommendations are carried out consistently, fairly, and transparently within British Columbia.

03/16/2026
Excellent advice
03/16/2026

Excellent advice

Explore specialities and seek out mentorship early to land the perfect residency match.

03/16/2026
03/16/2026

| 🎤🔬 Congrès de l’innovation en santé et en intelligence artificielle 2026

Le 27 mars prochain, la Société Québécoise d’Intelligence Artificielle en Médecine (SQIAM) tiendra la 2e édition du Congrès d’innovation en santé et intelligence artificielle (CISIA) au Centre de recherche du CHUM.

Au programme : découverte d’innovations technologiques en santé, panels et discussions avec des spécialistes du domaine et occasions de réseautage avec la communauté! 💡

Conférenciers et experts invités :

🔹 Dr Philippe Jouvet, professeur titulaire de pédiatrie à l'Université de Montréal et pédiatre intensiviste au CHU Sainte-Justine

🔹Dr Robert Avram, professeur titulaire agrégé au Département de médecine - Faculté de médecine - Université de Montréal, cardiologue interventionnel et chercheur à l'Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal

🔹Dr Benoît Desjardins, professeur titulaire de clinique au Département de radiologie, radio-oncologie et médecine nucléaire et radiologiste au CHUM

🔹Dre Marie-Pascale Pomey, professeure titulaire au Département de médecine de famille et de médecine d’urgence à la Faculté de médecine et à l’École de santé publique de l'Université de Montréal - ESPUM

🔹Jean-Baptiste Michaud, professeur agrégé à la Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé de l’Université de Sherbrooke et cardiologue au CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS

🔹Dr Patrick Nataf, professeur à Université Paris Cité et chirurgien cardiaque à l’Hôpital Bichat (AP-HP)

📅 27 mars 2026
⏰ 13 h à 19 h
📍 Centre de recherche du CHUM (5e étage)

🔗 Informations et inscription (date limite : 20 mars) : https://bit.ly/470cFLM
Soumission d’abstracts en cours : https://bit.ly/4dkaZR9

Le congrès est organisé par la SQIAM - Société québécoise de l'intelligence artificielle en médecine, en partenariat avec l’École de l’IA en santé du CHUM - CHUM School of AI in Health et l’Institut TransMedTech.

Update on SOCASMA Legal Action March 15, 2026 / Mise à jour concernant la poursuite légale de SOCASMA le 15 mars 2026
03/15/2026

Update on SOCASMA Legal Action March 15, 2026 / Mise à jour concernant la poursuite légale de SOCASMA le 15 mars 2026

SOCASMA - Bring BC's Doctors Home

03/13/2026

A Decade of Change: Resident Life Events and the Evolution of Surgical Training Flexibility

03/13/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1bMHyHofDS/
03/13/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1bMHyHofDS/

Participez au webinaire de la Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse - FANE sur la Reconnaissance des titres et compétences étrangers (RTCE) au Canada Atlantique.

📅 Date : 20 mars 2026
⏰ Heure : 14 h à 15 h 30 (heure de l’Atlantique)
Lien d'inscription: https://forms.gle/GsPupqv9Ur6i7TKt8

Cette session spéciale s’adresse aux médecins formé·es à l’étranger, ainsi qu’aux candidats à l’immigration et nouveaux arrivants souhaitant en apprendre davantage sur les possibilités et les ressources disponibles.

Si vous connaissez des médecins, intéressé.es, veuillez s'il vous plaît circuler l'information, c'est un programme de support partout au Canada
Nous aurons l’honneur d’accueillir :
🔹 AIMGA – Alberta International Medical Graduate Association
Cette rencontre mettra en lumière les avantages et les ressources accessibles pour soutenir votre parcours professionnel au Canada.

Ce programme est financé par Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada (IRCC).

AUSTRALIA
03/11/2026

AUSTRALIA

The Australian Medical Association in South Australia (AMA SA), backed by a broad coalition of cultural medical groups, is calling on all sides of politics to commit to making South Australia a destination of choice for overseas trained doctors, warning that health workforce shortages will worsen wi...

03/11/2026

The Healthcare Connections program helps internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPs) find alternative career options in Canada.

03/11/2026

To all ITPs continuing the journey 💛
If the first iteration did not go the way you hoped, we want you to know that your path is still very much alive. Many ITPs match in the second iteration or in later cycles, and each step you have taken so far reflects your strength and resilience.

You managed demanding exams, licensing requirements and the realities of adapting to a new system. You are not behind. You are building something meaningful. Take time to rest, seek support if you need it and keep your focus on the next step. We are with you as you move forward. 🌱

03/11/2026

Photo caption: (left to right) Dr. Zohreh Eslami, Dr. Eleanor Latta, Paula Nixon, Dr. Ziba Fadavi, Dr. Susan Done, Dr. Dhun Noria, Dr. Mojgan Asgari and Dr. Reza Behjati

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What is Going On?

We all hear that most Canadian provinces have a significant shortage of doctors and that many Canadians cannot find family doctors and often endure long waiting periods to see specialists, too often to the detriment of their health. What most Canadians don’t know is the extent that our public universities, elected governments and supporting professional agencies go to sustain current systems that favour and protect graduates of Canadian universities. Their lack of transparency is not aligned with Canadian values for inclusion, diversity and fairness. Canadians deserve new, transparent oversight mechanisms to ensure that system changes like those recommended below are carried out consistently, fairly, and transparently within each province, and nationally.

GOOD NEWS - We have enough doctors: There is a readily available pool of qualified Canadian and Permanent Resident doctors who have graduated from medical schools overseas (IMGs). They are more than eager to serve as evidenced by the number who apply each year to limited numbers of medical residency positions.

BAD NEWS - many are blocked from obtaining Canadian medical licences: The many layers of entrenched bureaucracy and politics, combined with unclear accountabilities, prevents these qualified doctors from serving Canadians as licensed physicians. The key reason is a system of exclusion comprised of barrier after barrier that, collectively, prevent fair and equal access by IMGs to Canadian post-graduate medical residency positions and thus access to the primary pathway to medical licensing in Canada. Government support this system, perhaps because it supports their over-simplified belief that controlling physician numbers and limiting access to residency positions will reduce health care costs. These policies drives poor patient outcomes and is therefore a false economy.

SOCASMA is working to Change the System - Focus on Fair and Equal Access