Issue 1: April 2024
MCC: Supporting Physician Assessment
Dr. Viren Naik met with the College’s governing Council at its March meeting. Dr. Naik outlined how the Medical Council of Canada, (MCC) with its expertise in physician assessment, could support evaluating the competence and training of physicians trained outside of Canada.
Dr. Naik recognized the vital role physician assessment plays in opening the door wider for the licensure of international medical graduates (IMGs).
The key ways the MCC can support the efforts of medical regulators regarding the assessment of IMGs for licensure were identified as follows:
- Develop an assessor training program and certify physician assessors;
- Provide a generalizable assessment tool within an e-portfolio for competency-based decision making by regulators; and
- Collate and provide a ‘summary performance’ from a workplace-based assessment for decision making by regulators.
Physicians in Canada
In 2019, there were 91,375 physicians in Canada representing 241 physicians per 100,000 population.
The percentage of physicians who received their MD degree outside of Canada in 2014 was 25.6%. In 2023 this rose to 29%. In 2023 the percentage of IMGs by specialty nationally was:
- 30% of family medicine;
- 25% of medical specialists; and
- 17% of surgical specialists.
(Data provided by MCC)