General Admission Requirements to Postgraduate Medical Education

All applicants for a position in a postgraduate medical education training program at Memorial University must meet PGME’s requirements prior to commencing training. Individual postgraduate training programs may have additional specific criteria that will be used to judge applicants’ candidacy and suitability for their program. Canadian citizens and permanent residents can apply through the CaRMS match, in the iteration that is applicable to their status. All applicants offered a postgraduate training position must provide proof of a medical diploma (those in the last year of medical school must submit their most recent marks/transcripts in the interim). All applicants who have completed a portion of their undergraduate medical education at more than one medical school are required to provide a summary of the training received from each institution. Summaries must come directly from the respective medical school(s).

The most fundamental of all requirements to commence postgraduate training in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is the ability of the applicant to obtain education registration and a postgraduate training program license with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (CPSNL). It is important to understand that while the CPSNL’s requirements and regulations may change, without notice, during the CaRMS administration cycle, PGME will not amend any requirements during the match cycle. PGME and the CPSNL take no responsibility for updating applicants on any amendments. Applicants who do not appear to meet the preliminary education registration and postgraduate training program license requirements at the time of review will have their application disqualified by PGME. Documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a notarized/certified translation.

To maintain the spirit of fairness and equity, PGME has zero tolerance for submission of altered, falsified, A.I, generated or fraudulent information or documentation, intentionally or otherwise. Such applications will be considered void and, if discovered after the CaRMS match, may result in immediate dismissal or withdrawal of the postgraduate training position. To provide transparent access to this opportunity, the requirements set herein will not be changed mid-cycle.

Consent

Applicants are required to provide consent to PGME, permitting communication with CaRMS regarding their application, and permitting access and the ability to communicate regarding their application submission for education registration and a postgraduate training program license with the CPSNL.

Scenarios & Definitions

Canadian/United States medical graduate (CMG/USMG)

This is an individual who received their medical degree from a medical school accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).

International medical graduate (IMG) [including US Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) graduates]

This is an individual who received their medical degree from a medical school that is not accredited by the CACMS or LCME. Graduates from US osteopathic medical schools can apply under the same criteria applicable to IMGs.

IMGs must have graduated from a school or Faculty of Medicine, recognized by the World Directory of Medical Schools. Medical degree programs must be a minimum of 48 months duration.

PGME does have minimum requirements for IMGs for core clerkship (clinical) rotations during medical school training. IMGs must have satisfactorily completed a minimum 8-week rotation in each of the core rotations of medicine and surgery, a minimum 6-week rotation in pediatrics and a minimum 4-week rotation in obstetrics/gynecology and psychiatry. For longitudinal rotations, a detailed breakdown of the amount of clinical time spent in each core area must be provided. All rotations must be completed in accredited teaching hospitals. All IMGs are required to complete the Core Clinical Clerkship form, have it stamped/verified by their medical school, and submit the form with their CaRMS application. Applications received without the stamped/verified form attached will NOT be reviewed. 

IMGs are required to present successful completion of the following: 

• The National Assessment Collaboration Exam (NAC) – This exam must be completed, and a successful result submitted, by the application deadline. (Note: Being a licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)* will override the NAC exam and exempt you from this requirement.)
  
  AND
• The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part I (MCCQE Part I)
  
  OR
• * Be a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) 
• Must submit a copy of the Certificate of Registration 

English Language Proficiency 

Exemption to English language proficiency testing

IMGs that are currently practicing in Canada as a family physician or Royal College specialist (must have CFPC or RCPSC certification), and are providing the majority of their patient care in English, may be exempt from providing up-to-date language proficiency testing. Any applicant in this situation should write to pgme@mun.ca in advance of the application deadline, to determine if they meet this criteria for exemption. Applicants currently in a clinical fellowship program are not exempted.

Applicants who graduated from a medical school in Canada or the United States, where English is the language of instruction, are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.

• For MSM applicants only: Applicants who graduated from a medical school in Canada or the United States where English is the language of instruction, OR are completing an accredited core Internal Medicine postgraduate training program in Canada or the United States where English is the language of instruction, are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.​ 

• For FM/ES applicants only: Applicants who graduated from a medical school in Canada where English is the language of instruction, OR are completing an accredited Family Medicine postgraduate training program in Canada where English is the language of instruction, are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.

Who is required to provide English Language Proficiency?

For applicants who graduated from a medical school in Canada or the United States, where the language of instruction is not in English (e.g. French), PGME requires proof of proficiency in the English language. It is important to note that this requirement extends to all such applicants, regardless of whether other secondary/post-secondary education took place in English and regardless of citizenship.

Canadians who complete undergraduate medical education outside of Canada and the United States are considered IMGs; therefore, applicants who complete undergraduate medical education (in part or in full) in a country not recognized as having English as the first language must provide proof of proficiency in the English language. Note that elective rotations/experiences – regardless of length or location (including Canada) – will not satisfy the language proficiency requirements.

Requirements for education registration and a postgraduate training program license with the CPSNL differ in that PGME will only exempt IMGs from language proficiency testing if both their basic medical education and patient care experience was in one of the countries that is recognized as having English as a first language: 

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• Canada
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
• Virgin Islands (United States) 

All other applicants, including those who have completed any other non-medical schooling in English, must have taken one of the following:

• International English Language Testing System - Academic (IELTS-Academic), with a minimum score of 7 in each of the components in the same sitting;
• Occupational English Test - Medicine (OET-Medicine), with a minimum grade of B in each of the four subsets in the same sitting;
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program Test - General (CELPIP-General), with a minimum score of 9 in each of the four skills in the same sitting.

Exams must be completed within 24 months of the residency start date (July 1) and results must be available by the CaRMS document review deadline.

First Iteration

CMG and USMG applicants, who do not have prior postgraduate training in Canada or the United States, are eligible for the first iteration of the CaRMS match process. Please note, applicants on student visas are not eligible for admission to postgraduate training programs at Memorial University.

When funding and capacity permits, a second parallel stream, designated for IMGs (including US Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) graduates) without prior postgraduate training, is sometimes available.

Individuals who match in a designated IMG stream are required to sign a return of service (ROS) contract with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador prior to starting their postgraduate training.

Second Iteration

All positions that remain unfilled after the first iteration of the CaRMS match will be competitive and open to all eligible candidates (i.e. CMG, USMG, IMG, DO) in the second iteration. Individuals who match in a designated IMG stream are required to sign a return of service (ROS) contract with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador prior to starting their postgraduate training.

Currency of Practice 

Postgraduate medical education is a fast-paced and intense training period with methods and educational content changing over time. Safety and success are best achieved with recent clinical practice experience. The following currency of practice requirements have been established to ensure that necessary clinical skills and medical knowledge are maintained in order to provide safe patient care.

Active Practice

Applicants who have had significant breaks or been away from medical school, postgraduate training, or active, clinical practice for two years or greater, at any point in time after commencing medical school, will not be considered for postgraduate training at Memorial University. Observing, volunteering, clinical assisting, clinical fellowships, job shadowing, academic studies (nursing studies, doctorates, masters, degrees, diplomas, certificates - including graduate diplomas and other professional degrees in medical science program) as well as training/educational experiences completed by individuals under an IMG assessment program, are NOT recognized as clinical or active practice or training. 

NOTE: Fellowship training completed in Canada that does not lead to an Area of Focused Competence diploma (of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada) will not be considered active practice or training.

For applicants who have a significant gap (see below) in training or clinical practice, performing a locum(s), and/or returning to training without completing the entirety of the program will not remedy this gap.

All gaps or breaks in practice or training of two continuous months or more must be explained on the Declaration of Interruptions form.

Significant Gaps

A significant gap in training or clinical practice may exist and must be declared if equal to or greater than two continuous months. PGME will appraise the nature and significance of the gaps by:

• assessing any period or cumulative periods out of practice,
• evaluating any period between completion of medical training and commencement or resumption of practice,
• reviewing any period or cumulative periods with a limited or restricted scope of practice, as determined by the actual practice experience of the individual,
• review of any period or cumulative periods in a non-clinical scope of practice. 

PGME reserves the right to make a final judgement on the substance of the gaps in training/practice and whether the gaps fall short of satisfying the two-year requirement for active practice listed.

Examinations

All licensing exams are administered by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC); any clarification or questions should be directed to the MCC. The following is a list of exams that, if completed, must be submitted by applicants. Results, for any exams completed, must be included by the application deadline.

• Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part I (MCCQE Part I) - Include Supplemental Report
• Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada - Please submit Certificate of Registration
• National Assessment Collaboration Exam (NAC) - Include Supplemental Report

CPSNL Requirements

IMPORTANT: Individuals are urged to respond to the CPSNL’s application package immediately after receiving instructions from the CSPNL.
 
Any delays in providing all required documentation, by the appropriate deadline, may result in delays in obtaining education registration and a postgraduate training program license, and commencing postgraduate training.

Determining Eligibility 

Once applications are received by the program, the individual training program determines candidacy of the application based on pre-set criteria. These criteria include a combination of individual training program requirements, Memorial University PGME admission requirements, as well as the CPSNL’s education registration and postgraduate training program license requirements.

All rank order lists are forwarded from the respective postgraduate training programs to PGME to further assess eligibility. Applicants who do not appear to meet the admission requirements at the time of review will have their application disqualified by PGME. PGME may forward any application, including those of IMGs, to the CPSNL for an opinion on their preliminary eligibility for licensure. All screening and assessment of applicant files will take place during designated periods in the selection cycle, through consultation between the respective postgraduate training programs, PGME and the CPSNL. Rank order lists are approved by PGME, not the postgraduate training programs or the CPSNL. Individual entities (e.g. applicants, programs, friends/relatives, etc.) are advised not to contact program offices or the CPSNL directly for an opinion or assessment regarding an applicant’s eligibility for the education register.

Individuals who are considering the liquidation of major personal assets as part of a move to the province, affiliated with a postgraduate training position, are advised that final acceptance is contingent on clearance from both PGME and the CPSNL. Applicants with an offer for postgraduate training (i.e. matched to a postgraduate training position at Memorial University) are reminded not to commence postgraduate training until they receive confirmation of their education registration and postgraduate training program license from the CPSNL.

To emphasize, discrepancies between the CaRMS application and the application for inclusion on the education register with the CPSNL will be addressed with a zero-tolerance attitude for submission of altered, falsified, A.I. generated or fraudulent information or documentation, intentionally or otherwise. Such applications will be considered void, and if discovered after the CaRMS match, may result in immediate dismissal or withdrawal of the postgraduate training position.

While extenuating circumstances may be considered on an individual basis as they are identified through the application process, final decisions regarding admission to postgraduate training at Memorial University are the purview of the Associate Dean, PGME.

Orientation Attendance

Orientation (program-specific and PGME-wide) will take place prior to July 1. In-person attendance is required; absences are permitted only in exceptional circumstances, with prior approval of PGME.

Putting It All Together

Applying to postgraduate training programs can be an intense process, with multiple layers of inquiry: program-specific, the CPSNL registration eligibility, and PGME admission requirements. The information above is intended to provide an outline of the salient requirements for admission to postgraduate training at Memorial University. A critical component of these requirements – but not an alternative substitute – is the eligibility for education registration and a postgraduate training program license of the applicant with the CPSNL. Although PGME works closely with the CPSNL, several requirements do differ and in some instances, in subtle ways. It is the applicant’s responsibility to pay special attention to the differences.

Applicants are urged to contact their respective program as early as possible, to seek clarification regarding entry requirements, as the CaRMS Match period is time and resource intensive, and the responsiveness of PGME will be impacted. PGME assumes no responsibility for such delays. PGME will not discuss applicant files with anyone other than the applicant, the program director, CaRMS and/or the CPSNL.

Once matched to Memorial University for postgraduate education, we encourage you to commence application for education registration and a postgraduate training program license with the CPSNL. Please ensure that you follow the CPSNL’s most current guidelines and requirements for this part of the process.

 

July 2023