This information is for those of you living in Manitoba, Canada.  You can find this statement on the website of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Manitoba at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mlpimg/index.html

The statement reads as follows:

The Medical Licensure Program for International Medical Graduates (MLPIMG) will assist foreign trained physicians to obtain medical licensure to practise as primary care physicians in Manitoba.

“International Medical Graduates may apply to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba for an assessment to determine if they have the medical knowledge and skills required for licensure in Manitoba.  The process includes written and oral examinations as well as a clinical assessment using the Clinicians Assessment and Professional Enhancement (CAPE) process.

International Medical Graduates who complete the assessment with satisfactory results and who meet all other requirements for conditional registration may apply to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba to determine their eligibility for conditional registration.  They will have up to 5 years to complete the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examinations.  During that period the International Medical Graduate will practise in an underserviced area of the province (as declared by the Minister of Health for the Province of Manitoba) with a medical practice advisor who will provide support and guidance to the individual.

If the assessment process identifies that additional training is needed to meet the licensure requirements, International Medical Graduates may be eligible for a training program offered by the Faculty of Medicine.  This individualized program is designed to enhance the physician’s previous training and address the specific learning needs as identified in the assessment process.  The enhanced training must be completed within one year.”

This makes me wonder if this policy is in effect in all the provinces of Canada.  When the computer at the pharmacy supposedly brought up a message saying that the doctor who had written out my prescription “did not have a valid Canadian Medical licence, was this more than just a “computer error?”

Hopefully this policy is not in effect in every province in Canada because I did not sign a paper stating that I was willing to be a lab rat.