Here is all you need to know about studying medicine in Canada as an international student. As you would agree with me, studying overseas is no easy ride, and this article is set to break things down for you.
There are 17 medical schools in Canada offering education to become a doctor. However, it is extremely unlikely for an international student to get into medical school in Canada.
In the year 2017, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada stated;
Applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents cannot apply for medical studies, a.k.a. Doctor of Medicine (MD) programs, unless on a rare, special arrangement, usually between your goverment and the Canadian government.That is 0.55% out of total 2,883 first-time year 1 enrollment across the country.
It is important to note that there is no medical bachelor’s degree/undergraduate studies in Canada. That is, universities do not offer Bachelor’s of Medicine or Bachelor’s of Surgery. Students are usually required to have completed 3 to 4 years of an undergraduate degree program before applying straight to the MD program. Some medical schools set the requirement at 60 credit hours (about 2 years) of undergraduate studies.
A Canadian MD education usually comprises 2 years of pre-clinical courses and 2 years of clinical training, called rotation. This is different from the 3 + 2 + 1 or extended 3 + 3 +1 medical school arrangements in the United Kingdom, and 4 + 2 arrangements in the United States, India, and many other countries.
For international students who wish to study medical-related fields in Canada, there are other options: consider taking up studies in some otherareas of specialization in the medical field.
Fields related to medicine in Canada 2022
- Psychology
- Physiology
- Medical Research
- Public Health
- Nutrition
- Biological sciences
- Organic chemistry
- Pharmaceutical chemistry
- Medicinal chemistry
- Physical therapy
- Herbology
- Nursing
- Physical assistant programs
- Genetics
- Molecular biology
- Biomedical engineering
- Medical Radiologic Technology
- Optical Sciences
- Diagnostic Imaging
