Saskatchewan-Based Assessment of Family Medicine International Medical Graduates (IMGs) Questions and Answers for IMGs

Q1.  What’s the new changes for Saskatchewan’s assessment process in family
medicine as it relates to IMGs?
The new assessment process is redesigned to more efficiently recruit more foreign-trained physicians to the province.  On January 1, 2011, all IMGs will be required to take a Saskatchewan-based assessment before beginning to practice in the community who initially recruited
them.  They’ll change the current assessment so that an eligible IMGs are provided a temporary licence to practise within a group and then become assessed by CAPE in Manitoba within six months of arriving.
Q2. Why is the revised assessment process for IMGs being introduced?
Physicians and all of Saskatchewan’s citizens have asked for it.the government made the commitment in the provincial government speech from  the throne in it’s 2008 physician recruitment strategy.

Q3.  Who administer’s it?

The College of Medicine; University of Saskatchewan.

Q4.  What’s wrong with the old assessment?

 Communities and physicians said that the disruption to health care delivery is  a large problem as it relates to the previous licensure and assessment process.

ï‚· IMGs have been assessed after practice has begun.  This creates a disruptive and uncomfortable situation where physicians are needing to prepare for the assessment process even while they’re building their practice and are required to leave the province for several weeks for the assessment. Sometimes, physicians have had to leave their practice after receiving a negative assessment and the following changes in licensure.  This has been very disruptive to patients,  their communities and physician practices.

Q5.  Who is eligible for the assessment?

To be eligible for the assessment, the IMGs must:

 first be granted eligibility for an educational license by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Exam and an English language proficiency exam); and

ï‚· be accepted into the Saskatchewan’s assessment by the College of Medicine; and

ï‚· have a work permit; and

 have a signed return-of-service contract with the Ministry of Health and a regional health authority in Saskatchewan. Further Details will be forthcoming.

Q6.  Will IMGs be compensated while taking the assessment?

IMGs who have met the above criteria will be eligible for compensation during the period of assessment and orientation.  Those who pass this centralized assessment will be eligible for compensation during their clinical field assessment  which runs for three to 12 weeks maximum.

Q7. What’s the compensation rate?

ï‚· IMGs are compensated $1,015 per week from a health region for each week.

ï‚· Additionally, IMG’s receive free accommodation during their centralized and clinical field assessment.

ï‚· IMGs don’t need to pay overhead to the assessing physician’s clinic during

the clinical field assessment.

 IMGs are responsible for travel costs  while in the province.

Q8.  Will the assessors be paid?  If so, how much?

 Assessors receive a weekly stipend of $1,400.  Assessors are not allowed to charge IMGs during the clinical field assessment process.

Q9.  When are the assessments?

ï‚· January, May and September of each year.

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