The purpose of this longitudinal study was to gather extrapolation evidence of validity by assessing whether performance on a national medical licensing exam, in addition to practice and socio-demographic variables, is predictive of future physician performance in practice. The study focused on a cohort of 3,404 physicians who were registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) and who completed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Parts I and II between 1992–2017. Separate multivariate quasi-Poisson regression models were run to assess the degree of relationship between first-time pass/fail status on the MCCQE I and II, and several CPSA socio-demographic variables and several CPSA socio-demographic variables, in addition to complaints/physician and various prescribing flags. Candidates who failed the MCCQE I on their first attempt had 27% more complaints lodged against them, compared to those who passed. Physicians who failed the MCCQE II on their first attempt prescribed 2+ benzodiazepines and 2+ opioids to 30% more patients than those who passed. Conclusions: Performance on the MCCQE Part I and II is an important predictor of physician performance. Combined with other critical variables, these measures provide important evidence to aid in risk modeling efforts and to guide educational interventions for physicians at an early stage of their careers.

Background: From national and international workforce perspectives, Canadians studying medicine abroad (CSAs) are a growing provider group. Some were born in Canada whereas others immigrated as children. They study medicine in various countries, often attempting both American and Canadian medical licensure pathways. Methods: Using data from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Medical Council of Canada (MCC), we looked at CSAs who attempted to secure residency positions in both Canada and the United States. We detailed the CSAs’ countries of birth and medical education. We tracked these individuals through their postgraduate education programs to enumerate their success rate and categorize the geographic locations of their training. Results: The majority of CSAs study medicine in one of 10 countries. The remainder are disbursed across 88 other countries. Most CSAs were born in Canada (62%). Approximately 1/3 of CSA from the 2004-2016 cohort had no record of entering a residency program in Canada or the United States (U.S.). Recently graduated CSAs were most likely to secure residency training in Ontario and New York. Conclusion: Many CSAs attempt to secure residency training in both Canada and the U.S. Quantifying success rates may be helpful for Canadians thinking about studying medicine abroad. Understanding the educational pathways of CSAs will be useful for physician labour workforce planning

No abstract

One of the routes for entry into practice for international medical graduates (IMGs) in Canada entails completing some form of an in-practice assessment program. The latter route is referred to as practice ready assessment and is the focus of the present investigation. A pan-Canadian practice ready assessment process is currently being designed to evaluate IMGs' practice readiness. The selection of candidates who will not only have the highest likelihood of successfully completing the practice-ready assessment program but who will also attain specialty certification is of paramount importance. Our study focused on assessing how well practice-ready assessment candidates' performance on Medical Council of Canada (MCC) examinations and four demographic variables could predict both their score and pass fail status on the College of Family Physicians' (CFPC) certification examination. Data from 132 practice-ready assessment candidates were analyzed and indicate that MCC Qualifying Examination Part 1 scores, gender and age were significant predictors of both pass/fail status (p<0.05) as well as scores (p<0.01) on the short-answer management problems component of the family medicine certification examination. This study provides initial validity evidence for using the MCCQE Part I as a selection tool for practice-ready assessment. Practice-ready assessment programs across Canada might consider adopting the set of standardized predictors examined in this investigation, in addition to other measures, in an effort to better promote a pan-Canadian model.