Medicine Schools and Programs in Canada

Medicine Studies in Canada

The Memorial University offers medicine studies in Canada.

Medicine is one of the most popular courses in Canada, especially for international students. Most students choose to pursue medicine in Canada because of the country’s modern repute, and high standards of living.

Medicine Study in Canada

The admission requirements for medical schools in the country vary from one institution to the other. A mandatory requirement for all the universities is the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The test is meant to evaluate a student’s critical thinking, writing and problem-solving skills, and one’s knowledge of the different scientific principles and concepts that are a requirement to the study of medicine.

Medical degrees in Canada take between three to five years to complete. The duration depends on prior qualifications and the course being pursued. The 5-year medical program is for students who do not have a bachelor’s degree in any science and the first year is the preparatory year. To qualify for the 4-year program, an applicant needs to have a bachelor’s degree in Biology or any other suitable field.

International students seeking to study medicine in Canada, have to take the MCAT test before application. They can take the test in Canada, the US, or in locations overseas. For students who English is not their first language, evidence of their fluency in the language is needed. This is attainable by taking a CAEL, MELAB, IELTS, or TOEFL English-language test. Foreign students should also bear in mind that not all medical universities in Canada take applications from international students.

Medical universities in Canada

There are only 17 medical universities in Canada and they offer different medical programs such as nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and medicine just to mention a few. The courses are taught in either English or French, depending on the institution.

The medical schools as listed by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) are Memorial University, Dalhousie University, McMaster University, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Queen's University, University of Calgary, University of Ottawa, University of Alberta, McGill University, University of Saskatchewan, Université de Montréal, University of Manitoba, Université de Sherbrooke, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Université Laval, and, Western University.

Out of the 17 universities, those that accept applications from international students are Toronto, Laval, Dalhousie, Queen’s, Memorial, McMaster, McGill, Sherbrooke, and Montréal.

Practicing medicine in Canada

For a medical student to practice medicine in Canada he or she has to be evaluated by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC). This council issues a qualification in medicine referred to as the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) to medical graduates who have met all the needed requirements in the field and excelled in the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Parts I and II. Graduates who have been issued the LMCC are registered in the Canadian Medical Register by the MCC.

For a student to also be admitted for evaluation by the MCC, he or she has to be a student or must have finished his or her studies from one of the universities listed in the section earlier.