Reminder, International (visa) applicants with Foreign Government Sponsorship must apply through their sponsorship bureau and not directly to the programs or the PGME office.
STEPS TO FOLLOW FOR INTERNATIONAL LEARNERS APPLYING TO A CLINICAL FELLOWSHIP AT McMASTER
Clinical fellows must be eligible for a certificate authorizing postgraduate education from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). The CPSO requires the applicant be recognized as a medical specialist/family physician in the jurisdiction where the applicant has been practicing medicine. Trainees apply to the CPSO only after they have been accepted into a clinical fellowship program. Research fellows have no patient contact, meaning licensure with the CPSO is not required. The research fellow must possess a medical degree, and meet the program’s own admission criteria.
Up-to-date CV(must be up-to-date within 6 months of application submission)
Medical degree
Specialty Certificate (or MCCEE/MCCQE1 exam results if no specialty certificate)
Undergraduate Medical School Transcripts
Reference Letters
Copy of passport you would be entering Canada with
Funding
**Translations must be provided with the application and official documentation, relating to qualifications, both undergraduate and postgraduate.
Eight weeks prior to the program start date, trainees must complete the McMaster health screening record and supporting documentation directly to the McMaster Health Screening Office.
If you have any questions, contact the Health Screening Office at hrsadmin@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140 ext. 22249.
A valid work permit is required during the duration of their fellowship. The PGME office will provide the trainee with the work permit application information and an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) approved letter of employment that will enable the appointee to apply for the appropriate work permit. The work permit can take up to six months to process.
Pre-Entry Assessment Program (PEAP) is a period of clinical assessment for International Medical Graduates (IMGs), mandated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) to ensure the appropriate level of competency prior to starting residency or fellowship training.
The PEAP allows for appropriate, supervised clinical activity in a multi-disciplinary environment. The PEAP must assess the trainee’s foundational clinical, technical and communication skills, knowledge, and judgment in the discipline the trainee is seeking postgraduate training.
The PEAP will be conducted by your supervisor or Program Director when you start your appointment, it does not occur in isolation from your regular training.
For clinical fellows from the United Kingdom, recognition as a specialist means having the appropriate UK qualification (i.e. MRCP, FRCS, FRCA, FRCR or MRCOG) and having subsequently completed all or most of the higher training of the Joint Committee on Higher Medical Training.
For clinical fellows from Australia, recognition as a specialist means having passed the Fellowship examinations of the appropriate Australian specialist college (e.g. Royal Australasian College of Physicians). You must also have completed all of the advanced training for admission to Australian Fellowship. The Provisional Fellowship Year is to be taken in Ontario in a clinical fellowship program.
The program will contact the applicant directly once all documents are received. Individual programs may have their own admission criteria. English translations must be provided with the application and official documentation, relating to qualifications, both undergraduate and postgraduate.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to secure a funding source/sponsorship. McMaster PGME currently has sponsorship agreements with certain institutions within the following countries:
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