Quebec’s medical students from the province’s four faculties are gearing up for a rally in Montreal on Tuesday after facing a week without teaching from medical specialists. This disruption may impact their residency matching process, potentially putting them at a disadvantage compared to students in other provinces across Canada.
The residency matching process is a critical step for graduating doctors as they decide on a specialty and enter the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). This annual process involves submitting applications, conducting interviews from January to February, and going through a ranking process to receive match results in March. Students who don’t secure their top choice have a second chance in the following round.
Affected by the suspension of teaching duties by the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), final-year students are under pressure. The Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) is also set to vote on following the specialists’ lead on Tuesday.
Félicia Harvey, vice-president of the Fédération médicale étudiante du Québec (FMEQ), expressed concerns about the impact on students if family doctors join the specialists’ actions. The FMEQ is working to address concerns with Canadian universities and associations.
Students worry about the impact of missed rotations on their specialty decisions and application competitiveness. The FMEQ is coordinating a rally at McGill University to address these concerns, as students fear delays in entering the workforce due to invalidated rotations.
Negotiations between medical federations and the government are stalling due to Bill 106, which links part of physicians’ pay to performance indicators. The FMEQ is advocating for the bill’s removal, emphasizing the need for real solutions to healthcare system challenges. Ignoring these concerns, they warn, could lead to consequences for the health system.
