U of S College of Medicine graduates succeed in national residency match

SASKATOON - Eighty-four students are expected to graduate this June with an MD degree from the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine and go on to pursue postgraduate training.

Yesterday, these physicians learned which medical specialty they will practice, and where the next phase of their training will take place. This annual process of matching Canadian medical graduates to available residency training positions across the country is known as the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS).

Fifty-three College of Medicine graduates (63 per cent) have matched to residency training programs at the University of Saskatchewan. This represents a significant increase in retention rates as compared to previous years when only 50 per cent (2013) and 54.5 per cent (2012) of U of S medical graduates remained in Saskatchewan for residency training.

"I am delighted with our 2014 CaRMS results. To see so many of our graduates match to Saskatchewan programs and to highly-competitive positions across the country, reinforces to me the exceptional nature of our students," said Dr. Colum Smith, acting dean of the College of Medicine. "I am especially impressed to see our U of S seats in general pathology, general surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and psychiatry filled entirely with our own graduates."

Increasing the number of Saskatchewan grads competing for family medicine residency training has been an important goal for the College of Medicine. In 2014, 18 U of S graduates matched to family medicine programs in Saskatchewan, up from only 10 graduates in 2010. This is also the first year for the Moose Jaw Family Medicine Residency Training program, which will welcome two U of S graduates.

"These latest CaRMS results are encouraging," said Ed Mantler, saskdocs CEO. "We have been working very, very hard with our partners to engage and connect with U of S medical learners to make sure they know of the opportunities available to them here in Saskatchewan and it is encouraging to see that many of these physicians have matched to residency seats here too. We look forward to working closely with them as they begin the next phase of their professional journey."

In addition, 26 U of S graduates from the class of 2014 have matched to programs in medical schools outside Saskatchewan including Memorial, Dalhousie, McMaster and Queen's Universities and the Universities of Calgary, Alberta and British Columbia. Five students are still are unmatched at this time.

Students graduating with an MD degree must proceed to postgraduate medical education training (residency), which involves two to five years of further training before they are eligible to receive a full license to practice medicine.

There are a defined number of residency positions available in Canada, and graduating medical students must compete with their peers from across the country to secure spots in their chosen field of specialty.

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For more information, contact:

Laura Herman

Communications

College of Medicine

306-262-6059



James Winkel

Communications

saskdocs

306-933-5094
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