Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine Offers Program Delivery for International Medical Graduates

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Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine Offers Program Delivery for International Medical Graduates

February 27, 2012

February 27, 2012: Today, the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) is initiating registration for a new bridge delivery of its naturopathic medical program, developed specifically for international medical graduates (IMGs).

The CCNM bridge delivery for IMGs offers graduates of medical schools an opportunity to further their health care careers in Canada. Applicants to the CCNM program will have demonstrated their knowledge through successful completion of either the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE) or the United States Medical Licensing Examination Part I (USMLEI), one of which is required for entry into the CCNM program.

IMGs have education and expertise that is valued in Canada. Through the bridge delivery of its naturopathic medical program, CCNM is providing access to education for those who wish to further enhance their knowledge and skills for a successful health-care career in Canada.

?There are over 10,000 foreign trained medical graduates in Canada, over 7,000 in Ontario alone. Most of these highly trained individuals are currently engaged in lower skilled jobs that make little or no use of their medical expertise. That does not make sense for Canada, and it doesn?t make sense to these medical professionals. We see value in ensuring that these highly trained immigrants to Canada can build upon the knowledge and skills that helped them gain entry to the country and use them in gainful employment,? says CCNM President Bob Bernhardt, PhD.

?Doctors and health-care professionals who arrive in Canada as immigrants or refugees and who wish to pursue a career in medicine must negotiate a complicated and costly series of evaluating and licensing examinations. When these exams are successfully completed, international medical graduates (IMGs) are required to perform up to two years in a hospital residency program. Unfortunately, their access to residency has been limited, and this exclusion creates frustration for those who want to further their careers as Canadian doctors.?

Many foreign trained medical doctors feel that the nature of a naturopathic doctor?s practice is much closer to their experience as a medical doctor than practice in the provincial fee-for-service system that drives the average duration of standard visits to allopathic doctors to less than 10 minutes. Therapies associated with naturopathic medicine are used world-wide: clinical nutrition; lifestyle management; traditional Asian medicine and acupuncture; botanical (herbal) medicine; physical medicine; and homeopathy.

The six-term (two-year) bridge delivery allows for reasonable sequencing of all required courses, as well as enhanced opportunities for integration of the IMG and 3rd-year student cohorts. Students will learn to model and integrate naturopathic medical practice through mentorship and observation at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic (RSNC). Clinic exposure, commencing early in the delivery, provides context for the different modalities that define the practice of naturopathic medicine.

The bridge delivery cohort will be supervised through 1032 hours of primary clinical experience?the same number as required in the four-year offering. Classes for the new bridge delivery commence in May.

The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) is Canada?s premier institute for education and research in naturopathic medicine. Founded as the Ontario College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1978, CCNM has produced highly educated primary care providers and increased the profile of naturopathic medicine in Canada. We are an agent for positive change in our health, environment and health care system.

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary care that addresses the root cause of illness or disease and promotes health and healing using natural therapies. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are highly educated primary care providers who integrate standard medical diagnostics with a broad range of natural therapies.

CCNM is accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) and is a member of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC). Graduates receive the naturopathic doctor (ND) designation.

For information on the bridge delivery for international medical graduates, visit:

www.ccnm.edu/img

Or call 1-866-241-2266 extension 245

For general information:
Catherine Kenwell
Director, Marketing and Communications
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
1255 Sheppard Avenue East
Toronto ON M2K 1E2
ckenwell@ccnm.edu

For more information contact:
Catherine Kenwell
Director, Marketing and Communications
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
Phone: 416-498-1255 x 243
Email: ckenwelL@ccnm.edu
Website: www.ccnm.edu

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Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine Offers Program Delivery for International Medical Graduates

February 27, 2012

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

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