Since 2009, the ratio of available residency positions to Canadian medical students has declined steadily from 1.11 to 1.02 positions for every 1 applicant in the first round of the Canadian PGY-1 matching process. This has resulted in an unprecedented number of unmatched students, with 2.4% (68 students) remaining unmatched after the second iteration of CaRMS in 2017.
Given the magnitude of this issue and its need to be addressed, the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) has published a position paper on “Support For Unmatched Canadian Medical Students.” This echoes sentiments expressed by other national bodies such as the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). This paper advises on concrete actions that can be taken to help address this growing issue.
The CFMS provides various recommendations, which include: a standardized extension of clerkship for unmatched students, receiving feedback from postgraduate programs, improving wellness and mental health resources, and personalized career planning for medical students. The Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA) supports these views and has unanimously voted to endorse the CFMS’s position paper. Given that 55/68 of the unmatched Canadian medical graduates were from Ontario, this issue is of particular concern to us. OMSA is committed to supporting and advocating for unmatched medical students, and is working with various parties at both the provincial and national level to address this issue.
Click here to access the full CFMS Position Paper.
Officially founded in May 1974 during the Ontario Medical Association’s AGM, the Student Section of the OMA was started using the acronym “OMSA” (short for Ontario Medical Students Association) in 2004.
Copyright © 2024, Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA).
The views expressed on this website do not in any way represent those of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).