This IMG has Canadian training, but you wouldn't know it from the CPSO website

The College and Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) is facing backlash for no longer displaying postgraduate training information for their members.In October 2024, the CPSO launched its redesigned physician register. But the updated register no longer has any information where a physician completed residency. The “training” tab on the register now only shows information about where they went to medical school and when they graduated.But one doctor who completed her family medicine residency at the University of Ottawa told the Medical Post that she and her other IMG colleagues were frustrated after learning that the website no longer shows their postgraduate training information, and are worried that their patients may incorrectly conclude that their doctor has no Canadian training. “I just noticed that CPSO removed the residency training from my public page training information and replaced it with my medical school of graduation!” she told the Medical Post in an email. “They removed that and replaced it with the name of my medical school. That's unacceptable and wrong information.”In an email statement, the CPSO said the changes to the website were after bylaw changes in 2023 to ensure that the website was “providing the most relevant, useful and helpful information to the public.”Previously, back when the CPSO website did display postgraduate training information, the college said this information was incomplete as the it only systematically received data from Ontario medical schools. “As a result, the information did not appear consistently for all physicians, potentially leading to misunderstandings or ambiguity about postgraduate training requirements and qualifications,” the CPSO said.The CPSO added this change was made after consultations with a “wide range of partners, including Ontario physicians, pharmacists, hospital representatives, medical schools, and members of the public.” However, the doctor who reached out to the Medical Post questions whether the college did an adequate job informing its members, particularly IMGs “I personally was not informed about this change and would NOT call it an improvement,” she said. “Were any international graduates consulted? It appears to impact public trust in international graduate physicians more than the Canadian graduate physicians.”On top of that, the CPSO said this change was made in “in alignment with other Canadian jurisdictions.” Indeed, most of the other medical colleges also no longer display postgraduate training information, but a few colleges still display postgraduate training information, albeit with some inconsistencies.The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan’s physician register still displays information on postgraduate training, but only for physicians who completed the residencies within the province. In Manitoba and Nova Scotia, the physician register also includes a section on postgraduate training information. However, for some members, this information is either incomplete (such as missing the name of the institution) or entirely blank on the website. In response to the concerns that the patients are no longer getting the full picture of their doctors’ credentials, the CPSO notes that the register continues to reflect the speciality designation and certification from the Royal College or the College of Family Physicians of Canada and says patients “can be confident that all physicians licenced in Ontario have met the requirements applicable to the certificate of registration they hold, regardless of where they completed their medical education or training.”“These certifications are generally issued following an examination and a period of training in Canada or on the basis of recognized, equivalent international credentials. They provide patients with clear, meaningful information about a physician’s qualifications,” the college added. However, the physician who reached out to the Medical Post said this is insufficient.“CPSO verification process for physicians is extensive, Physicians deserve to have their post-graduate training information available to public,” she concluded.

This IMG has Canadian training, but you wouldn't know it from the CPSO website

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