O Canada!

Canada is the third largest country in the world and has an average population density of just three people per square kilometre (compared with 243 and 31 for the United Kingdom and the United States).1 Despite this it offers a spectrum of highly urbanised areas with world class universities through to some of the most sparsely populated areas in the world. Canada therefore has excellent opportunities for a medical career whether it be in cutting edge research at a world renowned institution or wilderness medicine, without another doctor for hundreds of miles.

Eighty per cent of Canada's 30,000,000 population is urbanised2 and more than 10% of its gross domestic product is spent on health care,3 ranking it one of the top 10 countries worldwide. Beyond medicine, Canadian cities regularly feature in polls of best cities in the world in which to live, with Vancouver usually in the top three and Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Calgary scattered among the top 25, depending on which survey you believe.45

I wondered what the difference would be between the Canadian and US systems for a medical student such as myself considering a move abroad. The biggest difference between the two countries is that Canada's healthcare system is publicly funded. The national health insurance programme is known as Medicare. Responsibility for its provision is split between federal (that is, the whole country) and the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. This has important implications when applying for a licence to practise in Canada.

This splitting of roles also runs through to the training and licensure of doctors. This therefore can also create additional problems for …