Internationally educated healthcare workers: focus on physicians in ontario

The issue of access to licensure for internationally educated health professionals is a critical one, and the impact of inadequate healthcare resources has a profound impact on patients. As the body that licenses doctors in Ontario, issues related to the provincial doctor shortage and problems with access to licensure for international medical graduates (IMGs) have been significant areas of focus for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). In February 2002, the CPSO Council approved the establishment of the first Physician Resources Task Force. Its mandate was to "find creative ways to meet physician resource needs without compromising registration standards." For the first time, the key stakeholders--regulators, government and educators--were all at the table to try to address the complex issues and processes involved in licensing physicians.