An experienced neurologist in Iran, in N.B. he works as massage therapist
Masoud Mahmoudzadeh says the process to license internationally trained doctors should be streamlined
Masoud Mahmoudzadeh flips through pages of documents in his quiet north-side Fredericton home.
Bright stamps and signatures flash by, showing degrees and certifications he and his wife earned in Iran, their home country.
When asked what made him want to become a neurologist, he stops and smiles.
"I think the brain is the most complex system in the universe," he said. "I really like the challenge."
But Mahmoudzadeh isn't working as a neurologist in New Brunswick. He's a registered massage therapist.
His journey started in Tehran, at a school he calls "the best medical school in Iran."
He spent seven years studying medicine to become a GP and then four years to become specialized in neurology.
He said his medical school had U.S. standards, with most professors having been educated there.
After graduating in 1999, Mahmoudzadeh worked for over a decade as chief neurologist and as the head of an ICU in a hospital in Maku, an Iranian city near the Turkish border.
Mahmoudzadeh says he was on call 24/7 and would care for patients not only in his own region, but also in neighbouring regions of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iraq. He speaks numerous languages, including English, French, Arabic and his native Turkish.
He moved to New Brunswick six years ago under the express entry stream of the Provincial Nominee Program to pursue a better quality of life, he said.
The province's website describes the program as one for skilled workers with education and work experience to contribute to the economy and who are ready to live and work in the province permanently.
He chose Fredericton because it's "the most beautiful city in the world," he said.
"I've seen many, many countries. I've been to many, many places. And once we came here for a visit … Wow. I said that I'm going to live here. And I don't regret it."
Mahmoudzadeh said he knew licensing was going to be tough in Canada, which is why he planned to buy a long-term care home to run. But it was a plan COVID-19 would eventually spoil.
During this time, he said, he was looking to get licensed in neurology, but after looking at the cost and time it would take to re-qualify, he decided it wasn't feasible for him.
He estimated it would take more than seven years and cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
After giving up on the process, Mahmoudzadeh took a two-year program to become a registered massage therapist, and he's been working as one for three years now.
He said he chose that because it was the closest thing to medicine without the burden of spending years retraining.
Mahmoudzadeh's wife, Landan Pour Jabbar, was faced with the same situation after moving to Canada.
Having worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Iran, with 13 years of experience, she is now pursuing a career in nursing, a four-year program he calls "more accessible."
'This is what I've done all my life'
Mahmoudzadeh said the biggest hurdle for internationally trained doctors wanting to work in their specialized area is the need to complete a residency program in Canada.
He had already done this in his former country.
"Four years — I've done that already and I have the experience," he said.
"I was not ready to do that again. This is what I was trained for. This is what I've done all my life."
Mahmoudzadeh said it's also difficult to get accepted into a residency program, even if he were willing to do one again.
"So you don't have enough space for new residents, and you force everybody to go through that process that they have already done in their countries," he said.
"Looking at statistics and what I should go through to get my licence and get ready to practise here, I thought that it will take so ... long, maybe even eight or nine years. I was not ready to do that again."
He said he would also have to redo the medical exam.
The Medical Council of Canada is responsible for examinations, part of the Canadian standard, which all physicians looking to practise in Canada must meet.
When asked about Mahmoudzadeh's situation, the council said there are many pathways to licensure, and the timelines depend on which path applicants choose.
"The pathway to licensure is complex and does take time, something the [council] in its most recent strategic plan is working with its partners to address."
Glen Bandiera, executive director of standards and assessment for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, the national association that oversees the medical education of specialists in Canada, said in most jurisdictions across Canada, it's much easier for a family physician to get a provisional licence, compared to a doctor in a specialty that is seen as "oversupplied."
"Variation across discipline and across jurisdictions —that is going to be pretty high for individuals," Bandiera said.
A provisional licence allows a physician who has not met the requirements for a full licence to practise under certain conditions.
Getting licensed in N.B.
Dr. Laurie Potter, registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, said in a statement that internationally trained physicians are a "vital component" of the physician workforce, with about 25 per cent of licensed physicians in New Brunswick having a medical degree from outside Canada.
Potter said the length of time it takes to obtain licensure can vary because of a number of factors, but many are processed in "four to six weeks."
Vitalité Health Network said it has one vacant neurologist position and four vacant obstetrician-gynecologist positions, with one to be filled in the fall. The network currently employs nine neurologists and 16 obstetrician-gynecologists.
Horizon Health Network said it has two obstetrician-gynecologists vacancies and three neurologist vacancies. Horizon employ 58 obstetrician-gynecologists.and 14 neurologists.
According to population estimates from Statistics Canada, since 2018 New Brunswick added more than 80,000 people to its population. In that same period, the Department of Health says it's seen a net increase of only 129 physicians.
The New Brunswick Department of Health said 312 physician jobs, including new positions and vacancies, remain unfilled. Almost half of those jobs are specialty positions.
CBC News requested an interview with New Brunswick Minister of Health Bruce Fitch but he was not made available.
Latest initiatives
Last December, the province announced a new initiative to get internationally trained doctors who didn't meet licensing standards in New Brunswick to work as clinical assistants.
"Clinical assistants perform a variety of duties within various departments across the health-care system under the direct supervision of licensed physicians within a regional health authority," a statement from the department said.
The initiative was meant to hire as many as 24 positions over the next three years. When asked, the Department of Health did not provide numbers on how many doctors have been hired into these roles.
There is also the Practice Ready Assessment program, an alternate route to licensure for experienced internationally trained family physicians.
But Mahmoudzadeh believes the current system is keeping many internationally educated health professionals from serving their communities.
"We can contribute to our country … I can do a lot more than what I am doing right now, I am trained, I have experience," he said.
"So, it makes me feel sad that I'm not in the position that I can help people around me."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
