I’m a medical student who’s wrestling between a variety of specialties: family medicine (+/- palliative care), psychiatry, or skipping out entirely and going into a History program. I’m concerned because I think it’s important to have a generalist training (for personal improvement and job opportunities), but I also think I’m likely to want to do psychiatry at some point. If I do History, of course, all this is moot.
I’ve heard that it’s difficult to get a re-entry residency position in Canada. I would, obviously, be re-entering from family medicine into psychiatry. Does anyone know how hard this would actually be? That kind of information would obviously influence my choices.
Thanks!
Well, I’m not super clear on your question, but here is a link that can help I think:
img-canada.ca.
Are you a US medical graduate currently in a Family Medicine residency program? A Canadian medical graduate in a US program? Something else?
I do know if you are a US citizen and US medical grad, moving to Canada to live and work will be much easier for you than many others. Further, I know that Psychiatry is one of the less competitive residency programs (at least in Canada).
Now, there are qualification exams for foreign medical grads, but I suspect if you graduated from an accredited US school you would be excused from writing them (although I’m not positive on that point).
So, a bit more info might garner a better response. 
Oh, sorry. I’m a Canadian, training in Canada, and hoping to practice in Canada. What I was considering was entering a family practice for, say, 5 years, in order to provide myself with a generalist background that (I think) would benefit me in any future specialty. After those 5 years, my plan was to re-enter a specialist residency and practice as a specialist.
Ahhhh - OK, that’s much clearer.
I don’t have a GQ type answer; however, I personally know a guy who did exactly this - practiced family med for a few years and then went back and did a psych residency.
I dunno how hard it was for him - based on what he said it was no biggie, but I don’t know the specifics. Sorry.