A French neurologist who wants to work in Quebec cannot be hired in a hospital despite 28 vacant positions in the specialty and more than 50,000 patients waiting for treatment.
“It doesn’t work, time passes. […] It is still unbelievable to reach such a situation,” regrets Dr. Christophe Couratier.
The doctor of French origin who specializes in neurology has been in a dead end for three years. In 2015, he moved to Quebec with his family and was hired at the Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital in Terrebonne. He followed around 4,000 Quebecers.
opportunity in Guadeloupe
“My patients liked me,” swears the 58-year-old, who specializes in certain diseases (Parkinson’s, migraines, etc.).
The College of Physicians of Quebec (CMQ) requires professionals from abroad to work with a restrictive permit for five years before receiving a “regular” permit.
In 2019, after completing four of five years, the 58-year-old doctor was given a chance at a Parkinson’s Competency Center in Guadeloupe and left to work there.
In fact, the doctor had gathered from his discussions with the CMQ that he could complete his fifth year of the restrictive license abroad. However, a year later, his dream of returning to Quebec turned into a nightmare.
“When I asked if I could come back, they told me: We have to continue for another year. […] “I was a little disappointed, it wasn’t the information that I had understood,” emphasizes the doctor, whom I met during a visit to Montreal last October.
It’s now been three years since the neurologist couldn’t be hired in Quebec. Gaspésie, Montérégie, Laurentides, Montreal: He says he applied for vacancies in a dozen companies. He was only interviewed once and was not hired.
“I was told there was no need,” lamented the Canadian permanent resident, who still works in Guadeloupe.
Inexplicable difficulties
There are currently 28 vacant positions in neurology, data from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs shows. There are also 54,396 Quebecers waiting for a neurological consultation, of which 31,749 are late.
In a letter to Dr. Couratier in April 2023, the CMQ writes that it “cannot explain your client’s difficulties in finding a job in an institution while his professional file is “empty”, i.e. h we say, without measure or sanction, and that neurology seems to be a field in which there is a shortage of specialists.
To accommodate the doctor, the college waived the 24-month deadline for completing five years of a restrictive license.
“It’s absurd. […] “Somewhere things are blocked and I don’t know where,” said his lawyer, Me Benoit Bénéteau, who recently sent the file to the Minister of Health.
When asked whether former colleagues could give him bad press, Dr. Couratier believes this is possible, but he has no information on this topic.
Additionally, the CMQ requires that Dr. Couratier completed his fifth year in a hospital. Although he received two positive employment responses at the clinic, he cannot work there.
Repeat the exam?
The only other option for Dr. Couratier would be retaking the Royal College of Physicians of Canada exam. A route he rules out because this test requires a lot of preparation and would require a year off work, says his lawyer.
Despite everything, Dr. Couratier still hopes for a job in Quebec and to join one of his children who is studying in Montreal.
“I settled in well, everything was fine,” he complains. We got impatient, it’s still three years.”