Doctor finds welcome at IAF

Elena Kumar was just making ends meet as her husband, Amit, completed his residency in South Africa. The couple immigrated to Edmonton in 2009 and survived on Elena’s income as a clinical aid at a Medicentre.Then Elena had an opportunity to write a critical professional exam, which required that she reduce her work hours in order to study — and shell out a hefty exam fee of $2,000, too much for the couple’s tight budget to accommodate.

“Sometimes it becomes really tough,” Elena says. In Russia, she had already completed her residency and a Masters degree in internal medicine, but those credentials are not recognized in Canada. “You don’t know how much hope you have of succeeding. And you don’t need financial stress on top of the stress going through exams, dealing with the licensing issues and unpredictable changes in rules about qualifications, and all of the other obstacles that block your way.”

IAF came to Elena’s rescue — and not just with the loan that covered the exam fee.

“I’m very glad IAF exists,” Elena enthuses. “All of the people I met there were so friendly and welcoming to international medical graduates, like me. They helped me with every step of the application — writing it, figuring out income and outputs and presenting it. I really appreciate the welcome I received there.”

Now, Amit is working as a doctor in Edmonton and Elena, having passed her exam, is working as a clinical assistant in the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Because of the long waits and intense competition for residency positions in Alberta, plus the time and expense, Elena plans to assess carefully whether she will pursue her doctor’s license, or whether she will stay on in her current position. “It’s a very good position,” she says. “I feel that I’ve already accomplished a lot. We are settled and I want to keep working in Edmonton and buy a house. Then, hopefully, having children will be the next step.”