International doctors hired to provide essential service to school children

Toronto Foundation for Student Success: 2010 IS Awards Winner, CBC TORONTO Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion

A vision for immigrant inclusion has a literal meaning for the Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS). As an advocate for students facing barriers to success, TFSS, the arm’s length charitable foundation of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) initiated the Sprott Management Gift of Sight and Sound Program, which has benefits beyond ensuring that students see the chalkboard.

When developing the program, designed to screen children in priority neighbourhoods for vision and/or hearing difficulties, TFSS chose to hire international medical graduates (IMGs) to administer the vision screenings. Initial accuracy rates were so high that IMGs now manage and coordinate the whole program. For the IMGs, it means work relevant to their profession while they pursue provincial certification. For students, IMGs are role models who can speak their languages.

“Kids have cried when they put on glasses for the first time, because they are finally able to see the world around them,” says Catherine Parsonage, TFSS Executive Director & CEO. “For IMGs, it’s paid employment, valuable experience, and increased optimism for the future. Two have already been accepted into residency positions.”

TFSS works with Skills for Change (SfC) to identify potential hires. “The IMGs are culturally-appropriate and reflective of student populations,” says Leslie Wagner of Career Transitions for International Medical Doctors at SfC.

Three years into the program, four full-time and six part-time IMG staff screen over 18,000 kids annually. Between them they speak 18 languages.

Dr. Lee Ford-Jones of Sick Kids Hospital, a specialist in paediatric care, is astounded by the results and the program’s potential: “It’s an opportunity for IMGs to get experience to help them enter the system and for those who can’t get in, because spots are limited, it demonstrates the potential to engage IMGs in meaningful healthcare work.”

The TDSB Model Schools for Inner Cities Initiative and Walmart Vision Centres are partners of the program, the latter providing half a million dollars worth of optometry services and free glasses annually.

In partnership with the TDSB and St. Michael’s Hospital, TFSS recently launched the Model Schools Paediatric Health Initiative with the directive to hire IMGs as coordinators.

TFSS has met with many stakeholders including the Ontario Medical Association, Nurses Secretariat and the College of Family Physicians to discuss how the program can be replicated throughout the province.