By Dr. Bilal Akil, MD — Emergency Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University · founder of mccQbank
Short answer: yes, if you are in your last two years of medical school, a Canadian studying abroad can arrange a rural Ontario elective through the Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP). ROMP says it “can assist with rotations for international learners”, meaning Canadian citizens or permanent residents studying outside Canada. Its first step is to find and confirm a preceptor; you then apply at least 6 months before the start date (later applications are not accepted) and complete its paperwork at least 5 months before. International learners can do elective rotations only, in ROMP regions 2 and 4; there is no funding for them, and fees apply.
What ROMP is
ROMP has helped medical students and residents in Ontario arrange core and elective rotations since 1988 (ROMP). Its stated mission is to ease the burden that the nation-wide physician distribution problem puts on communities, and to create learning opportunities outside the academic centres. ROMP says that, through its network of preceptors, it can place rotations in over 100 communities of varying sizes in South Central Ontario (ROMP communities).
How the ROMP route works for CSAs
ROMP’s page for learners lists these steps for “International Clerks”, and its application form adds the limits in the last item:
- Find and confirm a preceptor. This is ROMP’s first step for international clerks. The form also has a “Preceptor, if known” field and mentions ROMP coordinators sending you a preceptor’s name, so ask ROMP whether it can suggest one.
- Apply at least 6 months before the rotation starts, using ROMP’s online application form. The form says applications submitted less than 6 months in advance “will NOT be accepted”.
- Complete the paperwork at least 5 months before the start date. ROMP notifies you once your application is submitted, with the documents it needs.
- Check you fit the limits. ROMP “can only place internationally trained learners in ROMP regions 2 and 4”, so your preceptor must work there. The form adds that CSAs must be in their last 2 years of medical school at the time of the rotation and can complete elective rotations only.
ROMP adds two notes: there is no funding available for international learners or their preceptor-supervisors, and fees apply to all international learner applications. It does not publish the fee amount on that page.
Where you can go: regions 2 and 4
ROMP’s communities page lists these places in the two regions open to international learners:
| ROMP region | Communities |
|---|---|
| Region 2 | Barrie (including Midhurst), Chesley, Clearview (Creemore, Stayner), Collingwood, Durham, Hanover, Kincardine, Lion’s Head (Tobermory), Markdale (Flesherton, Dundalk), Meaford, Midland, Orillia, Owen Sound, Penetanguishene, Rosseau/Wahta, Southampton (Port Elgin), Town of Blue Mountains (Clarksburg, Thornbury), Walkerton, Wasaga Beach, Wiarton |
| Region 4 | Kawartha Lakes, Clarington (Bowmanville, Newcastle), Cobourg (Northumberland County; Port Hope), Haliburton, Minden Hills (Kinmount), Peterborough (Havelock, Lakefield, Northwood), Port Perry, Trent Hills (Campbellford, Hastings, Warkworth), Uxbridge |
A given community may not have a preceptor in your discipline, which is one more reason to start early. ROMP’s communities page links to a table of specialties by community; it covers all ROMP regions, so check that a town is in region 2 or 4.
Work backwards from your start date
ROMP’s two deadlines are counted from the rotation’s first day, and the preceptor comes first. For a rotation starting on Monday 5 July 2027:
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Preceptor found and confirmed | before you apply |
| ROMP application submitted | by 5 January 2027 (6 months before) |
| ROMP paperwork completed | by 5 February 2027 (5 months before) |
| Rotation starts | 5 July 2027 |
In practice, start looking for a preceptor at least two or three months before the application deadline, because a confirmed preceptor is the step you control least. Before you write to one, we suggest having three things settled: your home school’s confirmation that the rotation can count for credit, your exact dates and discipline, and a short CV with a letter of good standing. A preceptor can say yes far more easily to a specific, approved request.
How ROMP differs from AFMC portal electives
| ROMP (international clerks) | AFMC Student Portal electives | |
|---|---|---|
| Who finds the preceptor | ROMP’s first step is to find and confirm one | The host school; most forbid contacting preceptors |
| When to apply | At least 6 months ahead | Each school’s window; for CSAs, 36 to 27 weeks ahead at NOSM, up to 24 weeks at UBC, 12 or 16 weeks at Manitoba |
| Where | ROMP regions 2 and 4 in South Central Ontario | Sites of the host faculty |
| Fees | Fees apply (amount not published on the page) | $745 portal registration for international students (CSAs included), then each school’s fees |
| Funding | None for international learners | None stated for visiting students; McMaster says it provides no housing or travel funding, and NOSM says students cover their own travel and accommodation |
The $745 registration fee for international students, including Canadians studying abroad, is on the AFMC Student Portal home page, and each school’s fees are on its fees-by-school page. Because the two routes work so differently, check with your home school that a ROMP placement will count for academic credit before you approach a preceptor; many portal schools, including Toronto, Ottawa, Western, McMaster and Dalhousie, accept only for-credit electives. For how the portal route works from start to finish, see our guide to AFMC visiting electives for Canadians abroad.
Other rural options for CSAs
- NOSM University accepts only Canadians studying abroad among international applicants, in their final two years, through the AFMC portal. It takes applications 36 to 27 weeks before the start date, so for a 5 July 2027 start its window runs from 26 October to 28 December 2026 (open as of 8 November 2026), before ROMP’s deadline. Each application can list up to three disciplines and three communities, and NOSM matches you to a preceptor itself.
- Ottawa lists a “Rural ERMEP” elective among those with prerequisites: students must be in their final year of clerkship.
- Saskatchewan considers international applicants only if they are Saskatchewan students studying abroad (with a valid Saskatchewan health card) or nominated RCSI, LMU or IFMSA students. If that is you, it asks you to email its visiting electives office about rural electives, which have limited capacity and are not typically in its capacity-based model.
What ROMP does not cover
ROMP says it cannot support graduates trained outside Canada and refers them to HealthForceOntario. Its funded ROMP Week is for pre-clerks at Ontario universities, and its “out-of-province learners” category means students at Canadian schools outside Ontario. If you are a Canadian studying abroad, the “International Clerks” route is the one that applies.
ROMP also runs Hire a Med Student, which in ROMP’s words “allows medical students to gain research and quality improvement experience in health care with rural and regional Ontario communities”. As of 8 November 2026, the page still shows the 2026 cycle, whose applications closed on 15 February 2026: at least 6 weeks at 30 hours a week between 20 April and 28 August 2026, for Canadian citizens or permanent residents aged 15 to 30 who are legally entitled to work in Canada. No 2027 dates are posted yet, and the page does not say whether students at schools outside Canada qualify, so ask ROMP.
Rural rotations are one way back into Canadian medicine. Our guide to returning to Canada after medical school abroad covers the exams and the match, and the CaRMS 2027 timeline for IMGs lists the dates ahead.
If the MCCQE is part of your plan, practise in its format early. mccQbank has 2,600+ bilingual MCCQE questions in English and French. Try 30 free questions.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Canadian studying abroad do a ROMP rotation?
Yes, as an “International Clerk”: a Canadian citizen or permanent resident studying outside Canada, in the last 2 years of medical school. ROMP places international learners only in regions 2 and 4, and only for electives.
How early should I apply to ROMP?
At least 6 months before the rotation, after you have found and confirmed a preceptor; ROMP’s form says later applications will not be accepted. The paperwork is due at least 5 months before the start date.
Does ROMP pay for international learners?
No. ROMP says there is no funding for international learners or their preceptor-supervisors, and that fees apply to all international learner applications.
