What does the doctor shortage in Canada look like?
To better understand the breadth of the nation’s doctor shortage, one must look at the numbers. In April 2023, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that approximately 6.5 million Canadians do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. This number is up since 2019, when 4.5 million people were without a regular medical practitioner.
The lack of physicians is most keenly felt in rural areas. The Canadian Medical Association states that a mere 8% of the nation’s doctors practise in rural communities, while a whopping 92% work in urban centres. As a result, remote and rural locations must rely on temporary physicians who travel from cities to meet the needs of these underserved communities. The Canadian Institute for Health Information echoes this sentiment, pointing out that in 2022, roughly 66% of Nunavut’s doctors were itinerant.
How does this doctor shortage impact the average Canadian? The Canadian Institute for Health Information explains that only 26% of people could book a same-day or next-day appointment with a medical professional in 2023. This is a significant decrease from 46% in 2016. Furthermore, 39% of those without a primary medical care provider have at least one chronic condition, while 29% require prescription medications.
Without a family physician, Canadians are forced to seek medical help at the country’s overtaxed emergency rooms, leading to a wait-time crisis. The Canadian Medical Association asserts that a major cause of the nation’s current emergency room dilemma is the lack of family doctors. Not only do people have no other choice but to seek medical attention at the hospital, but without access to primary care, they are often sicker due to delayed treatment.
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Why is there a doctor shortage in Canada?
If you were to ask the average Canadian why they love living in Canada, they’d have no problem formulating a lengthy list of their nation’s positive attributes. Why is this bountiful country experiencing a shortage of family physicians? It turns out that there are a number of contributing factors.
Retirements and career changes
Like many nations, Canada is experiencing an aging population. Over 14,000 of Canada’s family physicians graduated from medical school at least 30 years ago. This influx of retirements has contributed to a dearth of family doctors (Canadian Medical Association).
And that’s not the only factor leading to family physician attrition. Some are simply choosing to enter other fields of medicine or abandon doctoring completely. For instance, the Ontario College of Family Physicians reports that 65% of Ontario’s family doctors plan to “leave their profession or reduce their hours in the next five years.” Why? They have become swamped with administrative tasks and report a lack of support.
Administrative tasks
As stated above, many physicians have grown overwhelmed by administrative duties. According to the Canadian Medical Association, physicians typically spend at least 10 hours per week on paperwork and other administrative tasks. Not only does this added burden lead to burnout, but the “fee-for-service” method means that physicians do not get financially reimbursed for the time spent completing these duties.
Related: How You Can Prevent Employees From Being Tired at Work
Declining interest in family medicine
Despite the increasing need for family physicians, most new doctors are not interested in entering family medicine. The Canadian Medical Association explains that in 2014, two of every five medical school graduates chose to specialize in family medicine. In 2023, this number dropped to less than a third.
Aging population
While many older adults enjoy good health, this is not always the case. As people age, they tend to require more medical attention than their younger counterparts. In 2018, the Canadian Medical Association explained that Canadians aged 65 and over made up 20% of the population but accounted for half of all healthcare spending. At this time, it was projected that the median age of Canadians would rise from 40.6 in 2017 to 42.4 over the next ten years. As the population grows older, the difficulties faced by Canada’s medical system—and family doctors—will continue to increase.
How can Canada’s doctor shortage be solved?
It will likely relieve you to learn that the nation’s doctor shortage is not an insurmountable problem. There are possible solutions.
- Empower international medical graduates: In 2023, the National Institutes of Health conducted a study of the family doctor shortage in Canada. It was pointed out that there were 1200 IMGs (international medical graduates) in Canada waiting to practise medicine. The NIH recommended removing the barriers facing these IMGs by enabling them to apply for family medicine residencies, provide administrative support to existing family doctors, become certified by streamlining requirements, and partake in doctor-assistant training programs.
- Reduce administrative duties: Simplifying and decreasing a physician’s paperwork would greatly reduce burnout among current family doctors and remove a significant hurdle to attracting new graduates to family medicine.
- Introduce changes to the healthcare culture: Currently, many family doctors work alone in their own practices. This solitude can contribute to higher levels of stress. The Canadian Medical Association recommends a shift toward working in teams to provide primary care as a viable option.
How can you recruit, hire, and retain a physician?
Don’t let Canada’s current doctor shortage dishearten you. There are tools and strategies that you can use to attract desirable candidates to fill your physician positions. Here are a few:
Sell the location
In this highly competitive market, you need your community and medical facility to stand out. Be prepared to sell your particular location to prospective candidates and develop strategies to future-proof your company.
The College of Family Physicians warns that you are not simply recruiting a doctor—you are recruiting a family. As such, you will need to familiarize yourself with daycares, schools, and activities for children, while also identifying employment options for the physician’s spouse. Partnering with other community leaders and organizations to welcome potential candidates is crucial. And be sure to tailor your sales pitch to each individual applicant.
Sell the position
Once the applicant has fallen in love with your community, you must sell the available position. This will not only attract them to your team, but it will also play a significant role in keeping them for the long haul. Do you have someone who can mentor them and show them the ropes while they are settling in? Do they have access to hospital resources? Is there adequate coverage if they require time off? Will they be presented with opportunities for advancement? Will you support their lifelong learning journey? Be sure to know the answers to any questions posed.
Offer incentives
While financial bonuses and other extrinsic rewards are not always key motivators, these incentives can fuel your talent pipeline. With some Ontario communities offering perks like a free car for a year, riverfront property, free golf memberships, and large cash payments, it may be worthwhile to determine what your organization can afford to put on the bargaining table. Perhaps you could help a new doctor to pay back a student loan, offer relocation assistance, or provide a signing bonus.
Market aggressively
The key to attracting viable candidates is marketing—casting as wide a net as possible. This involves using social media, making presentations to soon-to-be graduating residents, participating in industry conferences and events, attending university orientation days, advertising in journals, appearing at trade shows, and devising branded promotional items (HealthForceOntario). By increasing the brand awareness of your community and business, you can better compete with other markets.
The doctor shortage in Canada is serious and it will require a great deal of hard work and ingenuity to overcome it. But do not let this situation dissuade you from striving to attract top-notch family physicians to fill your open positions. By identifying your community’s strongest-selling features and tailoring your approach to meet each candidate’s needs, you may be able to attract the ideal fit for your role.
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