Introduction Rural and remote health care practice comes with its rewards and challenges. While the benefits of telemedicine and digital health solutions are evident, we must not overlook the mental health and well-being of the healthcare professionals who provide care in rural areas. In this blog post, we'll explore the significance of recognizing...

Last year we wrote a blog about The College of Family Physicians of Canada's plans to extend family medicine residency training from two years to three years. The intention was to expand the curriculum and prepare physicians to deal with more complex patient care including elder care, mental health and addictions, new technologies, and to help them...

Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) is the postgraduate medical qualification required to attain a certificate of completion of training (CCT) in General Practice in the United Kingdom. But what about Canada? Is MRCGP recognised in Canada? If you're a doctor in the UK considering a move to Canada, you may be wondering i...

If you're a doctor considering relocating to Canada, you may be wondering if your PLAB qualification will be accepted. Canada has its own medical licensure requirements, but the PLAB test is not one of them. The Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test is a certification exam administered by the General Medical Council and is requi...

Today we are taking a closer look at the journey of Dr. Hatem Naal, a qualified UK GP. After starting his training in Libya, Dr. Naal moved to the UK in 2013 with his family to complete his GP training and became a fully qualified GP who holds MRCGP certification. Dr. Naal came to Canada with his wife and three children with the help of Physicians ...

Running a family medicine clinic can be a daunting task, especially when working alone. That's why the clinic owner in this story decided to search for an associate family physician. She had placed an ad online and received a call from Mr. Phil Martin, owner of Physicians for You Recruitment, who offered his services in providing trained family phy...

The Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) published a report compiling the most recent data on selected health professionals, including physicians, to shed light on the impacts of the pandemic on health care professionals, supply and distribution, migration, and physician payments and utilization.  Key findings: Supply of doctorsIn 2...

With BC’s health system and emergency rooms continuing to experience significant strain, including close to one million British Columbians unattached to a family doctor, expanding the range of services available at community pharmacies will help to increase British Columbians’ access to critical medications and improve patient health outcomes. 

This announcement by Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and other healthcare initiatives have been rolling out since mid 2022 in an attempt to strategize the best way forward for British Columbians and medical services across the province.

In spring of this year, pharmacists in BC will be able to prescribe some medications independently. This will include some forms of contraception and medication for minor ailments like urinary tract infections and allergies. This means you will be able to access care faster when you need it.

Pharmacists in Ontario also got new powers on Jan. 1, 2023, allowing them to prescribe medications for 13 minor ailments including urinary tract infections, tick bites, pinkeye, cold sores and dermatitis. According to the announcement, pharmacy prescribing will also help free-up doctors’ bandwidth to provide care for more complex needs, helping to reduce wait times for these services.

A 2019 University of Waterloo study estimated that almost one third of non-urgent emergency room visits were for conditions that could potentially be managed by pharmacists if they had the scope of practice available in other parts of the country.

The Canadian government has announced that beginning in January 2023, temporary foreign workers’ family members will be eligible for work permits.

Prior to this, only spouses of the principal applicant in the high-skill occupation group were eligible for a work permit. Working-age children will now be able to work through this phased approach.

According to Canada’s Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship (IRCC), this temporary measure aims to improve the emotional well-being, physical health, and financial stability of workers by keeping families together.

As a result, it is expected that the worker will better integrate into their overall work environment and community.

Expanding the eligibility for work permits to family members accompanying the principal applicant will in turn help address the labour shortages Canada is facing.

The beginning of this year saw the release of The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) report: Preparing our Future Family Physicians: An educational prescription for strengthening health care in changing times.

The report has since received significant attention to one of the recommendations outlined in the release - plans to extend family medicine residency training from its current two years to three years.

Recommendations outlined in the report indicate that a plan is in motion based on CFPC consultation findings that two years isn’t adequate to expand the curriculum on increasingly important topics such as seniors’ care, changing technologies, mental health and addictions, and the health impacts of racism and colonialism, and more. The current two-year curriculum does not allow for expansion on these topics.

There are concerns that lengthening training could worsen existing shortages in both family and emergency medicine, since many emergency doctors pursue a family medicine residency followed by a one-year certificate of added competency in emergency medicine. There are plans to continue discussions and further consultation, including with other provinces and faculties of medicine.

The CFPC has enlisted an education reform taskforce whose “main deliverable” will be a “re-designed three-year core family medicine training.” The taskforce will engage in this work over the next five years, meaning the first three-year family medicine program won’t launch until 2027, at the earliest.

British Columbia has struggled with an ongoing doctor shortage, with an estimated one million British Columbians without a family doctor. This is now being addressed through several initiatives, including a pay increase, meant to help support primary care physicians with costs associated with running a practice.

The British Columbia provincial government announced it is making big changes to how general practitioners are paid. The governement, along with 

Beginning on Feb. 1, 2023, full-time family physicians who opt into the new Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model will make $385,000 per year. The Ministry of Health says this is based on a doctor working 1,680 hours, holding a roster of 1,250 patients with average complexity and completing 5,000 visits a year.  

The new model represents a 54 per cent increase in gross salary, and accounts for a system that compensates doctors for visits, hours, and volume and complexity of patients.

This is welcome news to doctors and patients throughout the province and will help address the challenges in primary care.

Doctors often talk about wanting a good work/life balance, but this can be harder to achieve, especially in the early years of practicing medicine. Hobbies and extracurricular activities can help, and they can also go a long way to alleviating fatigue and overcoming physician burnout.

In the demanding world of healthcare it can be challenging for physicians to find time for a hobby. We all know what we should do but it is hard to find the time when so much is expected of us. Doctors expect a lot of themselves and others expect a lot of them as well.

But there is only so much practitioners can give, and it is important to do things for yourself. Everyone needs an outlet.

Finding healthy ways to unwind has been proven to be a great stress reliever. Interests outside of hospital or practice can teach critical skills that make us better leaders and better colleagues. Also, learning a new skill can give you the boost of confidence and encouragement you need in stressful times.  

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 report, healthcare workforce shortages of up to 18 million are expected by 2030. This is predicted to be highest among upper middle-income countries, driven by economic growth, population growth and population aging. 

In 2019, the World Medical Association urged governments around the world to address the predicted global shortage of health professionals by presenting concrete plans for investing in the health workforce. This initiative no doubt was de-railed by the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic which took a devastating toll on an already existing global concern. 

Here in North America, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care.

This issue is prevalent in Canada as well. Key contributing factors are similar to the global scale and include an aging physician and health workforce population as well as an aging patient demographic, which in turn typically requires more reliance on primary care. 

The global physician pool is comprised of at least 30 percent of doctors above the age 55. Factors such as semi-retirement and a new generation of primary care physicians who want a different daily structure have led to less than half of primary care physicians being available for after-hours care, which translates into more after hours care being provided in the hospital emergency rooms and longer wait times in walk-in clinics. 

The Physicians for You team is on location at the May 2022 Pri-Med Conference and Trade Show happening right now in Toronto, Ontario. The International Conference Centre in Mississauga, where Prime-Med is hosted, is buzzing with excitement after a two year hiatus due to Covid-19.

Prime-Med is one of the largest medical education providers in Canada, offering this in-person event here in May, and a virtual event in June which you can still register for and earn 29+ Mainpro+ credits.

Family Physicians can access the one credit per hour Group Learning program that meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and has been certified by Queen’s University for up to 33 Mainpro+ credits.

Specialists can access an Accredited Group Learning Activity, Section 1, as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), and approved by Queen’s University Office of CPD, and claim up to 33 hours.

Pharmacists can access this this program for 33 CEUs, accredited by The Canadian Council on Continuing Education in Pharmacy.

Veterans represent almost one in 30 of the adult population in Canada. The population of living Veterans in Canada is approximately 629,300. 

When transitioning to life after service, family physicians are vitally important for Veterans.

Best Advice Guide: Caring for Veterans is a The College of Family Physicians of Canada™ (CFPC) collaboration with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and community-based practice experts. 

The purpose of this guide is to highlight special considerations for family physicians and other primary care providers in caring for the Veteran population, including contextualizing this information within the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) Patient’s Medical Home (PMH) vision for the future of family practice in Canada. 

“Having a family doctor who understands the military experience will be a big help for Veterans and their families,” says the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.

The World Health Organisation COVID-19 Solidarity Therapeutics Trial is an unprecedented international collaboration to identify life-saving treatments for COVID-19. Fifty-two countries, including Canada, are participating in this global research on coronavirus disease, with 2,000 researchers, 600 hospitals, and 14,200 randomized hospitalized patients who are all receiving the local standard of care.

This large scale, global randomized control trial is designed to provide robust results on whether a drug can save lives in those hospitalized with severe or critical COVID-19, and represents the largest global collaboration among WHO Member States. 

World Health Organization expert groups recommended mortality trials of four repurposed antiviral drugs — remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon beta-1a — in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. 

The Canadian Treatments for COVID-19 (CATCO) sub study component of the global WHO Solidarity clinical trial researched the role of Remdesivir, a repurposed antiviral medication, in the treatment of patients in hospital with COVID-19. This article in the CMAJ details the findings. 

Conclusion

1. The Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) reported that in 2015, there were more than 82,000 physicians in Canada.
2. In 2015, the average physician age was 50 years, and approximately 60% were male, and 40% female.
3. In the span of 5 years, the CIHI 2020 report indicated that the number of physicians increased to 92,173 in Canada, with the proportion of female physicians in the workforce continuing to rise.
4. In 2020, 48.5% of family medicine physicians and 38.8% of specialist physicians in Canada were female.
5. The same CIHI data report showed the physician-to-population ratio as of 2020 was 242 doctors per 100,000 population, with approximately 26% being International Medical Graduates.
6. CAPER (The Canadian Post-M.D. Education Registry) is the central repository for statistical information on postgraduate medical education in Canada. CAPER maintains individual-level data for all postgraduate medical residents and fellows.
7. CAPER's Annual Census report provides comprehensive statistics on post-M.D. training in Canada.
8. The 2020-2021 CAPER Annual Census of Post-MD Trainees found that among those completing their post-graduate training in 2019, 41% were completing family medicine programs and 59% were completing medical, surgical and laboratory programs.
9. According to CAPER 2017 Report, there were over 16,000 physicians pursuing residency training in 2015.
10. 72% of Canadian graduates do their post-M.D. training in the province where they earned their M.D. degree. This proportion has not changed substantially in over a decade.
11. 74% of Canadian graduates choose to practise in the province where they graduated.
12. Payment via fee-for-service 72%, and alternative payment plans account for 28% of physician compensation models.

The much anticipated phase 2 of the new service dedicated to awarding the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) was launched last week on January 20th, 2022.

Candidates meeting the established criteria are now able to submit and complete an LMCC service request via their physiciansapply.ca account. Once their eligibility has been reviewed and confirmed, the LMCC will be issued through their physiciansapply.ca account. The official LMCC documentation will be sent by mail or courier.

All candidates requesting the LMCC will be charged the LMCC application fee.

For in-depth information on the new LMCC service request, please refer to the MCC FAQs.

Helpful Guide – Before You Apply for LMCC

Required Medical Credentials Must be Source Verified

Both the Medical degree and an acceptable document confirming the successful completion of minimum 12 months of postgraduate clinical medical training must be successfully source verified.

If you're a medical professional from another country considering finding a job and establishing your medical practice in Canada, you may be wondering whether you'll be able to work as a doctor here. The following article contains information to assist you in understanding how to get started working in Canada. You can visit our job board, if you are looking for Doctor Jobs in Canada.

To work in Canada as a physician, you will usually need the following at minimum:

A degree from an accredited medical school; postgraduate training that is recognised in Canada for either Family Physicians or Specialists, eligibility to the appropriate certification exams; Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam (MCCQE1); Fluency in English; and a licence issued by the provincial licensing authority.

If your postgraduate training is not recognised, you will have to explore what options are available to you before applying for licensure with any provincial or territorial licensing authority.

Doctors wishing to work in Canada should note that registration requirements vary from province to province and all details should be confirmed with the appropriate authority for your chosen region prior to applying for a licence. 

Family doctors with postgraduate training from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States have training and certification recognised by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). Any family doctor whose postgraduate medical training is from a country not on this list will need to speak to the provincial licencing body to seek alternate routes such as a practice ready assessment before being eligible for registration. Practice ready assessments are not always available and will be subject to each province’s admission capacities and requirements.

Having resilient healthcare teams is essential for the immediate and long-term success of healthcare organizations. Resiliency is crucial and challenging now, considering the current pandemic, financial constraints, rapidly changing technology, and fluctuations within healthcare delivery systems. Even typically resilient workers are emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted.

It’s critical to realize that resilience is a state of being that must be developed over time. While no person can ever achieve 100% resilience, individuals who possess the following traits will fare better than others under stressful circumstances.

• Tenacity - positive outlook, problem-solving
• Focus - attention to detail, memory management, self-initialization
• Gratitude - optimistic and positive mindset, patience

So how can healthcare leaders help their teams develop these attributes? Let's explore 7 top ways of building and maintaining a resilient healthcare team:

1. Leaders must be able to demonstrate resilience through words and actions.

Practice what you preach. If team members see their managers working long hours to accomplish goals, they are more likely to follow suit. Team members want to feel valued and appreciated for their efforts. Look for opportunities to praise colleagues’ and employees’ resilience wherever it surfaces and be generous with your praise. It can be as simple as saying, “I appreciate the amount of on-call you committed to this month – we really value your hard work and dedication” or “I am grateful we have such a collaborative team who are committed to patient care.”

When you practice resilience, it can open the door to building trust and strengthening relationships.