Canada faces a critical shortage of family doctors, with millions lacking access to primary care. Three new medical school programs are focusing on training doctors in team-based care and exposing them to the complexities of modern patient needs to address this crisis.
Deans from Canada 's three new programs for family medicine are focusing on meeting the increased demand for primary care through team-based care and early exposure to the complexities of patient needs. The shortage of family physicians in Canada is a pressing issue, with an estimated 6.5 million Canadians lacking access to a regular doctor.
This situation was starkly illustrated in Walkerton, Ontario, where over 1,000 people braved the snow to secure one of only 500 available spots for a new family physician. The new programs, launching at Simon Fraser University in Surrey, British Columbia, Toronto Metropolitan University in Brampton, Ontario, and the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, aim to address this crisis by training doctors who are better equipped for the realities of primary care. Dr. David Price, dean of SFU's medical school, explained that their program is uniquely focused on primary care, aiming to produce medical students more likely to pursue careers in this specialty. He emphasized the significant increase in complexity surrounding patient care, ranging from the multitude of treatment options for chronic diseases like diabetes to the growing number of patients managing multiple health issues simultaneously. The training in these new programs will emphasize team-based care, where family doctors collaborate interdependently with a variety of healthcare professionals, including nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and social workers, to provide comprehensive care to their patients. This approach recognizes that addressing the full spectrum of patient needs often requires a coordinated effort beyond the traditional scope of a single doctor. Dr. Teresa Chan, dean of Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Medicine, highlighted the importance of early exposure to the realities of family medicine during medical training, as six weeks of observation might not be enough to fully grasp the complexities involved. The deans of these new programs are optimistic that their initiatives will help alleviate the growing shortage of family physicians in Canada, ensuring that Canadians have access to the essential primary care that they need
FAMILY MEDICINE DOCTOR SHORTAGE TEAM-BASED CARE CANADA HEALTHCARE
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