Ontario Physicians Sound Alarm as Decline Seen in Family Medicine Interest among Medical School Graduates
The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Raises Concern Over Decline in Family Medicine Interest Among Medical School Graduates
During a briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Andrew Park, President of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), highlighted the worrisome trend of decreasing interest among medical school students in pursuing family medicine. Park emphasized the urgent need for solutions to address Ontario’s growing shortage of family doctors. Currently, an estimated 2.3 million residents in Ontario lack access to a family physician, with projections indicating a potential doubling of this figure within the next two years. The OMA, representing a membership of 43,000 doctors, medical students, and retired physicians, underscores the severity of the issue.
Each year, medical school graduates make decisions regarding their specialization, and the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), an independent national organization, facilitates the matching process for residency placements. However, following the first round of this year’s match, Ontario witnessed 108 unfilled family medicine spots out of a total of 560 positions. This figure marks an increase compared to previous years, with 100 unfilled spots last year, 61 in 2022, 52 in 2021, and 30 in 2020. Park noted that the upcoming second round of matching, scheduled for this Thursday, will be closely monitored by Ontario doctors.
“Medical students must see family medicine as a desirable and rewarding career choice, or they will choose another specialty,” Park said. “Students are aware of the funding issues and the administrative work associated with practicing comprehensive family medicine and don’t want to enter practice in a broken system.”
Park emphasized the imperative for the OMA to tackle the challenges and advocate for family medicine as a career path with significant impact.
“It is clear. We need to act now to ensure there is a future for family medicine in Ontario,” he added. “We have to ensure that funding for doctors keeps pace with the rising cost of inflation and is reflective of their ability to operate their practice.”
Park also noted that another factor dissuading medical school students from selecting family medicine may be the daunting administrative responsibilities associated with the field.
“No one goes to medical school to fill out forms,” he said. “Doctors want to care for their patients, but the administrative work that has crept into medicine makes it feel less about caring for people and more about paperwork. This has to change.”
According to Park, family doctors serve as the cornerstone of the healthcare system. They establish crucial connections to specialist care, support patient wellness, identify risk factors to prevent disease, manage chronic conditions, and facilitate access to diagnostic services. Park emphasized that a decline in the number of family medicine doctors would result in reduced access to care for patients, potentially leaving individuals with unaddressed health concerns.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ontario Ministry of Health announced significant initiatives aimed at addressing healthcare challenges. These include historic investments to launch the largest expansion of medical school capacity in nearly two decades. This expansion entails adding new medical school seats across existing institutions and establishing two new medical schools, including one at York University, which will be the first in Canada dedicated to primary care.
Furthermore, the ministry outlined efforts to alleviate the administrative burden on physicians. This includes the establishment of a burnout task force focused on enhancing OMA-endorsed government forms and a paperwork reduction initiative, which incorporates the implementation of eReferral—a streamlined process for managing referrals, consultations, prescriptions, and central intake.
Additionally, the ministry aims to modernize communication methods within Ontario’s healthcare sector by phasing out fax machines and introducing digital communication alternatives for healthcare providers.
