The College of Family Physicians of Canada wants to increase the length of a family medicine residency from two years to three, as a way of
The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) wants to increase the length of family medicine residency from two years to three as a way of preparing doctors for more complex patients. But the plan is raising concerns it will increase the shortage of family doctors at a time when six million Canadians don't have access to one.
The main concern from physicians in opposition of this decision is that an extra year of schooling may deter some from putting family medicine as their first choice for residency. We have an incredible shortage of family practice physicians across the country, so to increase the time it takes to complete a family medicine residency right now could put us in an even worse position.
From a nursing perspective, another way to address the lack of family doctors available to provide primary care is to utilize nurse practitioners anywhere and everywhere it's possible to do so. The University of Manitoba has a full-time NP program with 25 seats, and I've known a number of people who couldn't find NP jobs and went back to practicing as an RN, which is a huge waste.
