In many areas of the country, providing timely access to health care services is a growing challenge. Millions of Canadians are without a family physician, and many face long wait times for specialist consultations and procedures. At the same time, some Canadian medical graduates are unable to find residency positions, and many newly certified physicians are struggling to find opportunities to practise.
The CMA believes a national approach to health human resource (HHR) planning is needed to ensure Canada has the right supply, distribution and specialty mix of physicians, based on population need. To help inform HHR planning, the CMA conducts regular physician workforce surveys to provide health care institutions and governments with accurate and up-to-date information on how physicians work.
To support Canadian medical graduates, the CMA partners with Resident Doctors of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Medical Students to push for more federal, provincial and territorial funding for residency spaces.
