Why are so many health care workers quitting?

We don’t really know because there isn’t comprehensive data, but it’s not limited to one job — family doctors, nurses, personal care aides and personal support workers are all leaving. What we do know is the number of job vacancies in the health care system has more than doubled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

• There aren’t enough staff. Health care unions are sounding the alarm about crushing workloads.
• There are massive backlogs. The pandemic forced hospitals to cancel surgeries and the backlog has not been cleared. Health care workers are trying to play catch-up.
• In 2021, nearly half of physicians (49%) surveyed by the CMA indicated they were considering reducing or modifying clinical work hours within two years.
• In a northern Ontario survey, nearly half of health care workers said they were thinking about leaving their jobs in 2025.

How does this impact health care workers?

Health care workers are exhausted. 60% of physicians and residents reported their mental health deteriorating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Since the start of the pandemic, health care workers have missed more workdays due to illness or disability, worked more overtime and reported feeling more stressed at work.
• More health care workers reported working overtime in 2022 than ever before.
• In 2021, burnout rates were at least 1.5 times higher for physicians and medical residents than in 2017. 

What does this mean for patients?

It makes it hard to access health care.

• More than 6.5 million Canadians don’t have regular access to primary care. One-third of Canadians who have a family doctor find it difficult to get an appointment.
• Patients face long wait times. Emergency departments have reported average waits for hospital beds as long as 22 hours — nearly three times recommended targets. In some cases, understaffing has led to rolling emergency department closures.