A total of 280 students, residents and practising physicians shared their opinions and ideas on physician workforce and physician health and wellness at day-long sessions in Halifax, Montreal, Edmonton and Ottawa. The forums were held between January 26 and February 4.
CMA President Dr. Gigi Osler and Dr. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie, the CMA’s new vice-president of physician health and wellness, were at each session to listen to and learn from members who shared personal stories about workplace challenges and experiences with burnout.
Participants then worked in small groups to come up with solutions and strategies for the CMA to act on. Several key themes emerged from the meetings, including:
- support for national licensure and pharmacare
- supporting physician career transitions through new models
- fostering a sense of meaning in work
- enhancing control and flexibility in training and practice
- mentoring those with diverse backgrounds in education and practice
Feedback from the forums will help inform the CMA’s future work, and the results will be shared with the full membership later this spring. If you didn’t attend one of the forums, you can still share your thoughts on Canada’s physician workforce and physician health and wellness by joining the discussion on our new community engagement platform.