More new medical school graduates will train to be family physicians in Canada this year than ever before, a development that will help but not solve a primary-care crisis that has left millions without a family doctor.
It’s also a reflection of the fact that fewer family medicine training slots went unfilled this year than in any of the past three years, according to the Canadian Resident Matching Service, which released the final results of its annual matching process on Thursday. At the same time, Canada’s population of newcomers is surging as a rising tide of older Canadians with chronic illness requires more of their doctors’ time. A separate report from CIHI last month found the average number of patients seen by a family physician per year has decreased, and more doctors trained in family medicine are choosing to work outside of primary care in places such as emergency departments.
After the results of the first round of the match were released in March, some medical school leaders expressed concerns at the number of vacancies in family medicine. In Ontario, for example, 108 of 560 family medicine residency slots in Ontario were unfilled after the first iteration, up from 100 last year, 61 in 2022, 52 in 2021 and 30 in 2020.
Constance LeBlanc, president of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, said medical educators are keenly aware of the primary-care crisis and have been trying to play up the joys of a career in family medicine.
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