B.C.'s doctor drought

[Cactusflower]

Yes, it would be beneficial if the doctors had more support staff, but the government can't deny the real problem behind the doctor shortage. It reminds me of that scene in the film "Forrest Gump", where he says, "Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks."

[CapitalB]

I think the real problem is the same problem they're having with not enough teachers.

Post secondary for these careers have such a high cost attached to them that anyone even interested is pushed away. The education for in demand careers should go down in price, instead they seem to go up. All it does is create a bigger drought, almost strangling the flow of newcomers to those fields.

[kgcayenne]

There are also a limited number of graduates each year.

[GordonH]

I suspect a chunk of the top BC doctor graduates are head hunted by US hospitals.

[hobbyguy]

It is a Canada wide problem. Especially in family medicine.

Doctors are retiring at roughly twice the rate they are graduating. 55% of retiring doctors are from the field of family medicine. 36% of graduates have chosen family medicine.

Might as well get used to the idea that in the future, most of your interactions with the health care system will be with teams managed by a physician manager. "Teams" will likely involve nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, and so on. The old model of family physicians will likely have to be gone in 5-10 years.

[Cactusflower]

It is a Canada wide problem. Especially in family medicine.

Doctors are retiring at roughly twice the rate they are graduating. 55% of retiring doctors are from the field of family medicine. 36% of graduates have chosen family medicine.

Might as well get used to the idea that in the future, most of your interactions with the health care system will be with teams managed by a physician manager. "Teams" will likely involve nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, and so on. The old model of family physicians will likely have to be gone in 5-10 years.

You're probably right, but it doesn't have to be this way, does it? There is something seriously wrong with our medical system. Same goes for our education system, judicial system, and other systems in our society. I think it's time for a good old-fashioned revolution.

[GordonH]

I suspect a chunk of the top BC doctor graduates are head hunted by US hospitals.

Those headhunters come bearing gifts, high salaries + some if not all of the new doctor school debt paid. As long as they sign "X" lenght contract.

[Boda]

I think the doctor drought situation in Canada is a result of poor implementation of socialistic values by right wing governments.
Canadians demand universal health care and other social humanitarian benefits that go against the core values of the governments we elect.
Politicians just can't seem to strike that balance of "fair" taxation that obviously calls for the rich to pay a little more even tho it is also obvious that the poor can't pay enough to cover the costs of these social programs.

[Jflem1983]

Tried bringing a family of doctors to kelowna. The crime scared them off

[Cactusflower]

Tried bringing a family of doctors to kelowna. The crime scared them off

If crime scared doctors off, there would be no doctors in Surrey, Vernon, or practically any other city in B.C.

[Jflem1983]

Tried bringing a family of doctors to kelowna. The crime scared them off

If crime scared doctors off, there would be no doctors in Surrey, Vernon, or practically any other city in B.C.

They chose to stay in surrey. I would have got 5k for bringing them. I was quite sad

[The Green Barbarian]

I think the doctor drought situation in Canada is a result of poor implementation of strong societal values by left wing governments. The concept of people being responsible adults and not blaming everyone else for their problems is lost by left wing governments who just sell the Kool-Aid that the government is supposed to be in charge of everything. This leads to a huge drain on resources that is unsustainable, and shouldn't be happening in the first place.

Canadians demand balanced budgets and accountability that go against the core values of the governments we elect.
Politicians just can't seem to please rabid leftists that use vacuous phrases like "fair" taxation, that obviously calls for the middle classes to get totally screwed over to pay for the large mass of people who just don't want to get their fat duffs off of welfare and who suck so much from our social programs.

[Cactusflower]

I think the doctor drought situation in Canada is a result of poor implementation of strong societal values by left wing governments. The concept of people being responsible adults and not blaming everyone else for their problems is lost by left wing governments who just sell the Kool-Aid that the government is supposed to be in charge of everything. This leads to a huge drain on resources that is unsustainable, and shouldn't be happening in the first place.

Canadians demand balanced budgets and accountability that go against the core values of the governments we elect.
Politicians just can't seem to please rabid leftists that use vacuous phrases like "fair" taxation, that obviously calls for the middle classes to get totally screwed over to pay for the large mass of people who just don't want to get their fat duffs off of welfare and who suck so much from our social programs.

We had a right-wing government in Canada from 2006 - 2015. We had a right-wing government in B.C. from 2001 - 2017. How many 'strong societal values' were implemented during those years?

[Jflem1983]

Still have social medicine tgough and that limits a doctors income compared to washington state. MAybe our docs are going south ?

[Cactusflower]

Still have social medicine tgough and that limits a doctors income compared to washington state. MAybe our docs are going south ?

Oh yeah.......our doctors are so hard done by. Read the following link to see what BC doctors earn. I haven't checked the US doctors' fees. Perhaps you can provide me with a link to that.
http://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blog ... ok-on-fees