CANADA
Population, (2017): 36.71 M
Income per Capita, (2018): 45032.12 US
Percentage of GDP on healthcare, (2015): 10.44%
TRAINING
Year Family Medicine was Established: 1966 (CFPC)
Length of Medical School: 4 years (University of Toronto, 2018)
Length of Training Program: 2 years (Queens University, 2018)
Type of Training: Residency (Queens University, 2018)
Number of Institutions That Offer Family Medicine Training: 17 institutions (CFPC)
Number of Trainees: 1410 spots each year (2014/15 Annual Census of Post-MD Trainees, CAPER)
PRACTICE
Number of Family Physicians: 115 family physicians per 100,000 (CMA, 2017)
Number of Physicians: 228 physicians per 100,000 (CMA, 2017)
Healthcare System
Overall, Canada has a mixed system of public and private care. The private sector delivers health care services, whereas the public sector finances those services. Health care services in Canada are largely provided by the private sector, but these are funded through the government by public health insurance plans. Unfortunately, no numbers could be found but most family physicians are in the private sector as they run their own clinics. Family medicine is well recognized in Canada as it has training programs established at numerous universities across the country. There is also a college that overlooks them called the College of Family Physicians of Canada which was established in 1954 (CFPC).
The common consensus in Canada is that there is good access to healthcare. The only downfall that most Canadians complain about is the long waiting lines and it has also been seen in literature that age, sex, level of education, immigration status and region of residence are all barriers to accessing specialized services (Janine Clarke, 2016).
training
Medical training in Canada is comprised of four years of medical school (University of Toronto, 2018), followed by 2 years of residency (Queens University, 2018), which is among the shortest of residency training in the world. There are 17 institutions in Canada that offer family medicine training (CFPC).
practice
The other primary care deliverers in Canada are other doctors and nurse practitioners (Kaufman, Mr Terry). The role of a family physician in Canada includes a multitude of things. This includes being a skilled clinician, being able to respond and adapt to peoples’ changing needs, and being able to understand that the patient-physician relationship is central to the role of a family physician (CFPC). Family physicians are used as gatekeepers as they are the point of entry for care and are used for referrals (Lemire, Francine). The model of primary care used in Canada is community health model (Owens, Brian. 2016).
References
“College History | About CFPC | The College of Family Physicians Canada.” n.d. Accessed November 25, 2018. https://www.cfpc.ca/CollegeHistory/
“Academic Requirements | MD Program.” n.d. Accessed November 25, 2018. http://applymd.utoronto.ca/academic-requirements.
“Overview of the Family Medicine Residency Program.” n.d. Accessed November 25, 2018. https://familymedicine.queensu.ca/education/prospective/overview.
“Family Medicine Profile". n.d. Accessed November 25, 2018. https://www.cma.ca/Assets/assets-library/document/en/advocacy/Family-e.pdf
Kaufman, Mr Terry. n.d. “Canada’s Health Care Providers.” Accessed December 2, 2018. https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/hctenglish.pdf.
Lemire, Francine. n.d. “Cumulative Profile | First Contact: What Does It Mean for Family Practice in 2017?” Canadian Family Physician • Le Médecin de Famille Canadien |. Vol. 63. Accessed December 2, 2018. http://www.cfp.ca/content/cfp/63/3/256.full.pdf.
Owens, Brian. 2016. “Evolution in Models of Primary Care.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal de l’Association Medicale Canadienne. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-5283.