While some institutions are launching new medical programs aimed at addressing Canada’s doctor shortage, some critics are questioning whether alternative methods would be more effective, writes Brandie Weikle of CBC. Weikle discusses how Queen’s University’s Queen’s-Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program disrupts traditional medical education by providing tailored training—including guaranteed family medicine residency positions—to future family doctors. However, critics argue that the annual number of graduates from these programs is too small and that this approach cannot be scaled quickly enough. Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences research consultant Steven Lewis said that Canada can only increase capacity rapidly by giving registered nurses training opportunities to become nurse practitioners. Economist Armine Yalnizyan also pointed to the opportunity to remove the licensing barriers for foreign-trained doctors.
