Medical schools face difficulties producing enough family practice doctors: Editorial

Canadian medical schools are experiencing challenges producing enough family practice doctors to meet Canada’s needs, writes Paul Basken of Times Higher Education. Basken writes that though politicians have promised to address the need, the issues cannot be solved solely with funding. The author writes that challenges include that students are attracted to specialty fields over general medicine and that medical schools may intentionally or unintentionally cultivate the idea that specialization leads to a more prestigious career. Outgoing College of Family Physicians of Canada Executive Director Francine Lemire says that medical schools can begin to address issues by lengthening the educational process and assigning graduates to residencies. Times Higher Education Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.