Canada's Physician shortage. Why wont we get PA's already!

[EMDream]

In ontario right now we have a massive primary care physician shortage. You have to travel outside of your town to find a physician and often have to waits months and months to be seen by one (friend just informed me he had a 9 month wait to see a family doc). Isn't the solution to this obvious? PA's! Yet no suprise, Canada will be dragging it's feet on this like it does for anything (drug approval, new procedures) . This infuriates me, I would love to come back to Canada as a PA someday, but I bet compensation will be pathetic (as it is pretty pathetic for our physicians already). It just annoys me that we have such an obvious need for midlevels like PA's to step in and take care of this shortage yet no one in Canada has even HEARD of a PA , and I have to always explain what I am doing down in Buffalo. /end of rant

I wish I knew how I could help get the ball rolling. *sigh*

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[Bandit]

the ball is rolling. We had several PAs in our school. Theyb are writing legislation presently in Canada

 

[devildoc2]

FP docs are CAPPED at $65k US per year. Why the HELL would a PA want to work in Canada making even less than that?

PAs in the states can make double what they would make in Canada.

 

[devildoc2]

BTW, why do you think its hard to find an FP in Canada?

Reasons:

1) FP salaries capped at $65k US ($80k canadian) per year. Once you reach your salary cap, you dont get paid more for new patients. Therefore, after you have "maxed out" on patients you close your practice to new patients.

2) 40% of all graduates of Canadian medical schools move to the states to get away from salary caps and poor salaries in Canada.


This is why socialized medicine is a horrible, horrible idea for doctors.

 

[EMDream]

FP docs are CAPPED at $65k US per year. Why the HELL would a PA want to work in Canada making even less than that?

PAs in the states can make double what they would make in Canada.

Because I'm Canadian

 

[Blake]

BTW, why do you think its hard to find an FP in Canada?

Reasons:

1) FP salaries capped at $65k US ($80k canadian) per year. Once you reach your salary cap, you dont get paid more for new patients. Therefore, after you have "maxed out" on patients you close your practice to new patients.

2) 40% of all graduates of Canadian medical schools move to the states to get away from salary caps and poor salaries in Canada.


This is why socialized medicine is a horrible, horrible idea for doctors.

For the millionth time, FP salaries aren't capped at 80 k. Stop spreading those lies

 

[EMDream]

For the millionth time, FP salaries aren't capped at 80 k. Stop spreading those lies

Where are they getting this from. I am hearing this repeatedly on here. One person said that average FP salary was 50k Canadian in another forum. I almost spit my coffee on the screen since my mother makes 60k Canadian as a nurse!
Docs make less than nurses...Riiiight!

 

[MacGyver]

The truth is that family docs in Canada make piss for money. There is no official cap but its pretty damn bad.

Here's your link:

http://www.caep.ca/007.discussion/007-02.exchange/exchange-docs/remuner.ppt

This includes wage information for all doctor specialties in Canada.

FPs make a paltry $65 Canadian per hour in net income. That translates to $49 an hour in american dollars.

 

[flighterdoc]

For the millionth time, FP salaries aren't capped at 80 k. Stop spreading those lies

Thats what an FP in Kingston, ON told me in December, 2003. Actually, CDN 85K

 

[EMDream]

The truth is that family docs in Canada make piss for money. There is no official cap but its pretty damn bad.

Here's your link:

http://www.caep.ca/007.discussion/007-02.exchange/exchange-docs/remuner.ppt

This includes wage information for all doctor specialties in Canada.

FPs make a paltry $65 Canadian per hour in net income. That translates to $49 an hour in american dollars.

Thanks for the link. They make less, yes. But realistically they are still making 100k+ which is contrary to what I've heard a lot of people say. Still I wonder why Canadian schools are so competitive to get into with THAT sort of pathetic compensation. Oh, right. They don't stay.

Nevertheless, I will definitely be staying in the US to work.

 

[etoile]

I got a reply today from the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants..they're supposed to update their web site soon...but they're hoping to have regulations for PAs in place by late 2005. I wonder, though, how difficult it will be for the profession to gain acceptance.

Here in BC there's a huge shortage of FP docs, too. One of the big walk-in companies here in the Lower Mainland just filed for bankruptcy, too.

Practicing medicine isn't all about the money. The malpractice insurance is much more affordable here since patients can't sue for "pain and suffering." Maybe that offsets some of the wage differences?

 

[EMDream]

I got a reply today from the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants..they're supposed to update their web site soon...but they're hoping to have regulations for PAs in place by late 2005. I wonder, though, how difficult it will be for the profession to gain acceptance.

Here in BC there's a huge shortage of FP docs, too. One of the big walk-in companies here in the Lower Mainland just filed for bankruptcy, too.

Practicing medicine isn't all about the money. The malpractice insurance is much more affordable here since patients can't sue for "pain and suffering." Maybe that offsets some of the wage differences?

Yeah, I always take malpractice into consideration too when weighing the wages of US and Canada. It's not as massive a difference as people think.

I bet it will take a while before people even have a clue what a PA is in Canada. If it pays near the same then I would like to come back to Canada.

 

[deleted6669]

manitoba uses american pa's and calls them "clinical associates" with the same scope as a primary care pa here in the states . there was a profile on one in aapa news a few months ago.