Latest news with #YukonMedicalAssociation
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Yukon medical residency pilot program hopes to bring more trainee doctors to territory
The Yukon government and the Yukon Medical Association have joined forces to pilot a medical residency program. This would allow a medical student to complete their residency in family medicine in the Yukon, per the Yukon government press release on the program. The Yukon has been dealing with a shortage in family doctors, with 4,154 Yukoners currently on a waitlist to get a family doctor, according to YG Health and Social Services. Dr. Derek Bryant of the Yukon Medical Association told the News that the pilot is a 'thrilling development.' A Yukon family medicine residency program is something that Yukon doctors have long identified as valuable tool to recruit doctors and keep them in the territory, Bryant said. With the ongoing physician shortage, there is a clear value to the program, he said. A student from the University of Alberta will be arriving in the territory to do their residency starting in January, said Dr. Julie Warren, a family doctor in the territory who is a medical advisor for the residency program. 'So for our first resident, they will spend some of the time, some of their time in Edmonton, and some of their time in the Yukon,' said Warren. She said there are some experiences that training doctors are expected to have that cannot be provided in the Yukon due to the low population in the territory, like working at a pediatric emergency department. Bryant told the News the resident will be dividing their time between Whitehorse and the communities. 'A lot of the work will be based out of Whitehorse because they have to get exposed to various different types of practice, including, you know, like surgery and maternity,' said Bryant. 'But, fundamental to this program is going to be integrating the communities and making sure that residents have lots of experiences in the community, so that they feel comfortable practicing in those care environments as well.' Bryant said if the pilot is successful, the program would be scaled up so that there would be four residents practicing in the Yukon at any given time. The family medicine residency is a two-year program, the final stage of training for a medical school graduate, and there would be two students in each year, he said. 'We expect that by 2027, as long as this pilot program is successful and the ongoing work happens to establish a program, that we could be training up to four residents at a time by that point,' Bryant said. Bryant said the program allows for the strategic selection of resident doctors, which can help with retaining doctors in the North long-term. 'That's what we saw with the program in Northwest Territories, they were really successful with their retention, because they were very strategic in determining, you know, who entered the program and who had their training in Northwest Territories,' said Bryant. However, just having the resident doctors in the Yukon will be a boost, said Warren. 'Once we get going, we're gonna have four extra doctors in the territory, pretty much at all times,' she said. 'And so we actually are able to, like, increase the amount of care we have in the Yukon by quite a bit by having these guys here.' Healthcare professionals visit the Yukon from other parts of Canada all the time, Warren said. But she said they rarely get the chance to stay for long enough to get settled and develop confidence working in the North. 'We're not giving it people really enough time to say, huh, this is a place that I could live,' Warren said, as current medical learners in the territory tend to only stay around two to eight weeks. She said the residency program is an opportunity to make connections with students interested in living in the North, and foster their careers here. Once the residency is established, the Yukon family medicine placement will be put on CARMS - the Canadian system which matches resident doctors to their placements, Warren said. At that point, any student from anywhere in Canada will be able to do their placement in the Yukon. 'This is a dream for for me, and is a project that I put a lot of work into for the last year,' said Warren. 'I think it will be a lot of work and investment, but something that we can be really, I hope we can be, and I'm sure we will be very proud of and continue to be excited about and continue to grow it as the years come.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
New residency program aims to keep more family doctors in the Yukon
The Yukon is launching its first-ever medical residency program. Starting in July, a recent medical graduate who grew up in the Yukon will become the program's first participant. The government said the new doctor was not available for an interview as she was busy preparing to start. A family medicine residency lasts two years in Canada. The pilot program is a partnership between the Yukon Government, Yukon Medical Association, and the University of Alberta where the new doctor will also be doing a portion of their training during their residency. The program has been championed by Whitehorse physician Dr. Julie Warren. She says the program is long overdue. "We've certainly had, I think, a big gap for a long time in how we transition people into practice," said Warren. She said the pilot program will help keep family doctors in the territory long term. "Having a pathway to residency just makes it so much easier for them to be ready to work here when they're finished their training," said Warren. Dr. Martin Tieu is the assistant program director of the family medicine residency program at the University of Alberta. He spent a few days in Whitehorse touring facilities. He says the new resident will have access to a lot of hands-on training including "seeing patients independently with supervision, doing procedures in hospital, on oncology wards, and in delivery wards." The resident will also take part in community-based rotations. Warren says working all over the territory is important to ensure "we develop culturally safe physicians". She says that means incorporating a patient's culture into the way physicians care for them, so they feel heard, supported, and respected. She says this applies to all Yukoners, and in particular Indigenous patients. "We want them to be able to look after all the people who live here, no matter where they live," said Warren. The residency program in Yukon is modeled after a similar program started in 2020 at the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife. Dr. Tieu says that program has been a big success. In a statement from the Yukon's Health and Social Services, the organization estimates the territory needs 20 to 25 new family physicians over the next five years to keep up with growing demand, and to replace retiring physicians. As of January, there were 4,154 people waiting to be matched with a family doctor, which represents approximately 11 per cent Whitehorse's population.
CBC
30-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Yukon gov't completed a third of health recommendations; critics say they should focus elsewhere
The Yukon government has completed 25 of 76 health-related recommendations from a 2020 report on improving the territory's health care, but critics say the government is failing to address the major issues. The Putting People First report, published in 2020, was the result of a territorial health care review conducted by an independent panel. That panel made recommendations to improve Yukon health care, including creating a distinct health authority, a Whitehorse walk-in clinic and land-based healing programming. On May 22, the territory said it had completed 25 with another 40 in progress. But Yukon Party health critic Brad Cathers says the territory should focus on items mostly excluded from the report like surgical infrastructure, the doctor shortage and continuing care. "We're seeing a lack of urgency on everything," Cathers said. Cathers said he wants to see more aggressive recruitment of physicians from outside the territory. He pointed to a waitlist for the long-term care facility in Whistle Bend with "no plan to address it." Yukon NDP Leader Kate White said she's also concerned about senior care and the lack of physicians specifically trained in geriatric care. She also pointed to the report's recommendation to reform social assistance. She said a review has happened, but there's no available information about next steps. 'Ambitious set of recommendations' Dr. Derek Bryant, president of the Yukon Medical Association, says the Yukon has made good progress but acknowledged there's still a lot of work ahead. "This was a really ambitious set of recommendations," he said. "We have to keep that in mind when we're looking at the progress." Opening the Whitehorse walk-in clinic, increasing the medical travel subsidy and launching a land-based healing program are among the recommendations already actioned. For Bryant, the number one outstanding recommendation is connecting every Yukoner with a primary care provider. "We can't think of a single more important priority," Bryant said. He said having proper access to care ultimately saves money and saves lives. He agrees there should be more progress on items not in the report, like surgical infrastructure needed to sterilize equipment and an electronic medical record system, so people can have continuity of care between physicians. Health authority in progress The territorial government is also in the process of creating a distinct health authority. Yukon is currently one of two jurisdictions in Canada without the authority, along with Nunavut. The territory passed the Health Authority Act, legislation that sets the framework for the new health authority, in 2024 and opened applications for the first board of directors May 20. The new organization will be called Shäw Kwä'ą and will replace the Yukon Hospital Corporation. Bryant said passing the legislation is a big step and said it's positive that it requires consultation with First Nations. White thinks the Shäw Kwä'ą board of directors is being appointed too soon, before there's an established timeline for creating the authority. She said hospital and government employees still have questions about how the chang will impact them. "We absolutely have to make sure that the people who are going to do the work are along for the ride, and that's not the case right now," White said.
CBC
05-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Yukon MLAs debate bill that medical association says could be 'transformative'
The Yukon Medical Association remains "cautiously optimistic" MLAs will pass a "transformative" bill for the healthcare system, one that now has the backing of two parties in the legislature. Bill 310 would give the Yukon Medical Association (YMA) representational rights, making it the sole bargaining agent for doctors on matters of compensation. The legislation would also establish dispute resolution and binding arbitration for doctors. The NDP private members' bill was debated during Committee of the Whole on Wednesday. During debate, leader Kate White mostly took questions about the bill from Liberal MLAs, lasting until the House adjourned for the day. As part of its confidence and supply agreement with the governing Liberals, the NDP is allowed one bill to reach a final vote per sitting. Dr. Derek Bryant, president of the YMA, wanted to see the bill pass that day. But he was encouraged to hear during debate that the Yukon Party will support the legislation. "I'm allowing myself to hope that this will pass, because I really do think that all parties will see that this achieves the goals that any government should be striving for, which is to coordinate the healthcare system and just create more transparency and accountability in the system," Bryant said. "I'm also a physician, so I always hope for the best and plan for the worst. And that's essentially my approach to this legislation right now. I'm hopeful and I am truly optimistic." Bryant said he and his colleagues are watching "really closely" as the bill makes progress through the legislative process. He said doctors have been calling for the government to grant representational rights and dispute resolution since at least 2021. He said the YMA was unable to negotiate them into its Memorandum of Understanding with the government in 2022. The YMA meets with the different party leaders to discuss challenges in the healthcare system and the solutions, Bryant said. When they met with the NDP and identified representational rights and dispute resolution as a priority, he said White suggested they could be obtained through legislation. Bryant said 90 association members wrote letters supporting the legislation, working out to about 85 per cent support. He said the legislation was first written by an NDP drafter who worked with YMA's legal counsel. The draft legislation was shared with both the Yukon Party and the Liberals. Bryant noted that Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee spent much of her personal time suggesting changes to improve it. During debate, McPhee said she directed staff at the Departments of Health and Social Services and Justice "to work intensely to make sure that the product that came before this Legislative Assembly was, in fact, a strong, implementable constitutional piece of law." NDP leader Kate White acknowledged that the initial bill was "recognized as being very rough" and that the party and YMA were open to changes. "It's important to note that the Minister of Health and Social Services has been heavily involved in every step and meeting since that point," she said. Most of the suggestions were adopted by the YMA and NDP before the bill was tabled, Bryant said. He said in some areas, the YMA opted to preserve language in the bill that they believed would secure representational rights and dispute resolution. The earliest that Bill 310 can be considered again is the next opposition Wednesday on April 16.
CBC
01-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Yukon Medical Association wants to negotiate for all physicians in territory
The Yukon Medical Association (YMA) is pushing for changes to how doctors in the territory negotiate contracts with the government, saying the current system is creating "discord and fragmentation" in the health-care system. Dr. Derek Bryant, president of the YMA, says the goal is to empower his organization to represent all of the territory's physicians when negotiating with the territorial government. That's not happening right now, he says, and it means Yukon is an "outlier" among Canadian jurisdictions when it comes to how doctors are paid. Currently, some Yukon physicians are represented by the YMA, which negotiates with the government to set fee-for-service rates. Other Yukon physicians negotiate their own contracts with the government directly, without any involvement of the YMA. That's created a very "siloed" system, Bryant said. "The result is that there is these inequities across the board in how physicians are paid and how physicians work, that really have a negative impact on what it means to work in the Yukon," Bryant said. He described instances where two physicians who have negotiated separately with the government might end up getting paid differently for the exact same work. "That, you can imagine, just creates a really negative work environment that we think has a very significant impact on recruitment and on retention," he said. Allowing the YMA to represent all physicians will help create a more equitable environment, and will also be more clear and transparent as the YMA's negotiated agreements are public. "People can actually see the results of the negotiations when the Yukon Medical Association and the entire physician community sort of approves what is negotiated." NDP tables bill to make the change On Monday, Yukon NDP Leader Kate White introduced a bill in the Legislative Assembly that would allow for the changes the YMA is asking for. Speaking to reporters, White said the other parties have already signalled their support and she's hoping for unanimous approval. "We know that physicians have requested this, and they've been requesting it for a number of years and it hasn't happened. So it's about making sure that the YMA has the power that they need going forward, no matter the government," White said. "Political parties can say that they are interested in working together, but this is an example of actually working together and it's working together to the benefit of the physician community, and the health-care community." Bill 310 would recognize the YMA as the sole bargaining agent for all registered medical practitioners in the territory, and would also establish a dispute resolution process and provisions for binding arbitration. Bryant says the proposed legislation is "exactly what physicians are asking for." "Physicians are not negotiators and individual physicians, you know, don't go into medicine to have to spend the time that it takes to understand legal jargon and negotiate their own individual contracts," he said.
