2 days ago
Doctors Manitoba cheers changes to help U.S. physicians relocate to province
Regulatory changes intended to make it easier for U.S.-based physicians to relocate and practice in Manitoba are being loudly applauded by an advocacy group in the province.
"We're really excited about it. Manitoba has one of the worst doctor shortages in the country, and as practising physicians, we see the consequences of this every day," said Doctors Manitoba president Nichelle Desilets.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba and the provincial government recently took steps to streamline the process for qualified physicians from the United States to be granted a full licence to practice in the province, provided they meet certain requirements.
They have to first complete an accredited residency program, have certification from the American Board of Medical Specialists and have a licence from a U.S. state medical board.
"The training that American physicians undergo is very similar to a Canadian physician. I would even say nearly identical," said Desilets, who practises in Neepawa.
"There is much more in common than there is different."
Processes the government and college have agreed to remove include things like requiring supervisors and formal assessments, and restrictions on where a new doctor can practise — which can all be costly and time-consuming.
Doctors Manitoba advocated for such changes more than a year ago, Desilets said.
"Manitoba has been behind in making these changes, so it's really great to see that we're catching up on that," Desilets said. B.C., Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have already simplified the process, she said.
It's also important to underscore the fact that none of the changes will compromise the quality of patient care, she said.
"The public should still be reassured that there is still a rigorous process making sure that every doctor that practises in Manitoba is qualified to do so and has been vetted by our college."
The province has also followed the lead of Doctors Manitoba by launching recruitment campaigns in the U.S.
The provincial government is targeting health-care workers in the nearby states of Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, touting Manitoba's strengths and priorities, including safe and inclusive communities, good schools, strong social supports and comparable affordability with a high quality of life.
Doctors Manitoba had ramped up its own recruitment efforts late last year with a similar message in an effort to appeal to physicians in search of stability and respect after Donald Trump was elected U.S. president.
"We have the privilege of working in an environment where the government doesn't generally get in between us and our patients, so that was the kind of the selling point that we brought," Desilets said.
"We're grateful to see that our public advocacy efforts were able to influence government stakeholders and our own regulatory college to take a look at all of the requirements and to kind of take our lead."
She couldn't say, though, if the efforts have prompted anyone to relocate north of the border.
"As a front-line working doctor, I wouldn't be privy to that knowledge, but we do know that our office has had people reach out to inquire about the process and what the work environment looks like," Desilets said.
"Despite the flaws in our health-care system, and I acknowledge that there are many of them, I am safe when I go to work, I know that the government is going to pay me for the services that I provide to patients, and I know that I have an organization that backs me and my colleagues up when we go to work every day."
Doctors Manitoba will continue to promote those benefits through its own recruitment efforts in news media interviews, advertisements, and the website ManitobaMD.com.
While the push to open the door more to American doctors is welcome, it's only one aspect of addressing the shortage, Desilets said. The barriers between provinces need to be dealt with, as well.
"Even though people expect health care to be nationally available to them, it's still administered on a provincial level. So this is a barrier to recruiting physicians to Manitoba, no matter where you're coming from," she said.
"The fact that we don't have enough doctors to serve our population is a multi-pronged challenge. There's not one golden answer … and we're going to continue to advocate. We need more doctors, we need more specialists."
