CanAm perspective: They say history will repeat itself, and CanAm is predicting another serious “brain drain.” The Canadian dollar dipping below 70 cents U.S., the high Canadian taxes, and the serious threat from the newly-elected Liberal government to eliminate professional corporations is providing the perfect storm for Canadian physicians to move south.
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This may be an excellent time for Canada-based physicians to move their career south of the border. The Association of American Medical Colleges reported that the U.S. is expected to face a serious physician shortfall by the year 2025 — lacking between 46,000 and 90,000 physicians.
The situation is going to be especially dire in rural areas where just 10 per cent of physicians live to serve more than 20 per cent of the country’s population. It’s been particularly difficult for these areas to recruit and retain primary care physicians, emergency physicians, oncologists, cardiologists and surgeons.
According to the survey, rural doctors are retiring and new medical school graduates are completing their residencies in cities across the U.S. They’re comfortable with the advantages that come with living in a city, and moving to the country to open up a practice doesn’t seem as desirable.
Since physicians who grew up in small towns are more likely to practice there, medical schools are leveraging that by attempting to recruit students from areas with a physician shortage. Many schools are also introducing preceptorships or rotations in areas in desperate need of more physicians.
