A new medical school in Oshawa, Ont., focused on producing family doctors is seen as a game-changer in reshaping medical education to address Canada’s family physician shortage. Dr. Jane Philpott, dean of Queen’s University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and former federal health minister, explained that the innovative approach aims to cultivate a cohort of students dedicated to family medicine from the start of their training.
The Queen’s-Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program, launched in September 2023, is a joint effort between Queen’s University and Lakeridge Health hospital. This unique program, based at the hospital, emphasizes family practice from the outset, unlike the conventional medical school model where students choose their specialty after completing a general program.
Students in this program receive comprehensive medical education with a focus on family medicine and are mentored by family physicians. They are guaranteed family medicine residency positions in Durham Region upon completion of the six-year program, eliminating the competitive race for residency spots.
While the initiative has garnered praise, critics point out that it alone cannot address the pressing shortage of primary care providers. Health policy analyst Steven Lewis emphasized the need for scalable solutions, suggesting that training nurse practitioners and easing barriers for foreign-trained doctors are vital steps in augmenting the primary care workforce.
Efforts are underway to streamline the licensing process for foreign-trained doctors in Canada, acknowledging the significant pool of untapped medical expertise. The success of the Queen’s-Lakeridge program has sparked interest from other medical schools, with plans to introduce similar family medicine programs to bolster the pipeline of family physicians across the country.