A new study released by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) suggests approximately one in six medical specialists cannot find work in their field after completing their degrees.
The report was published in the RCPSC’s 2013 employment study, “Too many, too few doctors? What’s really behind Canada’s unemployed specialists?”
Out of the 1,371 specialists certified in 2011 and 2012 who responded to the RCPSC’s survey, 16 per cent said they were unable to find employment, despite having completed eight or more years of training, according to a press release.
The report addresses an impending shift in Canada’s medical labour market as well.
“The predicted physician shortages in the U.S. may become a market for Canada’s unemployed specialists, prompting another brain drain,” the report stated.
One of the report’s most ironic points was addressed by the college’s director (health policy and external relations) Danielle Fréchette, the lead investigator of the study.
“After many years of hearing about physician shortages, pockets of evidence have emerged in recent years indicating a growing segment of medical specialists and subspecialists can’t find jobs,” Fréchette said in the release.
“We decided this serious situation warranted a much closer examination to determine the scope of the issue and the underlying causes.”
Dr. Crystal Hann, a radiation oncologist from Oakville, Ont., said she has experienced this phenomenon first-hand. Hann received her practicing license in April 2013, having officially graduated with a small class from Memorial University over six years ago.
She said she was able to find employment at the Juravinski Cancer Centre located in Hamilton, but said it wasn’t easy.
“I had to wait nine months from the completion of my fellowship to find work,” Hann said.
She said there were no advertised positions for her specialization at hospitals in the area.
Giuseppe Pontoreiro, a recent medical school graduate from the University of Toronto, and a family medicine specialist, said he isn’t worried about finding work after completing a residency program.
“For family medicine residents, like myself, the job market’s a little bit better . . . people still need family doctors and there’s still a shortage,” Pontoreiro said.
He also acknowledged difficulties other specialists meet when seeking employment.
“Definitely some of my other classmates who’ve gone into other specialties, especially like orthopedic surgery, the job market’s a lot different,” he said. “There’s not a lot of jobs available, especially in Canada.”
