Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Ozy_Flame]

Maybe if family medicine was actually compensated better, family docs wouldn't be resorting to this either.

I highly doubt the doc is doing this because of her unwavering faith in two-tier healthcare. It's probably to help pay clinic bills and keep the lights on in her office, which we have seen been problems around Alberta before.

If true, that one is squarely on the province and an indictment on the system.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Tut tut, the province already has a plan to attract the best. Danielle Smith guaranteed it.

Dr. 1: Hey, I'm looking at practicing in Canada, should I go to UHN or Sunnybrook in Toronto, or MGH or UofM in Montreal?

Dr. 2: Maybe, but have you heard what's going on in Danielle Smith's Alberta? They're decentralizing their health board!

Dr. 1: SOLD!

Unfortunately though, there's no easy solution here? If people would prefer to live in Toronto or Montreal as opposed to Calgary, it's tough to compete. And the same goes for Calgary as opposed to say Pincher Creek or Milk River.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Tut tut, the province already has a plan to attract the best. Danielle Smith guaranteed it.

Dr. 1: Hey, I'm looking at practicing in Canada, should I go to UHN or Sunnybrook in Toronto, or MGH or UofM in Montreal?

Dr. 2: Maybe, but have you heard what's going on in Danielle Smith's Alberta? They're decentralizing their health board!

Dr. 1: SOLD!

I think their plan seemed to involve having rural health board middle managers finding the plethora of out-of-work anesthesiologists out there.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Slava

Unfortunately though, there's no easy solution here? If people would prefer to live in Toronto or Montreal as opposed to Calgary, it's tough to compete. And the same goes for Calgary as opposed to say Pincher Creek or Milk River.

I’d be curious to see some sort of recruitment or education stream more geared toward rural communities. Someone from Calgary who goes to med school in Toronto is unlikely to want to practice in Pincher Creek or whatever, but if you can get more healthcare workers from these communities and give them a path that incentivizes their return to these communities, that could be beneficial.

I’m not sure to what extent they already do this.

[looooob]

^^ there is work in this regard (probably more than I'm aware of) but a few things can happen along the way
1. an individual can become interested in a specialty branch of medicine not ideally practiced in a rural setting
2. an individual can end up in a relationship with someone else met at university (or medical school) that have career goals not readily met or attained in a rural setting

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I’d be curious to see some sort of recruitment or education stream more geared toward rural communities. Someone from Calgary who goes to med school in Toronto is unlikely to want to practice in Pincher Creek or whatever, but if you can get more healthcare workers from these communities and give them a path that incentivizes their return to these communities, that could be beneficial.

I’m not sure to what extent they already do this.

From my experience, the problem is most upwardly mobile kids want to get out of their small town when they grow up. I agree though, encouraging the stay at home type would probably be worthwhile.

[Ozy_Flame]

You're better off having incentive-based rotations through clinic work, much like docs do through remote places like Yellowknife. If there are inpatients then sign a supplementary contract with a health body so that physicians working on contract or ARPs can access the small town hospital or facility as an "extended wing". And of course anyone who wants to spend more time out there / go full-time should be able to do so with opportunities for research and rotation in the larger cities.

I know of one doctor who works in Edmonton and rotates through Ponoka regularly. He likes the variety.

I can't see a model where the rural/urban healthcare is dichotomized from each other. Most doctors want to work in urban areas so health boards need to work with that natural preference.

[CliffFletcher]

People can’t seem to get beyond partisan politics when talking about this stuff. Health care capacity shortfalls aren’t an Alberta problem. It’s a problem in Ontario, B.C., Manitoba, Quebec, and New Brunswick too. Under PC, Liberal, and NDP governments. It’s been a problem for decades, in every province, under very party. And it’s getting worse.

That means the problem is systemic. The government in power doesn’t make much of a difference, because reforming something as vast and complex as a public health care system is beyond the capability of any single government in a 4-year term. It would likely involve imposing measures that vested interests and voters will not like, and the benefits wouldn’t be evident for 6+ years. So there’s no political upside.

We could maybe look at what countries with better access and outcomes do, and try to learn from them. But that’s pretty much taboo in Canada. Let’s just keep blaming whichever party is in power at the moment. It hasn’t worked yet, but maybe if we blame a bit harder it will work eventually.

[flamesfever]

We had friends who lived in rural Saskatchewan, and their son graduated from medical school and did his interning in Calgary. When he finished, he contributed to a big article in the Herald, which essentially asked the question, "Why should I stay in Canada, when I can do much better financially in the US?"... and there he went.

I know you can say he is not loyal to his Country, or he is going to a place with guns everywhere, or he is subjected to much insecurity, but he's actually living a pretty nice life, from what I understand.

I think we have to make the incentive to become a doctor in Canada much better than it is.

just my opinion

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

Why are there so few in our society that want to be doctors? Is it because of the high BPA requirement. because of the future working conditions, the high taxes? the lack of character in our youth?

We just pretending he didn't say that?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

We had friends who lived in rural Saskatchewan, and their son graduated from medical school and did his interning in Calgary. When he finished, he contributed to a big article in the Herald, which essentially asked the question, "Why should I stay in Canada, when I can do much better financially in the US?"... and there he went.

I know you can say he is not loyal to his Country, or he is going to a place with guns everywhere, or he is subjected to much insecurity, but he's actually living a pretty nice life, from what I understand.

I think we have to make the incentive to become a doctor in Canada much better than it is.

just my opinion

I just think that is an issue with a lot of upwardly mobile people. You're going to earn good money regardless of where you live...so would you prefer to be in say San Diego or Saskatoon? There are all kinds of reasons people choose one place over another, and despite protestations of political junkies, most people don't make that choice based on the government of the day.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Sliver

We just pretending he didn't say that?

Nah, he's right. Kids these days

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Sliver

We just pretending he didn't say that?

I guess I am relating it to a lack of kids going to Sunday School where the Christian idea of serving others is drummed into their heads.

Oh boy... I can see where this is ending up. Cheese where are you?

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I guess I am relating it to a lack of kids going to Sunday School where the Christian idea of serving others is drummed into their heads.

Oh boy... I can see where this is ending up. Cheese where are you?

keep digging...

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I guess I am relating it to a lack of kids going to Sunday School where the Christian idea of serving others is drummed into their heads.

Oh boy... I can see where this is ending up. Cheese where are you?

What???

Are you really saying that kids going to Sunday school made them stay/go to rural locations as doctors?

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Spurs

What???

Are you really saying that kids going to Sunday school made them stay/go to rural locations as doctors?

Well it gave them something more worthwhile to think about, than staring at their phone or texting, or playing silly games.

[Scornfire]

Originally Posted by Spurs

What???

Are you really saying that kids going to Sunday school made them stay/go to rural locations as doctors?

No he's saying all non-christian kids lack Character

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Scornfire

No he's saying all non-christian kids lack Character

I dunno, every time something crappy happened my parents tried to make me feel better by saying it built character. "Sure, you could have drowned or gotten hit by lightning, but you didn't, so think of all the character you built out there on the water!" And now I'm a pickle, so how'd that work out?

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

Well it gave them something more worthwhile to think about, than staring at their phone or texting, or playing silly games.

So basically you just want to whine about how "soft" kids are now compared the superstars kids were in your day.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I’d be curious to see some sort of recruitment or education stream more geared toward rural communities. Someone from Calgary who goes to med school in Toronto is unlikely to want to practice in Pincher Creek or whatever, but if you can get more healthcare workers from these communities and give them a path that incentivizes their return to these communities, that could be beneficial.

I’m not sure to what extent they already do this.

Both UAlberta's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and UCalgary's Cumming School of Medicine have programs geared towards educating rural doctors.

There was a great interview a couple of months ago, and I do not recall who he was but was an educator involved at one of the two medical schools IIRC. He said they would also be working to increase the number of instructors who come from a rural practice/background in order to promote the practice to students. I also want to say (but am not sure) that they may change the admission process to give more weight to students who choose to practice in rural areas when they make admission offers.

https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/ruralmedicine

https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/pro...nal/index.html