Retirement planning has been front of mind for many Canadian physicians in recent months. More than 9,000 have signed a petition asking the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to use some of the $2.6 billion it earned from the sale of MD Financial Management last year to create a pension plan for its members. Because there […]
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CMA can’t use proceeds of MD sale to fund physician pension plan
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) cannot use the proceeds from its sale of MD Financial Management to set up a pension plan for its members, despite calls for such a move from some Canadian doctors. The lack of an employer–employee relationship means there is no legal basis for a pension plan, according to the CMA. Read […]
Recruitment of medical residents much more intense in US than in Canada
Many final-year resident physicians in the United States are facing more job offers than they can handle, as recruiting companies scramble to fill vacancies around the country. A survey by the physician search firm Merritt Hawkins found that 66% of residents received more than 51 job solicitations during their training; 45% received 100 or more. […]
Unemployed physicians a sign of poor workforce planning
After years of gruelling training, specialists might be forgiven for expecting it to be easy to find a job and put their hard-earned, in-demand skills to work. But that is not always the case. Around 20% of specialists cannot find work at the time of their certification, according to a survey by the Royal College […]
Banks consider doctors up for grabs after MD Financial Management sale
The sale of MD Financial Management to Scotiabank last year has touched off a competition among Canada’s major banks to attract physician customers, with several launching investment and business packages in recent months aimed at health care professionals. In December, TD Bank announced a wealth management service for health care professionals, to be paired with […]
Opioid prescriptions down but some patients fear doctors now too strict
To help bring the opioid epidemic under control, health care regulators have been issuing stricter guidelines and rules on how and when opioids should be prescribed, and it appears the effort is having some effect. In the United States, the proportion of opioid prescriptions for people who had not used them previously fell by 54% between […]
Roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in medicine still under debate
With shortages of doctors across Canada, many health authorities are looking for ways to fill gaps that don’t require training or hiring new physicians. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are two professions that can help relieve the strain. Generally, there is amicable collaboration between these professionals and doctors, but there are times when minor turf […]
Work–life advantages of becoming a salaried physician may be oversold
The way doctors want to practise medicine in Canada is changing. The new generation of physicians is less interested in independent practice as they seek better work–life balance and financial security. More than half of resident doctors in Canada would give up some clinical autonomy for a salaried position that included health benefits, pensions and […]
Medical specialists break away from OMA at “worst possible time” warns Quebec specialist group
The plan by several medical specialist groups to break away from the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and negotiate directly with the provincial government may be the right move for specialists but the timing — in the middle of arbitration proceedings for a new contract — couldn’t be worse, according to Dr. Diane Francoeur, president of […]
Gun violence is an epidemic and “we solve epidemics with medicine, not politics”
Canadian doctors have joined their American colleagues in declaring that the medical profession has a duty to address firearms safety. The topic has received much attention of late after an update to a position paper by the American College of Physicians (ACP) caused an online dispute between physicians and the US gun-rights lobby group, the […]