As I near the end of my family medicine residency, I am often asked by patients: “What are your plans after graduating?” While seemingly trivial, this question is invariably followed with: “Can you take me and my family members in your practice?”
To some degree, the two questions reflect a growing crisis in B.C. Across the province, almost 1 million people do not have a family doctor. This number is set to further increase as 40 per cent of family doctors in B.C. are expected to retire over the next 10 years.
Though there are sufficient medical students and residents to match the number of retiring physicians, the problem persists as graduates avoid full-service family practice.
Without a primary care provider, the options to access health care become limited, disjointed, and episodic. The longitudinal and preventative model of care disappears, eroding a core tenet to a healthy and robust community.
Read more at: A Plea from a Family Resident: We must recognize the changing nature of primary care to prevent an exodus of doctors
