Medical students rethinking careers in Alberta
UCP government’s attack on doctors is damaging to system, Josh Kariath, Carmen Soltys and Alexis Katzell say.
Two weeks ago, 127 students from Alberta’s medical schools sent an open letter to Premier Jason Kenney, asking him to end his attack on doctors.
As lifelong Albertans and future physicians who hope to practise in your communities, your clinics and your hospitals, we are worried. If other Albertans aren’t yet troubled by news of doctors withdrawing services, they need to understand what’s at stake.
COVID-19 has left medical students unsure about clinical placements, graduation dates, and residency opportunities. For many, placements in communities like Sundre, Pincher Creek and Stettler are looking radically different.
The government’s actions add further instability to the mix. Health Minister Tyler Shandro ignores data, expert advice and best practices from other provinces. At a time when health-care workers are counting on support, Shandro insinuates they are entitled and dishonest. While Kenney holds news conferences deflecting criticism, other provinces are already recruiting our mentors.
There is little doubt that Alberta faces tough times ahead, and that this may mean hard conversations about physician compensation. But whatever the future might hold, it will only be tougher without a partnership with Alberta doctors.
For a government that claims Alberta is “open for business,” the message they’re really sending is “enter at your own risk.”
Bill 21 allows the government to change or terminate agreements with doctors at any time. Shandro and Kenney did just that. After an exhausting year of negotiations with the Alberta Medical Association, Shandro abruptly tore up the contract and imposed one-sided policies in the midst of a global pandemic.
In rural Alberta, the lack of doctors is always a worry. Access to quality family medicine could be decimated. Promised short-term savings will be eclipsed by future costs. It won’t just be harder to attract new healthcare professionals, it will be difficult to attract families or keep seniors safely in communities. Take family doctors away, and you will only make a bad situation worse.
Personalized, comprehensive primary care saves the health-care system money in the long run, and this is a strength of rural family doctors. Newly trained doctors should be counted on to further drive innovation and cost savings.
Instead, the uncertainty of the past two months has given medical students another lesson. We’ve seen that smart policy is not top priority. We came here to provide excellent patient care in Alberta’s world-leading medical system, yet we are now forced to fight for our educational opportunities.
Rural rotations have become scarce. Doctors are being forced to fight the government so they can continue mentoring students. Losing this relationship is a missed opportunity for rural physician recruitment. Give it a couple of years and doctors won’t just be leaving Alberta; the province won’t be able to find anyone to take their place.
There is still the opportunity for Kenney to change course. The government could temporarily restore the AMA master agreement and rescind Bill 21. They could agree to third-party arbitration that could find the balance. Alberta’s physicians are not fighting pay cuts, after all; they are fighting to protect patient care.
Until then, medical students face the same dilemma as many of our doctors. To start a practice now seems like taking on a mortgage without knowing the rate or if full payment is due next month. With all the other uncertainties in the world, it seems reckless to gamble on a career in Alberta.
Getting through medical school is not easy. It takes hard work and often six figures of debt. Educating world-class physicians takes government investment in universities and support for rural medicine recruitment programs. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership built on trust.
As Albertan medical students who see ourselves as stewards of that trust, we’re still working to build skills to make this province better. But we cannot do that without knowing whether or not the government supports patient needs.
If things don’t change, many of us will be forced to consider other options.
As lifelong Albertans who love this province, we hope it’s not too late.
Josh Kariath is a third ( final) year medical student at the University of Calgary training in the rural clerkship program University of Calgary Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (UCLIC). Carmen Soltys is a third ( final) year medical student at the University of Calgary, training in the rural clerkship program UCLIC.
Dr. Alexis Katzell is a family medicine resident physician and a lifelong resident of Alberta.