Blog Post Bit Two
Better Utilization of Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants
Increasing the number of doctors in Canada will take time and can be done in only three ways:
Slow down the retirement, attrition or movement out of the profession.
Recruit more doctors from abroad - which is difficult as there is a global shortage of physicians.
Expand medical school enrollment in Canada and open up more post-graduate residency positions - both are expensive and take time.
Potentially, a better way to increase healthcare capacity and physician efficiency is to train, retain and recruit more nurses from abroad. While nurses are also in short supply globally, they seem more plentiful and easier to recruit. In addition, the time to train a home-grown nurse is less than a physician, but still as long as 6-7 years for a fully-trained nurse practitioner.
If you are a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, or physician assistant, let me know what our healthcare system needs to do to keep you on the job and working to the capacity of your skillset and training.
