Ontario to fund more residency positions for graduating doctors

The Ontario government says it will create more residency positions to help meet demand for doctors across the province.

"The province is working with medical schools to create more specialized residency spots this upcoming school year for graduates who did not match to a residency position, ensuring that all unmatched graduates are placed," Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care said in a statement on Tuesday.

Whilemedical school graduates have an MD after their name, theystill need to complete years of supervised training, or residency, in specialities such as family medicine, general surgery or neurology before they can be licensed to practise medicine inCanada.

Graduates who will occupy the newly announcedresidency spots will be required to provide service for two years inunderservicedcommunities across the province, such as regions in Northern Ontario.

The 53 new residency positions will be available to unmatched candidates, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

Ontario's government said it is investing up to $23 million over six years to create more residency spots across the province for medical school graduates.

Fewer residency positions

Nationally, the crux of the problem isthat the number of residency positions available to Canadian graduates has been dropping over time, according to theAssociation of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, which represents the country's 17 medical schools.

The process is called matching. The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) uses an algorithm to match the preferences of graduating medical students with universities'preferences following applications and interviews.

Also on Tuesday, CaRMSreleasedthe number of unfilled residency positions across Canada fromthe second and final round for this year.

Unmatched residents have expressed concerns about the financial and personal costs of not matching into residency positions in order to complete their medical training and find work.

SalpyKelianof Waterloo, Ont. wants to be a surgeon. She didn't match in the final round last week and is now optimistic.

"It's a great sign, they're listening to what people are saying and taking the needs of students as well as future populations of Ontario into consideration," Kelian said.

Keliancalls the province's announcementa good first step, but she also doesn't want to jump the gun.

"Until I see actual numbers, and see what they're proposing more clearly,it's a little hard to get my hopes up."

Dr. GeneviveMoineau, CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, said in a statement that the AFMC looks forward to working with the ministry, and all provincial funders, to find long term solutions that can be implemented in time for the 2019 match.