Every interaction that students in health care interact with patients, families, and communities aids them in developing a real-world knowledge of the many requirements of the varied Canadian population.
The shortage of health workers in Canada
The Standing Committee on Health’s report from March 2023 entitled “Resolving Canada’s Health Workforce Crisis explored and confirmed this shortage of healthcare professionals. The information was primarily geared towards nurses and doctors. Canada anticipates a shortfall of 78,000 physicians by 2031 and 117,600 nurses by 2030.
Some other professions are triggering alarms of a shortage of practitioners, including dental specialists, medical laboratory specialists. occupational therapists, and pharmacy technicians.
Alongside these projections, there are significant concerns regarding the future of the healthcare professionals we have today. A report for 2022 from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions discovered that 94 percent of nurses surveyed had signs of burnout, and more than half of them wanted to quit their jobs. Other health professionals have expressed similar concerns.
The solution to the shortage
There isn’t an easy solution to these issues, and Canada responds with a variety of strategies. This includes hiring internationally-trained doctors fun, designing systems for better retention of patients, and boosting education seats to educate more future health professionals.
Each interaction health students encounter with families, patients, and communities helps them gain an understanding of the different requirements of the multifaceted Canadian population. (Shutterstock)
These strategies are coming from federal as well as provincial (such as Nova Scotia) and local levels. But, these strategies aren’t quick fixes and may not prove effective.
Retention strategies aren’t more effective than anticipated because the financial incentives aren’t proving to exert the same effect they could have before. International recruitment is full of ethical questions and a myriad of processes that applicants must go through in order to be certified to practice.
Education investment
Important provincial investments are made to increase the number of seats in the education programs of medical professionals. In Alberta, the Alberta administration will invest $72 million to create 3,400 new seats in various health-related training programs and $20 million to make 120 new doctor seats.
Saskatchewan will add 550 seats for healthcare provider education. Manitoba has announced an investment of $200 million in 2,000 healthcare professionals, which includes the addition of 80 physician seats and four respiration therapy students.
Different provinces are investing in a number of ways, like educational program grants that will increase enrollment in Ontario, as well as student financial assistance for students in Prince Edward Island.
Although more training opportunities may boost the workforce of the future, having a higher number of students requires more resources and learning opportunities. The education for health professionals differs depending on the kind of service and may range from certificates to master’s degrees.
How can Canadians aid?
We are an ensemble of researchers from different disciplines who instruct healthcare professionals in their basic education. We have discovered that, despite the vast variations in healthcare healthcare education, one essential element for all students is the ability to interact with families and patients.
Everyone can play a role in the preparation of healthcare workers for the field. Author’s permission granted (no reuse)
This means that all Canadians are essential in educating future health professionals. As more students are enrolled, Canadians will have even greater involvement with healthcare students.
