Medical residency match decline has health community worried

By KENDALL KING on March 29, 2023.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

Data showing family medicine residency matches are down in Medicine Hat and across the province for a second year in a row highlights the need for immediate action to improve the state of health care in Alberta, say medical professionals.

Each year, graduates from medical schools in Canada and across the world apply to be matched with resident training positions in their discipline via the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS).

Operating as an independent and objective body, CaRMS facilitates matches by connecting graduates and residency programs, taking into account the preferences of each in an effort to secure the most desirable matches.

But after the first round of 2023 residency matches, the number of successful matches in Alberta is alarmingly low compared to previous years.

Currently, only 88 per cent of all available Alberta residency positions have been successfully matched, marking the lowest first-round match rate the province has experience in the past decade.

Match numbers for family medicine residency positions are particularly low. There are currently 42 unmatched family medicine residency positions in Alberta. Though that number may change following the second round of matching, it is concerning to many in the medical field, as last year was the first since 2015 Alberta had even recorded unmatched family medicine residency positions (11 positions went unmatched in 2021).

“Family medicine is in crisis,” Dr. Fredrykka Rinaldi, president of the Alberta Medical Association and Medicine Hat-based family physician said in a statement Monday. “We have been emphasizing that working on long-term transformation of primary care has value, but there are urgent needs today.”

Rinaldi highlighted that Alberta’s number of unmatched family medicine residency positions was significantly higher than either of its neighbouring provinces, as only two positions remain vacant in B.C. and none in Saskatchewan.

“Years of underfunding and uncertainty have put a strain on primary care in this province and have resulted in a disincentive for learners looking to Alberta as a place to train,” she said, underscoring the need for medical professionals and government to work together to address issues facing the province’s health-care system.

Dr. Josh Foley, a local family physician actively working to recruit new doctors to the area, says filling residency positions is particularly important in rural communities like Medicine Hat, as it exposes the next generation of doctors to the benefits of rural practice.

“I think the problem is multifaceted,” Foley said. “We have to recognize that everybody from the government on down needs to work on this. From a medical school point of view, they have to encourage rural exposure. And for young doctors coming into the profession, it has to be financially viable for them to set up in an area.”

Foley is concerned about the number of Medicine Hat residency positions that remain unmatched following the first round. Last year, matches were confirmed for only three of the nine local positions. So far this year, only two matches have been made.

“We’ve had a gradual decrease in the number of residents (matched locally),” said Foley. “Last year, the numbers weren’t great. This year, they, from preliminary reports, are going to be much worse, which is a real concern when it comes to getting doctors.”

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