About Us

The number of people who do not have a family doctor in Ontario is at an all-time high.

The high volume of Ontario residents not being able to access primary care in recent years has resulted in band aid programs that have not successfully changed the need for patients to use emergency department (ED) services, walk-in-clinics, or pharmacies as their source of primary care. People are also driving significant distances after moving to see their doctor from a previous home location citing that is a better solution than not having a doctor at all, and the worst outcome of this shortage is that people are just not being seen by a doctor when they need to.

The Ontario Physician Recruitment Alliance (OPRA) is a team of physician recruitment professionals across Ontario who have banded together to consolidate and amplify efforts to recruit, retain, support, and engage primary care physicians and the medical students hoping to be one someday. A large part of this work is advocating for system change at the provincial level.

Our goal is to have a doctor for every person and understand what steps need to be taken to get there. We hope to add our voice to the tables where decisions for primary care systems changes will be made.

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The INSPIRE PHC data report for March 2023 https://inspire-phc.org/ indicates that 1.6 million residents in Ontario do not have access to primary care and this number is projected to rise factoring in retirements of current physicians (6-7% per year) and the projected residential growth in this province.

The fact remains that there were only 546 incoming family medicine residents in Ontario in 2024, and a concerning trend of unfilled positions. There were 1702 family medicine residency spots in Canada in 2024.

There are many reasons Ontario graduates are not choosing traditional family practices, however, the main reasons are increased administration burden, lack of team-based supports, and not wanting to also be a small business owner.

The desire for new family medicine graduates to start or take on a traditional style of family practice has shifted in Ontario. New graduates are moving towards hospital work, locums (substitute doctor), and focused-practice designations, which all fill a need in the health care system, but do not solve the issue of the shortage of family physicians who are willing to take on a roster of patients in our communities.

There are many reasons Ontario graduates are not choosing traditional family practice, however, the main reasons are increased administration burden, a lack of team-based supports, and most doctors do not also want to be small business owners. Although changes are on the horizon, we will continue to struggle to attract physicians to address the crisis experienced by Ontarians until system-level overhauls are made.

There is a significant need in Ontario to enhance our recruitment efforts from a regional and provincial level and to support our community physician recruiters. That need includes increasing efforts to repatriate Canadians studying and training abroad, attract practicing foreign trained doctors from the UK, US, Ireland, and Australia, and support local family doctors to make the transition from retirement or other work into a comprehensive family practice.

The Medical Council of Canada and the College of Physicians and Surgeons have streamlined their processes to make it easier for licensing in Ontario, which necessitates a focus on sourcing these physicians and supporting them to practice here. As other jurisdictions are added to the reciprocity agreement for primary care providers, our reach will expand accordingly.

Physician recruiters in Ontario have a diverse role and skillset and are funded by different organizations throughout Ontario. These are organizations are: municipal governments, the local chamber of commerce, Family Health Team (FHT), Ontario Health Team (OHT), hospitals, medical schools, area economic development corporations, and other community contributors. Recruiters operate either in full-time or part-time roles, depending on their organization and demographic.

Those working in a physician recruitment position usually tackle this portfolio as an independent one-person team. Although we have some differences, the common thread that binds us is that we have a fundamental role in health human resource planning, recruitment, and retention of primary care physicians in Ontario. Some communities also offer financial incentives to their physicians for relocation or to offset start up costs.

Physician recruiters have a mandate to:

• Track physicians who are moving in and out of our communities.
• Promote practice opportunities at career fairs and events or through marketing efforts.
• Act as an ambassador for their community, conducting clinic site and community tours.
• Outline the differences in practice models and support physicians in their career goals.
• Complete immigration documents and navigate work permits and permanent residency.
• Engaging regularly with primary care to become a valuable resource to onboard and doctors and help them to build a roster of patients.

The role has become globally competitive and complex.