Recruitment efforts intensify as physician shortage impacts central Ontario

As Orillia and surrounding communities continue to see growth, so does the need for family doctors.

Melanie Delion, a physician recruiter for Orillia Lake Country Physician Recruitment (OLCPR) said the town is experiencing a growing need for comprehensive primary care physicians. A significant portion of the town is over the age of 55.

“We’re estimating a shortage of about 15 to 17 family physicians for our community,” said Delion. “Currently, according to our patient enrollment model data from the Ministry of Health, there’s approximately 28,000 people unattached from a physician.”

To help combat the doctor and nurse shortage, the province announced that they would expedite the process for U.S. doctors and nurses to work in the province.

This would allow nurses to work in Canada before registering with the regulatory college.

While this is welcoming news, there are concerns.

Dr. Stephan Morris left the country to attend medical school in Australia. Eight years later after completing his fellowship and practicing, he made the decision to come home and work in the community he grew up in.

Dr. Morris soon discovered the hurdles he would have to overcome to practice in his hometown.

“The primary hurdles are around licensing,” said Dr. Morris. “The licensing process is very arduous, and expensive. It has taken me as a prepared candidate, over four months to become licensed to the point where I could work.”

Dr. Morris added that the licensing process could take upwards of five months.

“You have to get licensed across three different legislative bodies,” said Dr. Morris. “You have to get a billing number and all sorts of different things, so I’m actually at the end of that now and can work now, it’s been about five months.”

While Morris’ initial reaction was positive to the news about American doctors, he believes the scope of where doctors are moving from should expand.

“We want to make sure that we can get people who also should be here, like Australians and people from Ireland to the UK, just as easily and just as practice ready, to get here as well,” he continued.

While doctors, nurses, and physicians go through the process of becoming registered, the need for medical professionals will continue to climb.

“Twenty per cent of our physician population are over the age of 60 and they care for approximately 8,500 patients currently,” said Delion. “So, there’s approximately, 640 physicians in central Ontario that are over the age of 60, caring for about 875,000 patients.”

Delion recruits’ physicians for OLCPR including Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital, she said its competitive to recruit physicians across the country and are taking proactive steps to recruit more to central Ontario.

“We have formalized Central Ontario Physician Recruitment Alliance, which is an alliance across our region that includes Midland, Muskoka, Orangeville, Alliston and Clearview as well as ourselves,” said Delion. “And we work with the candidate collaboratively.”

The town has set aside $500,000 for The Orillia and Lake Country Physician Recruitment if they provide a business plan and quarterly updates.

The money will go directly towards the recruitment of bringing physicians to the region.

“We can help you if you’re coming from another country, we can help you with some of those licensing fees, we can help you out to entice you to roster patients,” said Delion. “That is the goal with this, our hope is that we can recruit five to eight family physicians. Ideally, attaching up to 9,600 patients.”

Dr. Morris has completed the process to become a registered physician and now works at Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital.

He hopes to help future physicians going through the process.

“You don’t want to have to see people do that and you want to always be bringing doctors, nurses, whoever to your community,” said Dr. Morris. “So, we should work together once you’re through that to get those barriers down.”

Dr. Morris plans to open his own family practice in Orillia by the end of the year.