A Canadian doctor has come up with a revolutionary approach

It can solve family doctors problem.

In Canada, it´s hard to find a family doctor. There aren't enough doctors for everyone, and some don't want to take on new clients. But there is an idea that could revolutionize this field.

One Canadian physician believes that opening three new medical schools is enough to solve the primary care problem. In his opinion, this would change the model of medical education in the country, allowing for a greater emphasis on family medicine.

"It takes a community to raise a physician," said Dr. Roger Strasser, interim dean of the new Simon Fraser University Medical School and founding dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM).

The new idea has a chance to be successful. This is not the first time that a major shift in health care is possible in Canada. A little more than a century ago, revolutionary changes in medical education took place in North America. Students were assigned to hospitals, where they learned basic sciences; and hospitals, where they got hands-on experience in patient care and research.

This is now common practice. Those big university-affiliated teaching hospitals are where students now spend much of their time. But as for most Canadians, they get their health care through a family doctor or an inpatient clinic, which deals with a much wider range of problems. About six million Canadians, or one in five, do not have a family doctor.

Strasser sees medical education returning to the community — something he says is a crucial piece in training and retaining more family doctors — and he can point to the only Canadian medical school established so far in the 21st century as an example of success.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) opened its first class of 56 students in September 2005. In April 2022, the school became Canada's first independent medical university, now known as NOSM University. It was the first university established with a mandate of social responsibility – the commitment to improving the health of people in northern Ontario communities.

The approach was innovative: medical students learned the basics of clinical medicine in family practice clinics, community health centers, nursing facilities for the elderly, and community mental health services. They saw patients early in their training in places where they were going to work after graduation.

Thus, Strasser believes, that while the students' learning goals are the same, instead of learning in separate units in teaching hospitals, they learn by observing patients who come to see their family physicians.