Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned about frustrated physicians moving out of Manitoba to practice elsewhere. 

These stories are a reminder that while doctor recruitment has been improving in Manitoba, retention is still a major challenge. Manitoba loses more doctors to other provinces than it gains, at a rate that is the second worst in Canada according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. 

Poor retention happens when burnout is high, and professional satisfaction is low, and while this has many causes, there are also practical things which can be done to improve retention.

Our President, Dr. Alon Altman, was on CJOB radio this week to talk about improving retention by addressing those root causes:

• Retention requires ​“ensuring that doctors have the technology and resources that they need to deliver patient care, especially new and advanced procedures, keeping doctors engaged in the health care system and with the decisions in the health care system, reducing unnecessary inefficiencies with digital systems and unnecessary paperwork, and moving toward team-based care,” he said.

Dr. Altman also emphasized ​“helping out-of-province doctors establish a community in Manitoba, which is very much what happened to me and my family.” Dr. Altman was raised in BC where he also trained, but eventually accepted a position in Manitoba.

• Our New to Practice program is designed to support physicians in their first five years of practice in Manitoba, whether they trained here or came from out of province. Get in touch for one-on-one support.

Stay tuned next week for an important update from Dr. Altman on Doctors Manitoba’s focus on retention in the year ahead.