Position Papers

These position papers represent the official CFMS stance on many issues of importance to students. These documents represent the unified, and articulated, student voice. They are all student written and widely distributed. Many of them have been read by government ministers, and the presidents of medical organizations.

If you have comments, or a topic you wish to add, please write to office@cfms.org.

August 08, 2006		CFMS President
Post-Graduate Training and Core Competencies Proposal
CFMS Policy statement on Post-Graduate training
April 30, 2005		Vishal Avinashi and Elizabeth Moeller
Decreased Interest in Family Medicine
Primary care is fundamental to the Canadian health care system with family physicians being the crucial front line for patient care. In recent polls, Canadians overwhelmingly identify their family doctor as the most important person in the health care of themselves and their families. Medical students in Canada recognize and respect the fact that high quality and sustainable health care depends on an adequate supply of family physicians. There is a significant shortage of family physicians in Canada; 4.2 million Canadians do not have a family doctor. A recent study released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranks Canada 25th out of 30 industrialized countries when comparing the number of practicing physicians per 1000 population. Of practicing family physicians, 60% are seeing few or no new patients and nearly half (48.6%) of family physicians under the age of 35 have fully or partially closed practices. The aging Canadian population is reflected in the diminishing supply of family physicians, with one in four family physicians currently 55 years of age or older. The shortage of family physicians is not being adequately addressed by the current graduation rate of Canadian-trained family doctors. As a result, for many years international medical graduates (IMGs) have been responsible for filling the shortage of family doctors in Canada, especially in underserviced areas. Of family physicians in Canada, 22.9% are trained abroad.
September 12, 2004		Bimpe Ayeni
Diversity and Medicine in Canada
Diversity and Medicine in Canada
August 22, 2003		Stephen French
Mandatory Return of Service
Physician shortages across the nation have created a new demand for recruitment and retention. The current practice environment created by the drastic reduction in Health Care expenditures has made the job of recruitment more difficult then ever. The demographics of the Canadian population is adding to the challenges of medical practice. The population is aging and expectedly, requiring more care. Physicians are expected to increase their practices to cover the exit of their fellow practitioners who have retired or set up practice in "greener pastures" elsewhere. Amidst these new health care strains the paying public is becoming exasperated by what is seen as the dismantling of the public health care system. The retention of established physicians occupies a much larger percentage of the public sympathy that remains.
August 14, 2003		Tara Mastracci
The Canadian Medical Students' Perspective:Career Decision Making in Today's Medical School
Career Choice and the process of career decision making is a major issue in medical education today. As the stresses of residency matching, training and matriculating are becoming more prevalent, students are finding they must choose career paths very early in their medical school careers.
August 13, 2003		Tara Mastracci
Physician Supply and Non-Physician Clinicians in a Changing Canadian Health Care System: Adjusting to the New Reality
The issue of non-physician clinicians in practice is one arm of the "Early Career Decision Making" debate. As physician supply is shown to diminish, stakeholders are scrambling to find a solution that will provide seamless medical care in the face of growing gaps. As medical students we must continue to push for long term answers to what appear to be very acute problems, and resist the urge to employ Band-Aid solutions - we must remain accountable to the health care system of the future. That being said, we must also recognize that the face of healthcare is changing, and our role in the medical community may shift from autonomous practitioners to key members of the "interdisciplinary team". Physicians of the future may have to be more responsive to patients demands for alternative health care provision. We must expand our training and skills to embrace a wide range of health care options, while striving to ensure that, above all, the uniform high quality of health care delivery is preserved.
August 12, 2003		Joshua Tepper
Student Health and Wellbeing - Mental Health Resources for Medical Students
My thoughts might be anywhere on the scale from mundane to important: When am I on Call? How did that exam go? What is the cafeteria serving? Is ER on TV tonight? What elective will be best?
March 20, 2003		Danielle Martin
International Medical Graduates and the Canadian Medical Education System: The Perspective of Canadian Medical Students
The Canadian medical education system is undergoing important changes, all of which are of concern to the members of the CFMS. One issue of current significance is the incorporation of International Medical Graduates into our postgraduate training system. Canadian medical students support the development of a consistent and fair system that meets the physician human resource needs of the Canadian public and considers the interests of both International and Canadian medical graduates. The following document outlines the principles that we feel are important for the development of such a system. It also raises some issues of concern and states our recommendations.
September 01, 2000		Tara Mastracci
Double Jeopardy: The CFMS Position on the Threat of Escalating Medical School Tuition Fees Limiting access to Medical Education in Canada
As with any profession, the motivations for choosing a career in medicine are as unique as the individuals themselves. The experiences that each physician has prior to entering medical school, and undoubtedly the choices that have built their career since then can be credited for the diversity of the Canadian physician pool and the reason why Canadian doctors are known for their commitment to excellence in research, care and contributions to the community.