Family doctors in Quebec are urging a shift in political discourse to encourage more students to choose family medicine as their specialty. The current climate of tension is believed to be contributing to a significant number of unfilled residency positions across the province.

Residency Positions Remain Vacant

Initial results from the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) revealed that 146 family medicine residency positions in Quebec remained vacant. Nationally, an additional 105 family medicine positions were also unfilled. Complete matching results, including the outcome of the second round, are expected to be released on April 21.

Students Express Concerns

Medical students have shared how the recent conflict between family doctors and the government influenced their residency choices. Many students initially drawn to the broad scope of family medicine reconsidered their options due to the uncertainty created by the political situation.

Impact of Political Climate

Félicia Harvey, a medical student at the Université de Montréal, noted that young people already face hesitations when choosing a career path. She explained that added pressure and uncertainty, like that stemming from the current political environment, negatively impact these decisions, as evidenced by this year’s match results. Students had until the end of November to finalize their residency selections.

Rosalie Kègle, completing her externship at the Université de Sherbrooke, echoed these sentiments. She stated that the political environment generated uncertainty, causing her to question her career path. Despite this, she ultimately chose to focus on her passion for family medicine and not let the external factors influence her decision. She acknowledged that some peers who initially intended to specialize in family medicine ultimately chose other specialties.

Motivations for Choosing Family Medicine

Alexandre Rivard, also from the Université de Montréal, was attracted to the extensive patient care provided by general practitioners. Having previously studied mechanical engineering, he even considered returning to that field after hearing negative comments about the medical profession. However, his desire to connect with and help people ultimately drove him to remain in medicine.

Étienne Turcotte, a student at Université Laval, was not deterred by the conflict. His early exposure to family medicine, coupled with an internship in Les Escoumins, solidified his interest in practicing in regional areas. He expressed a desire to build long-term relationships with patients.

Interest in Regional Medicine

The eagerness to study medicine outside of major cities is apparent at several medical schools. All 57 spots in the integrated longitudinal externship program at Université Laval are already filled for the 2026–2027 academic year. Turcotte stated that the political climate actually motivated him further to pursue family medicine.

Félicia Harvey’s decision was unaffected, as she believes her career should not be dictated by the political climate. She acknowledges that the situation has been “very toxic” for family medicine in recent years.