The college said that doctors need exposure to complex cases, while others say this will exacerbate the already existing supply shortage.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) wants to extend the family medicine residency from two years to three as a means to prepare doctors for more complex patients. However, the plan raises concerns that it will increase the shortage of family physicians at a time when six million Canadians cannot access one.

Residency is the clinical specialty training that new doctors must undergo after obtaining their medical degrees and they cannot practice without completing it.

Dr. Nancy Fowler, a family physician from Hamilton and Executive Director of the Academic Family Medicine Department at CFPC, which is the national body that sets standards and accredits family medicine training for postgraduate students, stated that the first three-year program is expected to launch in 2027. All 17 Canadian medical schools.

According to Fowler, the college has consulted with certified family physicians, medical schools, students, and residents, and has looked at programs in other countries. They found that two years is not enough time to learn the fundamental skills, along with topics such as elder care, new technologies and virtual care, mental health and addiction, and the health impacts of racism and colonialism.

She stated that the primary goal is to broaden the training and exposure base so that family physicians are equipped to practice anywhere in Canada, from cities to northern and rural areas.

She also added that there is a need for new and enhanced skills in specific areas of healthcare, recognizing virtual care and artificial intelligence, and collaborating with other healthcare providers in teams. Many family physicians also need to learn how to set up a practice.

The family medicine residency in Canada lasts two years, making it one of the shortest programs in the world, even though new doctors have already completed a qualifying undergraduate degree and a medical degree—about a decade of schooling.

Most European countries select trainee doctors from high schools; medical school then lasts for six or seven years before the new doctor completes their residency.

Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland offer five years of training in family medicine after obtaining a medical degree.

Meanwhile, educators in the United States are looking to transition family medicine residency programs from three years to four.