UCalgary Identifies Challenges in Addressing Physician Shortage

The University of Calgary has highlighted significant challenges in addressing the ongoing physician shortage in Alberta. Dr. Braden Manns, a professor at the UCalgary School of Medicine, conducted an extensive analysis of 16 years of physician data, revealing critical insights into the current healthcare landscape.

Understanding the Shortage of Family Physicians

According to Dr. Manns, Alberta is facing a notable shortage of various types of physicians, particularly family physicians and anesthetists. His research indicates that family physicians are encountering increasingly complex cases while working 10 percent fewer days in clinic settings. This reduction in clinic days correlates with a 10 to 15 percent decrease in the number of patients they see daily. Furthermore, the study found that a growing percentage of family physicians—18 percent—are now trained in low-to-middle-income countries, a rise from 6 percent two decades ago.

Dr. Manns pointed out that while these physicians are still working, many are transitioning into different roles, such as hospital positions or sports medicine, rather than traditional family practice. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying factors contributing to these shifts.

Proposed Solutions and Structural Challenges

The research team identified several potential solutions to enhance Alberta’s healthcare system, including the establishment of stronger care teams that comprise nurses, dietitians, and social workers. However, implementing these solutions has proven challenging due to structural limitations within the educational system. Todd Anderson, Dean of the Cumming School of Medicine, noted that while the school promotes the importance of multidisciplinary teams, its separate faculties hinder broader implementation.

“We are a faculty of medicine, not a faculty of health sciences,” said Dean Anderson. The school has made strides in developing a curriculum that addresses the complexities of patient care, taught by primary care physicians rather than sub-specialists. This curriculum aims to expose students to the realities of family medicine early in their training.

Beginning in July 2026, some medical students will train outside of Calgary, in places like Lethbridge, as part of a distributed medical education model. “If we want to train people in primary care and encourage them to remain in their communities, we need to take students from those areas and provide their training locally,” Anderson explained.

Despite these educational initiatives, Dean Anderson acknowledged that the medical school alone cannot resolve the physician shortage. He stressed the necessity for provincial support to make family practice more appealing in Alberta.

Government Initiatives to Address Physician Compensation

The Government of Alberta has introduced the Primary Care Physician Compensation Model (PCPCM), aimed at improving the landscape for family physicians in the province. Launched in spring 2025, this model was developed in collaboration with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and aims to provide an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service compensation model.

The PCPCM blends elements of existing compensation plans with new criteria that focus on patient encounters, time spent on direct care, and complexity-adjusted panel payments. Physicians must maintain a minimum panel size of 500 patients and complete 400 hours of service during the year to qualify for the model.

This innovative approach is part of Alberta’s commitment to ensuring that the province remains an attractive place for physicians to practice while increasing access to family doctors for all Albertans.

As Alberta continues to grapple with its healthcare challenges, the efforts of the University of Calgary and the provincial government represent critical steps toward addressing the physician shortage and improving patient care in the region.