Reflection on the Outcomes of Training project

I was pleased to read in Dr Francine Lemire’s column in the January issue of Canadian Family Physician¹ that there are plans to increase the family doctor residency program to 3 years. I do not see why the 3-year residency program has to wait until 2030 to have its first graduates.

I have been retired since 2017 after 49 years of family practice and anesthesia. They were good years. Initially our group had 5 doctors and at the time of my retirement we had 11. The family doctor is pulled between the 2 poles of work-life balance. The profession of family practice is more of a vocation. Hopefully the first character assessment is at the resident’s admission day.

I cringe when I read about the “lifestyle” discussions. My take on this: If you are looking for the proverbial lifestyle, do not go into family practice. If you do, accept that you will miss weddings, social evenings, funerals, and so on.

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