Skip to main content
7583
CAPER-RCEP
Tracking postgraduate medical trainees through practice: A longitudinal study | Rapport Suivi des médecins résidents selon leur lieu d’exercice
Introduction
Physicians are educated and trained in Canada with the skills to practice in a variety of environments
and geographic locations.
Past studies have shown that growing up or having had postgraduate training in a rural area increases
the likelihood of rural practice.1 2 3
A study of initial practice locations of family physicians in Canada indicated that for many provinces, a
greater proportion of IMGs were initially practising in rural areas than CMGs.4 However, the study also
showed that retention among the CMGs was stronger after 5 to 10 years with a smaller proportion
leaving for an urban setting than among the IMGs.
Based on a long standing data sharing agreement between the two organizations, this paper utilizes the
Canadian Post MD Education Registry (CAPER) and the CMA Masterfile to track practice settings for
physicians who completed postgraduate training in Canada. It examines difference based on which
faculty provided the physicians’ postgraduate training and whether or not the physician received their
undergraduate medical degree from a Canadian medical school or one outside Canada (i.e., an
international medical graduate).
This study focused on tracking exiting postgraduate trainees who set up practice in Canada from the
period 2008 to 2014. Earlier work has shown that between 2000 and 2008, Canada has done well in
retaining Canadian medical graduates within the country with over 90% retention for all exiting cohorts
even at the 5 and ten year mark.
5
1-9
Education-Graduate, Education-Internationally Educated, Retention/Turnover
Physician Assistants, Physicians-Family, Physicians-Medical Specialists
Rural/Remote Healthcare
Quantitative Methods
Canada
Report
Grey Literature
Bilingual