Alberta
Province hopes new physician training in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie will mean more rural doctors
Addressing rural physician shortages
To help bring more physicians to rural Alberta, Alberta’s government is working to offer physician training in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie.
Alberta has the best front-line health-care workers in the world, and Alberta’s government is working to ensure that Albertans have access to the care they need, when and where they need it. Rural Albertans are disproportionately affected by the nation-wide shortage of healthcare workers and their community members cannot access physician training close to home.
Alberta’s government is investing $1 million to explore ways that regional post-secondary institutions, such as the University of Lethbridge and Northwestern Polytechnic, can help deliver medical education outside of Edmonton and Calgary. Research shows that positive learning experiences in rural health-care settings lead to more physicians choosing to pursue careers in rural areas.
“Over the past year, we’ve made strategic investments to address health care labour shortages, including through the largest expansion of post-secondary seats in Alberta’s history. Partnering with Alberta’s two medical schools and institutions in northern and southern Alberta to train doctors locally is the best path to ensuring we meet rural needs.”
The funds will be used by the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge and Northwestern Polytechnic to support collaborative planning. This will include detailed plans to support regional health professions training centres in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie.
“Expanding medical training in rural areas creates new opportunities for students who want to remain in their communities while making other students familiar with regions of the province and types of work they may not have considered before. Expanding training opportunities is just one way we’re addressing the shortage of rural doctors to ensure Albertans get the care they need when and where they need it.”
Plans for rural training opportunities include hands-on learning experiences in rural communities surrounding regional hubs. These opportunities will support the recruitment of physicians to teach and train medical students and residents, while increasing access to physician services.
“An investment in rural medical training is a direct investment in the future of rural and remote health in Alberta. We look forward to building on our existing relationships with partners across Alberta and significantly expanding the opportunities for future health professionals to learn and enter practice outside our largest urban centres, toward the goal that drives everyone involved in the health professions in this province — readily available, easily accessible, world-class health care for all.”
“We at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine are excited about working collaboratively with our colleagues across the province to provide innovative educational solutions for health workforce shortages particularly in the rural areas. There are many factors and initiatives required to help the situation and expanding physician training capacity in Alberta post-secondaries can lead to a healthier population.”
This funding is the latest investment from Alberta’s government to ensure students have access to the education, training and skills students need to succeed in tomorrow’s economy. At the same time giving confidence to industry, businesses and investors that regional workforce needs will be met.
Previously in Budget 2022, Alberta’s government announced the targeted enrolment expansion initiative which invested more than $171 million into Alberta’s post-secondary system to create nearly 10,000 new seats over three years in high-demand programs. More than 2,400 of those new seats were in nursing, health care aide and paramedic programs.
Alberta’s government has also signed a new agreement with the Alberta Medical Association. This includes $15 million annually to support physician recruitment and retention for physicians who practise full-time in underserved areas, an additional $12 million annually for the Rural Remote Northern Program, and a one-time investment of $2 million to increase funding for the existing RESIDE program that provides incentives for family physicians to practise in Alberta’s underserved rural and remote communities.
Quick facts
- There are two medical schools in Alberta, located at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.
- The Ministries of Health and Advanced Education are jointly responsible for the education of physicians in Alberta. Advanced Education is responsible for undergraduate medical education. Health is responsible for postgraduate medical education or residency training, including international medical graduates, rural medical programs, resident physician compensation, and the Academic Medicine and Health Services Program.
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From LifeSiteNews
An Alberta politician who was kicked out of her party for speaking out against the LGBT agenda in schools has been overwhelmingly voted back into the ruling United Conservative Party by caucus members.
In a statement Wednesday, the United Conservative Party (UCP) caucus under Premier Danielle Smith confirmed that after an internal vote, MLA Jennifer Johnson will again be a member of the party.
Today, following an internal caucus vote, United Conservative MLAs chose to welcome Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson into the United Conservative Caucus.
Read the news release here: https://t.co/OdB3FW3Ns6#ableg #abpoli pic.twitter.com/cwPNz0xyo6
— United Conservative Caucus (@UCPCaucus) October 9, 2024
“I am pleased to join the United Conservative Caucus, where I will be able to continue representing my constituents and help make life better for all Albertans,” Johnson said. “Over the past 17 months, I have grown both personally and professionally. Now, I am eager to apply what I have learned to benefit everyone who calls this province home.”
It is worth noting that Johnson won her seat after she was booted from the UCP, securing the backing of her constituents as an independent.
The UCP did mention that Johnson has met with “numerous groups and individuals from the LGBTQ+ community” since her election, and has “engaged on topics of importance to the community and is committed to continuing that work as a member of the government caucus.”
While Johnson did meet with various pro-LGBT activists, she seemed to do so without endorsing the opinions of those activists, with one video in particular going viral showing Johnson refusing to state that “trans women” – men who call themselves women – are real women.
Johnson’s refusal to go along with the demand that she affirm that men are women if they say they are even gained the attention of U.K. author J.K. Rowling.
Rowling, seemingly impressed with Johnson, posted a link of the video of Johnson and the activist and wrote, “It never seems to occur to them that there’s no bigger indicator of not being a woman than trying to bully people into agreeing you’re a woman.”
LifeSiteNews was given information from a well-connected member of the UCP, who asked to not be named, that many MLAs in the party supported Johnson and wanted her back in the party.
Smith slowly opened up to the demands of her caucus members who wanted Johnson back into the party, which led to the recent vote allowing her back in.
Regarding the incident with the transgender activist, Johnson made it clear that contrary to rumors, it was not Smith who ordered her to attend the meeting with the activists.
Johnson said that she “supports” the work of Smith and her UCP government and looks “forward to working with all Members of the Legislature in the fall session on the Parental Rights legislation and other important bills.”
While Smith has been largely soft on social issues of important to conservatives, earlier this year the premier did announce what is effectively the strongest pro-family legislation in the country, strengthening parental rights and protecting kids from life-altering so-called “top and bottom” surgeries as well as other extreme forms of transgender ideology.
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