It isn’t the only factor, though. You’re going to have a harder time getting doctors in Kapuskasing or Sioux Lookout than Toronto no matter what you pay them.
Doctors are people. People value more than just money. If you start paying doctors more they are likely to work less, so that they can spend more time with their families.
I’d concede that this is less true for doctors near the beginning of their careers that have: student debt to pay down, mortgage down payments to save for, and fewer kids (in aggregate).
But if you want to know how to attract that sort of doctor, you shouldn’t be surveying doctors, you should be surveying 3rd & 4th year med students.
Paying more will attract more. We train plenty now but they all go where doctoring is most lucrative, which is not Ontario.
Exactly. We need to accept that it is a competitive role and after 8+ years of schooling, you would go to where the pay is best too.
It’s not true that doctors go to where the pay is the best. Doctors go to where they can have best have the life they want.
Its often easier to afford the life they want if they take a position with higher pay.
It isn’t the only factor, though. You’re going to have a harder time getting doctors in Kapuskasing or Sioux Lookout than Toronto no matter what you pay them.
Doctors are people. People value more than just money. If you start paying doctors more they are likely to work less, so that they can spend more time with their families.
I’d concede that this is less true for doctors near the beginning of their careers that have: student debt to pay down, mortgage down payments to save for, and fewer kids (in aggregate).
But if you want to know how to attract that sort of doctor, you shouldn’t be surveying doctors, you should be surveying 3rd & 4th year med students.
And it would be less lucrative if there were more doctors, because you need there to be a significant demand in order to be paid a lot.
The problem is at both ends. We need more doctors, and we need more of them to stay here. It’s not an either/or issue.