Armed forces waves cash at new FPs
CMAJ 1999;160:1279
© 1999 Canadian Medical Association
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The military is pulling out the stops — and its chequebook — in an attempt to solve a worsening physician shortage. In a move that targets financially strapped residents in family medicine, the armed forces will begin offering $80 000 lump-sum payments to encourage family physicians to sign up for 4-year stints. The bonuses, which will be delivered once the physicians complete basic training, are designed to help overcome a growing physician shortage (see CMAJ 1999;160[6]:889-91 [full text]). The move was approved by Treasury Board in March and took effect Apr. 1.
The medical service says it doesn't intend to strip small communities of their physicians, although doctors in practice will be considered for military service. "This will be more appealing to new doctors because of the tax implications and debt loads," said Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Flaman, the physician responsible for recruiting and retaining medical officers. "We think it will appeal to people who have tax room left, and this means that the principal target will be new family medicine residents. We're definitely not trying to pull people out of small towns."
The signing bonus, which Flaman calls a recruiting allowance, will help solve only one of the military's problems. Dozens of physicians are planning to leave the armed forces once their obligatory service is up, and to retain even a portion of them will require a major pay increase. "We hope to have a new pay schedule in place by the end of May," Flaman said. Junior military doctors currently earn $78 000 to $84 000 a year.
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