The Ontario government is continuing to create new pathways to connect more people to primary care in Parry Sound–Muskoka now, and for years to come. Through the Practice Ready Ontario program, the government is breaking down barriers for internationally educated physicians to practice family medicine in Ontario.
“Our government is taking decisive action to educate, train and certify more doctors than ever before,” said MPP Graydon Smith. “We recognize the vital importance of ensuring internationally trained doctors can more easily and quicky practice in Ontario, particularly in underserved areas. Today’s announcement is wonderful news for our communities. Our government will continue to take every measure possible to ensure more family doctors are practicing in Ontario.”
The province launched the Practice Ready Ontario in 2023 to bring more internationally educated physicians into Ontario’s healthcare workforce faster by removing the requirement to complete unnecessary re-education programs. Starting in 2025, six internationally trained physicians with training in family medicine and who have completed their field assessment will begin practicing as a family doctor across Parry Sound–Muskoka. This includes one physician in Bracebridge, two physicians in Gravenhurst, two physicians in Huntsville, and one physician in Sundridge. Based on average attachment rates of family doctors, this means over 7,200 people will be connected to primary care in their community.
Each internationally educated physician part of the Practice Ready Ontario program is required to complete a 12-week assessment to ensure they have the skills and competencies needed to practice in Ontario. This program also requires physicians to complete a 3-year return of service as a family doctor in a rural or northern community. To ensure they are prepared for their return of service, the assessment includes training in all aspects of rural family medicine across a variety of practice settings. This includes in office, hospital, emergency department, and long-term care and home care settings.
“Our government is continuing to take bold and innovative action to ensure that everyone who wants a primary care provider can connect to one,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through the Practice Ready Ontario program, we are taking another step to connect more people to world-class primary care right in their own communities now and for years to come.”
By the end of 2025 the Practice Ready Ontario program, will add 100 family doctors in rural and northern communities, enhancing access to primary care across the province. This builds on the considerable investments the government is making, including in primary health care teams and the largest expansion of medical schools in over a decade, to close the gap for the remaining 10 per cent of people who want to connect to a primary care provider.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to grow the province’s highly-skilled health care workforce and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care closer to home for generations to come.
QUICK FACTS
- Only candidates who met the registration requirements and safeguards set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario were selected to participate in the program. These safeguards are based on national Practice Ready Assessment Standards established by the Medical Council of Canada.
- Ontario leads the country in how many people benefit from a long-term, stable relationship with a family doctor or primary care provider. Since 2018, more than 15,000 physicians have joined the healthcare system, including a nearly 10% increase in family doctors.
- Ontario has opened two new medical schools and expanded medical school seats adding 260 undergraduate seats plus 80 undergraduate seats from York University as well as 449 postgrad positions plus 102 postgrad positions from York University.
- The Ontario government’s historic expansion of interprofessional primary care teams is connecting 330,000 more people across the province to primary care. Through the 2024 Budget the province is investing an additional $546 million to connect 600,000 additional people to primary care.
Touchstone Institute is working with the Government of Ontario and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and others to administer a practice ready assessment program for internationally trained family physicians in Ontario.
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