Why Canada?

Canada has an excellent public and private funded health care system which is designed to ensure that all residents have access to medically necessary hospital and physician services mostly free at the point of use with most services provided by private entities.

The Canadian health care system is often compared to the US system and more than 10% of GDP is spent on health care which is more than most OECD countries.

Significant numbers of doctors from countries such as India, Pakistan and South Africa immigrate to practice in Canada, helping to meet the medical needs of the physician community, making it an important component of government physician retention programs.

Canada not only has a vast beautiful wilderness, world class cities and one of the highest standards of living in the world but a warm, friendly and welcoming population which encourages overseas doctors to discover Canada for themselves.

Health System

Canada's national health insurance program, known as Medicare, is designed to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services, on a prepaid basis.

Canada's publicly funded health care system is best described as an interlocking set of ten provincial and three territorial health insurance plans.

Roles and responsibilities for Canada's health care system are shared between the federal and provincial-territorial governments. The federal government provides funding through cash and tax transfers to the provinces and territories to help pay for health care services and the provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the management, organisation and delivery of health services for their residents.

Health care services include insured primary health care (such as the services of physicians and other health professionals) and care in hospitals, which account for the majority of provincial and territorial health expenditures.

You could find yourself working in a substantial city teaching hospital or perhaps working as a rural doctor where you will enjoy an enhanced sense of community with access to quality specialist services and an opportunity to practice broad spectrum medicine allowing you to fully utilize your skills, broaden your experience and often enjoy greater autonomy.

Direct Medics will find the right position for you and guide you in your application to work as a doctor in Canada.

Lifestyle

Canada is consistently ranked as one of the best countries in the world to live, learn and work. From wide-open spaces to the most cosmopolitan places, Canada offers beauty, variety and an enviable quality of life.

Canadians love the great outdoors and many families use the summer to go kayaking, hiking, and cycling. Every province has its “wilderness walks” and the Trans Canada Trail is the longest recreational trail in the world.

In winter you can take part in sports like downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, skating, ice hockey, snowboarding and curling. Canadian towns and cities are well organised for low temperatures with indoor malls and many cultural attractions.

Whatever your interests, there’s something in Canada for you.

Standard of Living

Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations with an average GDP of $45,085, ranking it 18th in the world.

The Quality of Living Survey 2009 from Mercer Human Resource Consulting placed Vancouver 4th in the Top 5 cities in the world for quality of living. In the Top 5 ranked cities in the Americas, all were Canadian cities including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary.

Physicians in Canada make an average of $225,521 a year before expenses (2007/8) and as a locum doctor you can generally expect around $125 per hour or $450 per session (3-4 hours).

The Environment

Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the United States to the south and the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west and to the north lies the Arctic Ocean.

Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut).

Much of the Canadian Arctic is covered by ice and permafrost. At 202,080 kilometres, Canada also has the longest coastline in the world.

The vastness and variety of Canada's geography, ecology, vegetation and landforms have given rise to a wide variety of climates throughout the Country.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary according to the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country with daily average temperatures getting down to -15c. In summer, the east and west coasts average around 20C, whilst inland the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30C.

The People

Canada is a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by immigration from all over the world. Many Canadians value multiculturalism and see Canadian culture as being inherently multicultural.

English and French are the official languages of Canada with 60% speaking English and 23% speaking French. The next most common languages spoken are Chinese, Italian, German, Punjabi and Spanish.

Canadian humour is an integral part of the Canadian Identity with satire arguably the primary characteristic.

Multicultural heritage is enshrined in Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and multiculturalism itself is the cultural norm and diversity is the force that unites the community.

Canada's cultural diversity also creates an environment much more accepting of people from other nationalities than one finds in many other countries so you will be made to feel at home as soon as you arrive.

How to Register Interest

We seek to meet the needs of our doctors through an ongoing assessment of demand for work opportunities in Canada.

To register your interest in opportunities available in Canada please email ca@directmedics.com.