Alberta’s government has reached a tentative four-year compensation agreement for physicians in training, health minister Adrianna LaGrange announced Wednesday.
Negotiations between the government, Alberta Health Services, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta concluded with an agreement that will increase wages to resident physicians by three per cent in each of the first two years of their post-graduate residency program and two per cent in each of the final two years, which the province says puts their pay on par with other Canadian medical schools.
“With this agreement, Alberta strengthens its position as an attractive destination for resident physicians across Canada. By enhancing compensation, training and working conditions, we ensure Alberta recruits and retains the brightest medical talent to serve our communities and shape the future of health care,” said Dr. Pauwlina Cyca, president of the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA).
Athana Mentzelopoulos, president and CEO of AHS, said the agreement will help recruit more medical students, and encourage them to practise in the province.
There are about 1,660 resident physicians in Alberta, doctors who have completed medical school and are completing residency training required to get their license to practice medicine. The current agreement between the government, AHS, and the universities expired on June 30, 2024.
There are eight pay levels for resident physicians in Alberta, determined by the number of months of service in an Alberta residency training program. At the lowest level, physicians receive $58,934, which will increase to $68,789 by 2027, according to the agreement posted to the PARA website.
Sarah Hoffman, Alberta NDP Shadow Minister for Health, said the agreement is a win for resident physicians, but said the province needs to finalize its agreement with physicians to keep doctors in Alberta once they finish their education.
"Once doctors have completed their residency we want them to stay in our province. The work of the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta to get this tentative agreement across the line is good news for doctors,” Hoffman said.
“Unless this UCP government stops stalling and signs the agreement they have already reached with physicians, many will go to other provinces as soon as they complete their residency.”
The government of Alberta Rural and Remote Family Medicine Resident Physician Bursary program to draw more physicians to communities outside of major urban centres. LaGrange described the program as a return for service agreement that provides bursaries to support family medicine residents who want to practice in rural and remote communities.
“The program will provide up to $8 million for each of the two years to qualified medical students. In return, the bursary recipients will commit to delivering comprehensive patient care in eligible communities for three years after completing their residency,” she said.
