Australia or canada for doctors
 

Hi all
I know this has been a topic always but cannot find any new discussion on this in recent threads.
I am a GP and my husband a Paediatrician. We are planning to move either to Canada or Australia from Uk. We started our process with Canada but we have been getting different opinions regarding job availability for my husband/ weather conditions in Canada.

I have few questions if any experts/experienced on forum can help with-

1. salary scales on average for GPs and paeds in both countries
2.lifestyle
3.patient attitude and colleague help
4.housing
5.general expenses of living
6.health system
7.exams and rules to start working there. I am aware of Canadian exams in different provinces. I am not sure about Australia.

I understand this is a very general question but every little information helps.

thank you very much

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Not sure for Australia but Canada would depend on province re pay, housing etc

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Is the British system wearing you down? Too much bureaucracy and paperwork, working hours too long, government that doesn't support your hard work, ungrateful patients, backstabbing colleagues, property prices, chavs and the general decline of the British way of life?

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

The link won't provide take home pay, but it will give you an idea of what various doctors received payment wise from MSP for their services before expenses.

http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/legi...uebook2013.pdf

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Don't forget the children.

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Ah I miss all of that!!!

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

So my husband has just moved as a GP to Ontario to work as a Family Physician.

Point 1 salary, he will earn more than he does in the UK....by some way by the looks of it.
2. Lifestyle, well we've moved to a lovely area with so much going on both summer and winter so that's a big +++++. But you do have to be the sort that likes going out in the cold, and we've had regular temps of -30's since we moved in January and omg soooo much snow, and still snowing!!!
3. Pt's are very grateful to have a family physician and my husband is inundated with people looking to register with him. Colleagues seem nice and helpful.
4 + 5. Housing is still expensive, you probably just get a bit more for your money, but you won't suddenly be reducing your mortgage. I think it's quite pricey over here. I spend the same amount on groceries, gas might be cheaper but I use more of it, so whereas I used to fill my tank back in UK once every three weeks and would walk a lot of places, now I have to drive everywhere and fill the tank once a week. Mind you the cold doesn't help the cars...
6. Not really sure of the health system, on the whole I get the impression that the NHS is pretty good, diagnosis of cancer targets etc vs here where there seems to be long waits even for initial diagnosis unless you can afford to go privately.
7. Pretty difficult to practice in Canada, different requirements for each province but you have to decide where you want to live really. I thought Australia was easier to work in, but I might be wrong. I didn't fancy the distance, spiders or snakes, or sunny Christmases....

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Just a couple of thoughts ...

The climate is not like this is all of Canada. Where we live the climate is very UK like. A bit wetter in winter and a bit sunnier in summer.

There is an infinite demand for health care so it has to be rationed one way or another. Like the NHS, health care in Canada is rationed by wait times. Unlike a true private system where it is rationed by the ability to pay. We have sat for hours in an emergency room waiting for junior to have a broken toe lashed up. We have also found that, when necessary, the system works PDQ.

In BC you can get an MRI scan privately, otherwise going private is usually not an option unless you go to the States.

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

I did mention we were in Ontario, hopefully one's own research would include rudimentary weather comparisons:). The last place we wanted to move to was somewhere as wet as Swansea, on par with Glasgow I believe..

I appreciate the need to ration, but do feel the need to appreciate the NHS whereas I've heard of double figure waits for initial "urgent suspected cancer" appts. I thought two/three weeks was pretty bad over their 10 day target. But again, different provinces etc etc.

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Thank you sooo much for all your replies.

Thank you Tirytory for your kind detailed reply. There was lot of useful information.

Oink!! you are absolutely spot on with whats going on in my mind. Only thing I would add is small houses for the prices. I always liked to have huge ones.

Sorry but few more questions-

1.I was just wondering if you have any clues on Australian pay for GPs and Paeds?
2.i think average pay a full time GP gets in UK is 100-120k for 8-9 sessions + pension. How would be range in Ontario? I understand pension not paid as in nhs. Is it still higher considering this?
3. Is workload equivalent or higher than UK GPs considering I will do only GP surgery with no other special interest.
4.What are the preferred places in Ontario to live or work??

akshabhi

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Most of the time when wait times are reported in the media, they are not telling the whole story, using averages and really misleading.

My experience in BC, and Ontario has been this, if its a true emergency and cannot wait, there will be no wait, you will received treatment quickly and in my experience as a patient, on par with US, just less amenities in the hospital here no free TV and such.

If its not an emergency, waits will happen, from my experience the waits are not unreasonable if a serious illness is thought.

My girlfriend waited 2 days for gall bladder surgery, wasn't life or death, but the pain was severe but there was minimal wait, but if you look at the wait times for that surgery, they will make one think the wait is weeks upon weeks, which isn't true if its an urgent need.

Now granted, I am waiting a solid 6 months for a heart test thingy, but the GP isn't concerned with it being a major issue, or an issue that is going to affect my health, but just wants to check it out (murmor) so I had to wait, now I am confident if it was a urgent matter, there would be minimal wait.

I have a friend with prostate cancer, and his wait from confirmation, to radiation was only a week, confirmed on a Tuesday, started radiation the following Monday.

The only issue I have found with healthcare is finding a decent GP, I have one but he isn't the best doctor in the world and only works part-time, so very hard to get an appointment, but we do have a few excellent doctors at the walk in, so I mostly go there, its just a bummer none of them are accepting patients at their practice.

I have found the good doctors tend to rarely accept patients, and those who do without issue tend to not always be the greatest doctor around.

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

It's a bit off topic but why do you feel that you need a GP? Why is a walk-in clinic not adequate?

(I've no axe to grind here but I haven't had a GP since I was a small child, my children have never had a GP, we don't feel unserved.)

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

ditto with dbd, I use a walk in clinic when needed.

Once I got the surgical referral, i think I waited maybe 4 months for my surgery. it wasn't life threatening but it was a quality of life thing. I thought the wait time wasn't excessive. I literally waited half an hour when the clinic decided I needed an ultrasound. I phoned for the appointment and they were able to say can you come in now?

Ben waited less than a month for an MRI

True that I would have had to pay for the phone in my room ( I didn't bother I had my cell phone) but when I checked in at admissions the guy handily mentioned that although I hadn't paid for the phone service I might just find that if I dialed 9 for an outside line that it may just happen to work

Re: Australia or canada for doctors
 

Ongoing prescription and some other ongoing medical issues, the walk in wont deal with those type of things on an ongoing basis.