Season 3, Episode 6

Healthcare systems across Manitoba—and Canada—are facing a critical challenge: a shortage of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. In this episode, we explore the root causes of this crisis, and dive into our guests’ big ideas to help solve it.

Just as there is a family physician designation in Canada, Dr. Aaron Jattan argues that there should be one for rural doctors, recognizing the extra training and skills needed in this role.

Dr. Peter Nickerson believes we need a distributed education model to train learners across the province. With Winnipeg exceeding its training capacity, rural communities who want physicians need to invest in training them locally.

Expanding training programs is a step in the right direction, but long-term solutions to multi-faceted problems require strategic planning, policy changes, and investment in retention efforts. Tune in to hear how Manitoba is working to address these challenges—and what more can be done.

About Dr. Jattan

• Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director at the Max Rady College of Medicine,
  Department of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba.
• Chief Medical Officer (acting), Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
• Chairs and sits on national committees with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
• Family physician and hospitalist working primarily out of St. Boniface Hospital.
• Completed his medical school at the University of Ottawa and his residency at the University of Manitoba in the Brandon stream
• Completed his master’s in medical education through the University of Dundee.
• Actively engaged in research involving clinical feedback and curricular innovation.

About Dr. Nickerson

• Dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and dean of the Max Rady College of Medicine at UM
• Transplant nephrologist at the Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg
• Medical consultant to the Transplant Immunology Laboratory at Shared Health.
• 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award, Canadian Society of Transplantation
• 2020 Rose Payne Distinguished Scientist Award, American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
• 2018 Medal for Research Excellence, Kidney Foundation of Canada
• 2016 Paul I. Terasaki Clinical Science Award, American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
• 2016 Clinical Science Established Investigator Award, American Society of Transplantation
• 2016 Scholastic Award, Doctors Manitoba
• 2012 Fellow Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
• 2012 Dr. John B. Dossetor Research Award, Kidney Foundation of Canada

About What’s the Big Idea?

What’s the Big Idea? is an award-winning podcast hosted by University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch. Each episode features conversations with big thinkers from the UM community who are contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of people everywhere. It is produced by the University of Manitoba in partnership with Everything Podcasts.

Links and Resources

• A comparison of teaching opportunities for rural and urban family medicine residents, Dr. Aaron Jattan.
• Dismantling the hub and spoke: Social accountability and rural medical education, Dr. Aaron Jattan.
• University of Manitoba: Discover programs and opportunities.
• Alumni Relations: Stay connected with UM.
• UM News: Read more about UM events and research.

Sources
How this med school is tackling the rural doctor shortage, CBC News, The National, June 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqdU0OzF6-4
Manitoba needs to do more to woo doctors to rural northern communities, CBC News, Feb 2023
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/rural-er-docs-are-struggling-to-do-it-all-peer-support-programs-try-to-lessen-the-load-1.6735155
Doctors Manitoba ‘optimistic’ about rural health care changes outlined in new report, Global News, October 2022
https://globalnews.ca/news/9233856/doctors-manitoba-optimistic-rural-health-care-changes/

Music

Adrenaline Rush by Will Bonness, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Music.

Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Help us spread the big ideas from the UM community.
What’s the Big Idea? is a University of Manitoba production, created in partnership with Everything Podcasts.