红领巾瓜报

Take a closer look at health workforce data, including historical trends.

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• Over the past decade, the number of family physicians in direct care roles increased by nearly 20% (from 29,341 in 2014 to 35,244 in 2022) in Canada, while the average growth in the overall number of family physicians slowed substantially (from 2.7% between 2015 and 2017 to 1% between 2021 and 2023). In parallel, the average FTE (full-time equivalent) per family physician remained stable, suggesting that family physicians continued to work at a similar capacity.
  • The increase in the number of family physicians has just kept up with population growth, as the number of family physicians in direct care per 10,000 population only increased from 10.8 to 11.7 over the same period.
  • The longer-term trend of family physicians seeing fewer patients on average has continued (from 1,746.1 in 2013 to 1,429.6 in 2022 鈥� an 18.1% decline). Many factors contribute to this trend. These factors may include an aging and increasingly complex patient population, which requires more time per patient; the increase in team-based care, where patients see other members of the care team (e.g., nurse practitioners [NPs]); changes in practice patterns, including pharmacist prescribing; reductions in patient load to maintain provider well-being; regulatory and reimbursement model changes; and administrative responsibilities, sometimes as a result of shortages of other team members. Further data and analyses on the number of patients seen by other non鈥揻amily physician primary care providers is required to understand the net effect on primary care access.
• While most family physicians work in primary care, the network of health care providers delivering primary care is expanding. In 2023, other than family physicians, the in-scope professionals with the highest proportions working primarily in community settings, such as primary care, were pharmacists (73.3%) and physiotherapists (69.9%) at nearly three-quarters of their workforces. While these findings may suggest increased availability of providers for primary care, further data is needed to assess the impact on access to care. Additional findings include
  • The proportion of physiotherapists primarily working in these settings increased by more than 15 percentage points over the past 10 years, the largest growth observed.
  • Registered nurses (RNs) (n = 36,945) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) (n = 18,847) had the largest number of professionals primarily working in these settings.
  • Almost 1 in 3 (n = 2,151) NPs primarily worked in these settings, a 3-percentage-point increase over the past 10 years.
• Emerging data suggests that the uptake of minor ailment prescribing by pharmacists varies by minor ailment and jurisdiction. The largest uptake has been for cold sores (herpes labialis), pink eye (conjunctivitis) and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). The uptake of pharmacist prescribing programs may suggest improved access to primary care for patients. There is a need to continue monitoring these trends to gain a better understanding. More data is needed to measure the impact of pharmacist prescribing programs on improving access to primary care for patients and reducing family physician workload.

These results are based on data available at the time of publication. Many results are presented at the pan-Canadian level; trends may vary at the provincial/territorial and regional levels. Data to explore these trends is available in the Download the data section of this report.

While it is assumed that most family physicians work in primary care, the health care professionals included in this report may be providing care in settings including but not limited to primary care. Data limitations prevent us from reporting results for practitioners who work exclusively in primary care and from identifying those who work in multiple settings. When feasible, data on providers who are employed primarily in community settings (e.g., primary care, private practice) is presented. Gaps, including coverage differences across professionals and jurisdictions, are acknowledged throughout the report. These limitations should be considered when interpreting the findings.

Provincial and territorial governments have been working to address the strain on Canada鈥檚 health care systems through new health service funding agreements, digital health strategies like virtual care and telehealth, and workforce policy changes. Many of these policies are increasingly focused on expanding provider roles to meet rising primary care demand and tackle recruitment and retention challenges. Examples of policy changesReference5 between 2022 and 2023 include the following:

• Most jurisdictions continue to expand NPs鈥� and pharmacists鈥� prescribing authority to treat minor ailments independently. Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and British Columbia have also granted RNs prescribing powers with accompanying training programs. Additionally, Ontario has approved regulations expanding LPNs鈥� scope of practice, allowing them to independently perform certain controlled acts in specific settings without needing an order from an authorized health care professional.
• Some jurisdictions (Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan) have established new NP-led clinics in areas with limited access to family physicians. In addition, most jurisdictions are investing in emergency medical services (EMS) and the expansion of community paramedicine services. These initiatives aim to improve access to primary care, reduce the number of patients without a regular health care provider and alleviate workload pressures on family physicians.
• To bolster health workforce recruitment and retention, many jurisdictions have increased funding for professional education and implemented various incentives. These include streamlined licensing, new graduate recruitment, signing bonuses and return-in-service agreements, international recruitment, bridging programs for internationally educated nurses and interjurisdictional mobility for selected health professionals. Additionally, jurisdictions have expanded funding for training facilities and programs to increase educational capacity and enhance nursing skills and competencies for more specialized roles. 

The trends in this report shed light on the state of the health workforce that may be engaged in primary care. Additional data and further examination of these trends at more local levels (e.g., provincial/territorial, regional, care settings) are needed to support informed planning, strategies and evidence-based decisions for a primary care workforce that meets the needs of the population in Canada.

Key to this will be

• Standardized and linkable data within and across professions, along with comparable metrics to address data gaps and to further explore variations within and across professions, jurisdictions and care settings
• Strengthening data to better understand the increasing demand for primary care and the complexity of patient health care needs, including the consideration of Canada鈥檚 changing demographics, such as record-setting population growth along with an aging population, and the impact of these changes on health needs and demands
• Understanding the evolving primary care environment (e.g., multidisciplinary teams, expanding scopes of practice, new funding and care models) and its impact on health care providers, access to care and patient outcomes

This interactive tool is ideal for workforce planners, health service managers and analysts who want to easily create customized visualizations. Explore and compare key metrics on supply (i.e., those who are licensed to practise), workforce (i.e., those working in a profession-specific job), direct care and inflow/outflow, as well as provincial and territorial trends for Canada鈥檚 physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and pharmacists. This tool also includes interactive data tables with selected hospital staffing indicators, including overtime rates and sick leave in hospitals, as well new vacancy metrics.

These tables are meant for analysts, researchers and those who want to explore and analyze the aggregate data. There are 10 years of supply, workforce, employment, education and demographic trends for Canada鈥檚 nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and pharmacists. Supply and distribution information for physicians is available for both the recent period and a historical span of 51 years. Physician payment and service utilization information is available for both the recent period and a historical span of 24 years.

These notes are meant for all data users. They summarize the sources, definitions, strengths and limitations of the data available.

• State of the health workforce in Canada, 2022
• 红领巾瓜报 workforce in Canada: Overview
• Number of physicians and nurses per 10,000 population by health region, 2021

In 2023, family physicians were among the top 5 largest groups of in-scope health professionals. Registered nurses (RNs) (n = 321,971) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) (n = 140,285) continued to be the largest groups, at 43.5% and 18.9% of all selected health care providers, respectively. This was followed by social workers (n = 55,376 [2021 data]; 7.5%), family physicians (n = 48,264; 6.5%) and pharmacists (n = 48,312; 6.5%).

Family physician numbers continued to increase; RNs and LPNs led as largest professional groups

Over the past decade, the total number of providers as well as the ratio of providers to the overall population increased, particularly among family physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), LPNs, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, pharmacists, social workers, dietitians and midwives. Among NPs, the supply per 10,000 population more than doubled from 1.1 in 2014 to 2.2 in 2023. The supply of LPNs also increased, from 30.5 per 10,000 population in 2014 to 35 per 10,000 population in 2023.

Supply of nurse practitioners, one of the smallest professional groups, doubled in size over the last 10 years

In the past decade, the average 3-year growth rates of health care providers were generally positive, as total supply continued to increase over time. For family physicians, the average 3-year growth rates slowed from 2.7% between 2015 and 2017 to 1% between 2021 and 2023. Among RNs and registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs), average 3-year growth rates between 2021 and 2023 doubled to 1.8% and 3.1%, respectively (compared with 0.7% and 1.4% between 2015 and 2017). Among NPs, average 3-year growth rates remained steady.

Family physicians growing at a slower pace; nurse practitioner and pharmacist rates remained steady

Overall supply numbers reflect workforce capacity, while examining the number working in direct care roles could show how many providers are actively working on the front lines and may be addressing primary care sector challenges such as growing demand and patient needs.

The number of family physicians working in direct care increased by 20.1% over the past decade (from 29,341 in 2014 to 35,244 in 2022).Footnote i This translates to an increase from 10.8 family physicians per 10,000 population in 2014 to 11.7 per 10,000 in 2022.Footnote i Data on the proportion of family physicians working in direct care is currently not available.

For most other health care providers, the proportion working in direct care remained relatively stable over the last 10 years. The proportion of pharmacists, LPNs, RPNs and occupational therapists working in direct care slowly declined over time. Taken together, the increases in total supply of these professionals along with the declining proportion working in direct care suggests that these providers may be transitioning toward non鈥揹irect care roles. Changes among these professionals working in direct care may impact the availability of care and are important to consider in the context of both health workforce supply as well as broader health systems planning.Reference1

Nurse practitioners almost exclusively employed in direct care; proportion of pharmacists decreased over time

• 红领巾瓜报 Workforce Quick Stats
• Data tables (professional-specific)
• Methodology notes (professional-specific)

红领巾瓜报 care providers can work in a variety of sectors, including community, hospital, long-term care and other settings. Currently, there is limited data with which to analyze sector of employment for family physicians. Recent analyses have indicated that family physician practice patterns have evolved, suggesting that their roles often extend beyond traditional primary care.Reference1

For other health care providers, primary care is captured in the category 鈥渃ommunity settings鈥�; this category also includes nursing stations (outposts or clinics), home care agencies, community health centres, public health departments/units and other community-based practices. In 2023, the professional groups with the highest proportions working primarily in these settings were pharmacists (n = 24,301; 73.3% of the pharmacist workforce) and physiotherapists (n = 6,385; 69.9% of the physiotherapist workforce). Although less than 20% of registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) worked primarily in community settings, these groups had the largest number of professionals working in these settings (36,945 RNs and 18,847 LPNs in total).

Over the past decade, the proportion of nurse practitioners (NPs) working primarily in community settings increased by about 3 percentage points (from 30% to 33%). LPNs and registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) followed the same trend, while the proportion of physiotherapists working in these settings increased by 15 percentage points 鈥� the largest increase observed 鈥� from 55.3% in 2014 to 69.9% in 2023.

The proportion of NPs, RNs, LPNs and RPNs working primarily in other settings (e.g., private nursing agencies, research and academia, associations and government) is increasing at different paces. NPs have the highest proportion of providers working in these settings (n = 1,857; 28.9%), followed by RNs (n = 24,198; 11.4%) and LPNs (n = 12,997; 10.7%). 

Primary employment increased in community and other settings across professional groups, while it decreased in long-term care and hospitals 

Notes 
* Denotes statistical significance (p<0.025) using the Mann-Kendall trend test.
Pharmacist data excludes Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, the Yukon and Nunavut (included data covers about 70% of the pharmacist workforce).
Physiotherapist data excludes Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (included data covers about 30% of the physiotherapist workforce).
Occupational therapist data excludes Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Nurse practitioner data excludes Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Registered psychiatric nurse data excludes British Columbia and the Yukon (included data covers about 50% of the RPN workforce).
Registered nurse data excludes Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Manitoba.
Licensed practical nurse data excludes Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Source
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

People living in rural/remote areas are known to have less access to care compared with those living in urban areas.Reference2

Over the past decade, the number of family physicians and NPs in urban areas increased by 16.6% and 136%, substantially more than the increases of 9% and 80%, respectively, in rural/remote areas.Footnote iThe density of family physicians per population increased in urban areas (from 10.9 per 10,000 in 2014 to 11.4 in 2022) while it remained the same in rural/remote areas (0.9 per 1,000 in both 2014 and 2022). The density of NPs among the population doubled in urban areas (from 1.0 per 10,000 in 2014 to 2.1 in 2023) while it increased only slightly in rural/remote areas (from 0.1 per 1,000 in 2014 to 0.2 in 2023). As the population increases in both urban and rural/remote areas, the prevalence of providers among the population might not accurately reflect the need for health care services.

Over the same period, the proportions of both family physicians and NPs primarily working in urban areas increased by 0.8% and 3.0%, while they decreased in rural/remote areas by 0.7% and 3.2%. The data does not account for health care providers who may work in both urban and rural/remote areas, but it suggests that more providers are choosing to work primarily in urban settings.

Rural/remote areas: Availability of family physicians and pharmacists stable, increased slightly among nurse practitioners
 

Urban areas: Availability of family physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners increased

 Notes
* Denotes statistical significance (p<0.025) using the Mann-Kendall trend test.
鈥� Family physician data for 2023 was not available; data for 2022 is presented instead.
Family physician data excludes Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (included data covers about 60% of family physicians).
Nurse practitioner data excludes Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Registered nurse data excludes Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Licensed practical nurse data excludes New Brunswick, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Registered psychiatric nurse data excludes the Yukon.
Pharmacist data excludes Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, the Yukon and Nunavut (included data covers about 70% of the pharmacist workforce).
Physiotherapist data excludes Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Occupational therapist data excludes Quebec, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Exclusions may lead to under-reporting of rates, particularly in rural/remote areas.
Due to differences in data sources, data on family physicians is presented based on fiscal year, whereas data on other groups of professionals is presented based on calendar year. 
Family physicians with missing postal code data were excluded from this analysis.
Family physicians include those practising in general practice, family practice, community medicine and public health, and palliative care medicine.
In Ontario, licensed practical nurses are also referred to as registered practical nurses.

Sources
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database and National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.
Population Annual Estimates, Centre for Demography, Statistics Canada.

• 红领巾瓜报 Workforce Quick Stats (XLSX)
• Data tables (professional-specific)
• Methodology notes (professional-specific)

Several factors influence the number of health care providers entering and leaving practice. Entries can include new graduates at the beginning of their career, professionals who have newly migrated to the area from within or outside Canada, and those returning after extended time away. Exits could be due to retirement, migration out of a region, career changes or other factors.

Most provinces and territories saw an increase in entries into direct care roles for family physicians between 2019鈥�2020 and 2021鈥�2022,Footnotei and for nurse practitioners (NPs) and other regulated nurses between 2020 and 2022.Footnoteii Over the same time period, most provinces and territories also saw an increase in exits for family physicians and nurses. For NPs, exits tended to be stable in the period 2020 to 2022. An increase in entries paired with an increase in exits can mean an increase in staff turnover, even if there is no overall loss of staff. More information can be found in CIHI鈥檚 recent report, Taking the pulse: Measuring shared priorities for Canadian health care, 2024.Reference1

In 2021鈥�2022,Footnotei most provinces and territories experienced an increase in family physicians per population, except Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Manitoba, which faced a decrease. Nearly all provinces and territories experienced an increase in NPs and other regulated nurses per population in 2022.Footnoteii Reference1 Further data on trends in jurisdictions can be found using the Quick Stats tool in the Download the data section of this report.

Numbers of family physicians entering and leaving direct care roles increased in most provinces/territories

Notes
Data on family physicians is presented by fiscal year.
Data excludes physicians practising in Quebec.Family physicians include those practising in general practice, family practice, community medicine and public health, and palliative care medicine. 
Results reflect family physicians who received payment for publicly insured services during the specified year and who were included in the National Physician Database. 
Payment includes various payment types, such as fee-for-service, salary and block payments.

Source
National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

Numbers of nurse practitioners entering direct care roles increased in most provinces/territories; exits remained stable

Notes
Results reflect the number of nurse practitioners who are registered in the jurisdiction of their employment and who are employed and providing direct patient care. If that data is unavailable, results reflect supply, which is the number of nurse practitioners registered to practise in the jurisdiction.
Supply data was reported instead of the direct care workforce for the following: 

• 2020: Prince Edward Island and Manitoba

• 2021: Manitoba

• 2022: Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories/Nunavut (combined)

Northwest Territories and Nunavut data is presented as a combined total.
Results for Prince Edward Island in 2021 were not reported due to data quality issues. 
Please refer to Nursing in Canada, 2023 鈥� Methodology Notes for more details.

Source
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

Numbers of regulated nurses entering and leaving direct care roles increased in most provinces/territories

Notes
Results for nurses represent a combined result for registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) if regulated in the province or territory.
Results reflect the number of nurses who are registered in their jurisdiction of employment and who are employed and providing direct patient care. If that data is unavailable, results reflect supply, which is the number of nurses registered to practise in the jurisdiction.
Supply data was reported instead of the direct care workforce for the following: 

• 2020: Prince Edward Island (LPNs and RNs), Manitoba (RNs) and British Columbia (RPNs)
• 2021: Prince Edward Island (RNs) and Manitoba (RNs)
• 2022: Prince Edward Island (RNs), New Brunswick (LPNs and RNs) and Manitoba (RNs) 

红领巾瓜报does not collect record-level RPN data from the Yukon.
Data for nurses is presented as a combined total for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Record-level entry or exit information is not available and therefore not reported for the following: 

• 2020: New Brunswick (LPNs), Yukon (LPNs) and Nunavut (LPNs) 
• 2021: Yukon (LPNs), Northwest Territories (LPNs) and Nunavut (LPNs) 
• 2022: Yukon (LPNs and RPNs) and Nunavut (LPNs) 

Please refer to Nursing in Canada, 2023 鈥� Methodology Notes for more details.

Source
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

Internationally educated health care providers (IEHPs) have long been a part of Canada鈥檚 health workforce. IEHPs may enter Canada鈥檚 health workforce through various pathways based on their profession and the jurisdiction in which they seek to practise.

In 2023, nearly 14% (n = 84,083) of selected health care workers in Canada were internationally educated. The groups with the largest numbers of IEHPs were registered nurses (RNs) at 37,341 (45% of IEHPs), family physicians at 14,182 (17% of IEHPs), pharmacists at 12,863 (15% of IEHPs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) at 10,828 (13% of IEHPs).

Over the past 10 years, the number of internationally educated family physicians remained stable, while almost all other professional groups saw an increase in numbers, the highest being among RNs, LPNs, pharmacists and physiotherapists. More than 11,000 internationally educated RNs were added, the largest increase compared with other providers 鈥� the most drastic increase occurred in the last 4 years. Among LPNs and physiotherapists, the increases in IEHPs were more gradual, culminating in more than a doubling of total headcounts by the end of the decade. Physiotherapists experienced the largest proportional increase of IEHPs (from 14% to 24%) compared with all other professional groups.

Community settings were the most common sector of employment for internationally educated pharmacists (90%), physiotherapists (65%) and occupational therapists (49%), while other IEHPs were more distributed across health sectors. Further analyses to compare common sectors of work among Canadian-educated providers may highlight differences in career outcomes.

Proportion of internationally educated health professionals stable among family physicians, increased particularly among physiotherapists and pharmacists 

Notes
* Denotes statistical significance (p<0.025) using the Mann-Kendall trend test.
Nurse practitioner data excludes Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Licensed practical nurse data excludes New Brunswick, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Registered psychiatric nurse data excludes British Columbia and the Yukon (included data covers about 50% of RPNs).
Pharmacist data excludes Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, the Yukon and Nunavut (included data covers about 70% of pharmacists).
Physiotherapist data excludes Prince Edward Island and the Yukon.
Occupational therapist data excludes the Northwest Territories.
In Ontario, licensed practical nurses are also referred to as registered practical nurses.

Sources
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.
Scott鈥檚 Medical Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information, with raw data provided by Owen Media Partners Inc. (漏 2024 Canadian Medical Directory).

Current data shows that family physicians and pharmacists have the highest proportions of IEHPs among new providers (i.e., those entering the supply in a given year). Among new family physicians in 2022, on average, 37% (n = 1,200) had completed their medical education abroad, which was a decrease from 40% in 2014. Additionally, the number of internationally educated family physicians entering practice without completing their medical education or residency in Canada declined to 463 (1% of family physicians) in 2023 from 515 (1.3% of family physicians) in 2014. Jurisdictional policy changes to increase the number of family medicine residency seats for international medical graduates may be contributing to the decrease of this number. Some professions saw an increase in IEHPs among their new providers, particularly physiotherapists, RNs and NPs.

Proportion of new internationally educated nurse practitioners and registered nurses more than doubled, while it decreased among family physicians over the past decade

Notes
* Denotes statistical significance (p<0.025) using the Mann-Kendall trend test.
Due to differences in data sources, data on family physicians is presented based on fiscal year, whereas data on other professionals is presented based on calendar year.
Family physician data for 2023 was not available; data for 2022 is presented instead.
Family physician data excludes Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Nurse practitioner data excludes the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Licensed practical nurse data excludes New Brunswick, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Registered nurse data excludes the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Registered psychiatric nurse data excludes the Yukon.
Pharmacist data excludes Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, the Yukon and Nunavut (included data covers about 70% of pharmacists).
Physiotherapist data excludes Prince Edward Island, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Occupational therapist data excludes the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
In Ontario, licensed practical nurses are also referred to as registered practical nurses.
Proportions of new internationally educated professionals within provinces/territories with available data were averaged to calculate a pan-Canadian average.

Sources
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database and National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

Understanding where IEHPs were trained can support the development of sustainable recruitment strategiesReference2 Reference3 and bridging programs.Reference4

Current data suggests that many IEHPs graduated from programs in Commonwealth countries such as South Africa, India and the United Kingdom. The Philippines continues to be the largest international source of regulated nurses 鈥� in 2023, 3.6% (n = 13,813) of the direct care nursing workforce had graduated there. This was followed closely by India, representing 2.6% (n = 9,931) of the direct care nursing workforce.

Top international places of graduation, many in Commonwealth countries 

Notes
* Due to differences in data sources, data for family physicians is presented based on fiscal year, whereas data for other professionals is presented based on calendar year.
鈥� Family physician data for 2023 was not available; data for 2022 is presented instead.
鈥� Data is unavailable, does not exist or is suppressed due to data quality issues.
The Commonwealth countries presented in this figure are South Africa, the United Kingdom, India and Australia.
Family physician data excludes Quebec (2014, 2019, 2023), the Northwest Territories (2014, 2019, 2023) and Nunavut (2014, 2019, 2023).
Regulated nurse data excludes New Brunswick (LPNs 2019), British Columbia (RPNs 2019, 2023), the Yukon (LPNs 2019, 2023) and Nunavut (LPNs 2014, 2019, 2023).
Occupational therapist data excludes Quebec (2014, 2019, 2023), the Yukon (2023), the Northwest Territories (2023) and Nunavut (2023).
Physiotherapist data excludes Prince Edward Island (2014, 2023), Quebec (2014, 2023), Ontario (2019) and the Yukon (2023).
Pharmacist data excludes Newfoundland and Labrador (2023), New Brunswick (2014), Quebec (2014, 2019, 2023), the Yukon (2014, 2019, 2023) and Nunavut (2014, 2019, 2023).

Sources
红领巾瓜报 Workforce Database and National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

• 红领巾瓜报 Workforce Quick Stats
• Data tables (professional-specific)
• Methodology notes (professional-specific)
• Indicator library
• Taking the pulse: Measuring shared priorities for Canadian health care, 2024

FTEs complement headcounts by providing a common comparison measure, reflecting the hours worked. A full-time provider has an FTE of 1.0 (or higher), while a part-time provider has an FTE below 1.0. Over the last 10 years, average FTEs per health care provider ranged from 0.6 to 0.95. Family physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners (NPs) had the highest average FTEs, consistently above 0.8 per provider. For nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and mental health workers, average FTEs were equal to or below 0.8 per provider. This means that, on average, a greater proportion of family physicians, pharmacists and NPs were likely working full time or close to full time compared with other professionals, for whom part-time work may be more common.

While FTE measures may help estimate workforce capacity, there are multiple definitions of FTEs available in health systems (i.e., differing benchmarks of full-time hours and compensation) and some providers may work in multiple settings. As more data and consistent, comparable definitions of full-time work become available, further assessment and understanding of work capacity across providers and settings will be possible. 

Average provider FTEs ranged from 0.6 to 0.95 over the past decade; stable among family physicians

Notes 
鈥� Data is unavailable, does not exist or is suppressed due to data quality issues.
Family physician data excludes Quebec, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Family physicians include those practising in general practice, family practice, community medicine and public health, and palliative care medicine.
The approach to estimating FTE for family physicians is based on payment data and is presented by fiscal year; for other professionals, an FTE is defined as 37.5 hours per week and is presented by calendar year. 

Sources
National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.
Custom tabulation based on Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada.

Measuring the volume of patients seen by providers can help assess their workload and determine staffing needs. In 2022, family physicians saw 316 fewer patients on average than 10 years previous, about an 18% decrease (from 1,746.1 in 2013 to 1,429.6 in 2022).  Over the same period, average family physician FTEs per provider remained stable.

To further understand the decrease in the average number of patients seen by family physicians, more data and analyses are needed to understand how patient load is managed and distributed among providers. Currently, there is very limited data on the number of patients seen by other primary care providers and by health teams as a collective and on whether providers work in multidisciplinary teams.

The number of patients seen can be influenced by numerous factors, including the clinical complexity and comorbidities of patients; changes in models of care, including the increase in team-based care; changes in the availability of providers over time and throughout their career; and changes in practice patterns.Reference1

Family physicians have seen fewer patients over the past decade

Notes
* Denotes statistical significance (p<0.025) using the Mann-Kendall trend test.
Data on family physicians is presented by fiscal year.
Data excludes Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Family physicians include those practising in general practice, family practice, community medicine and public health, and palliative care medicine.

Source
National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

Pharmacists have been able to prescribe medications to treat minor ailments in some jurisdictions since 2007.Reference2 In Saskatchewan, pharmacists received prescribing authority in 2011, followed by British Columbia and Ontario in 2023 as a result of recent policy changes to increase access to primary care.Reference3 This section takes an early look at the uptake of minor ailment prescribing by pharmacists and trends in the number of patients seen by family physicians for these minor ailments in jurisdictions with available data (Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia).

Emerging data suggests that the uptake of minor ailment prescribing by pharmacists varies by minor ailment. Based on early trends, the largest uptake has been for cold sores (herpes labialis), pink eye (conjunctivitis) and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs).

In Ontario, the number of patients prescribed treatment for cold sores (n = 42,815) by a pharmacist in 2023 was comparable with the number treated by a family physician in the previous year (n = 42,619). In contrast, while there was significant uptake in prescribing for pink eye by pharmacists (n = 137,023), the uptake was only 67% of the number treated by a family physician (n = 204,722) over the same period. In Saskatchewan, the number of patients prescribed treatment by a pharmacist for UTIs gradually increased between 2019 and 2023. However, many more patients continued to be treated by a family physician for UTIs, potentially reflecting the broader range of UTIs that family physicians can treat.

The uptake of pharmacist prescribing programs may suggest improved access to primary care for patients. There is a need to continue monitoring these trends and to analyze patient health outcomes. In addition, understanding the factors that influence which providers patients choose for treatment of minor ailments, especially as they may interact with multiple providers for the same ailments throughout their care journey, is warranted. 

Uptake of minor ailment prescribing varied by minor ailment; largest for UTIs, pink eye and cold sores

Notes
鈥� Data is unavailable, does not exist or is suppressed due to data quality issues. 
Physician practice patterns for minor ailments were identified using ICD-9 codes attached to billings submitted to a provincial/territorial health insurance program. Due to jurisdictional differences in ICD-9 reporting, the number of patients seen for contraceptive management and cold sores may be overstated.
The pharmacist prescribing program in British Columbia launched in June 2023; data presented for this jurisdiction covers only 6 months.
Pharmacist prescribing patterns for minor ailments were identified through drug identification numbers (DINs) assigned by 红领巾瓜报 Canada or pseudo-drug identification numbers (PDINs) attached to filled prescriptions.

Sources
National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System and National Physician Database, Canadian Institute for 红领巾瓜报 Information.

• National Physician Database Data Release, 2022鈥�2023 鈥� Methodology Notes
• National Physician Database metadata
• National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System metadata