Where have all the residents gone

1described some of the reasons medical students are not choosing family medicine, such as perceived low prestige, heavy workloads, and breadth of knowledge required. It also explored this trend in the context of increasing finan cial pressures involved in studying medicine. Perhaps 2006 will be a banner year for family medicine. Newly implemented strategies could well revive enthusiasm for family medicine despite deteriorating student interest in the discipline. The College of Family Physicians of Canada has already taken the initiative by creating scholarships and prizes for medical students showing strong interest in family medicine. The criteria for these awards must be augmented to include Canadians studying medicine abroad. These students number in the hundreds at medical schools in the United States, Europe, and Australia 2,3 ; their repatriation should be encouraged. Furthermore, the awards should be partly contingent on beginning a residency in family medicine; anecdotal evidence suggests that a few award recipients do not actually pursue careers in family medicine. The awareness campaign surrounding Family Doctor Week is another innovative idea that builds on Canadians’ considerable trust in their GPs. The Canadian Federation of Medical Students, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and Health Canada have all helped to raise the profile of family medicine by supporting Family Medicine Interest Groups in our medical schools. Efforts need to be redirected toward attracting capable, interested students who might otherwise be scared away from family medicine before they even apply. Governments must implement more progressive student loan policies, specifically making loan repayments income sensitive, with long-term amortization. In addition, medical schools should grant student status to residents, to allow deferral of loan repayments until the end of their training; some schools have already implemented this policy. 4