Provinces

The Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) is proud to count on provincial orthopaedic associations and institutions as their partners. Over the last two years, COA conducted a national virtual tour to 10 provinces and engaged with over 300 surgeons. Members of the orthopaedic community met to represent their province’s current needs, as a result of the pandemic.

ALBERTA

Coming soon.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Coming soon.

MANITOBA

Lack of training new recruits, many redeployments and retirements have led to staff shortages on care team.
Bed closures, cancelled complex cases are a direct result of nursing shortages.
Virtual care has proven successful in the area.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Anesthesia shortages causing bottlenecks for surgery and operating room time.
Resource disparity between hospital systems. No effective allocation or shared resources.
Job scarcity. Early career surgeons are underemployed and leaving the province in search of opportunity.

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

Access to care disparity, growing patient waitlist especially for hip fractures from aging population.
Orthopaedic departments blamed for inefficiencies on ground level. • Nursing shortages and burnout.

NOVA SCOTIA

Lack of primary care physicians poses logistical and ethical challenges later when addressing specific health issues related to orthopaedic care.
Early career surgeons not able to train effectively, make connections and collaborations from being in virtual environment.
Care team fatigue.

ONTARIO

Job scarcity. Surgeons are foregoing retirement, creating job shortages. • Disparity in resource allocation, both regionally and specific to specialty.
Orthopaedics deemed a low priority.
Nursing and anesthesia shortages.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Allocation and prioritization of resources.
Orthopaedic care considered low priority.

QUEBEC

Prioritization of orthopaedic procedures, while breaking perception that these are lifestyle surgery or elective (optional, by choice) procedures.
Critical shortage of nurses and ancillary staff, impedes hospitals to perform outpatient orthopaedics.
Surgeons have successful models that improve efficiencies, but many are not implemented by administration.

SASKATCHEWAN

Strained healthcare practitioners during COVID-19.
General discouragement and confusion how to advocate for better access to care in orthopaedics.
Nursing shortages, both on the floor and operating rooms.

Provinces

SASKATCHEWAN

Strained healthcare practitioners during COVID-19.

General discouragement and confusion how to advocate for better access to care in orthopaedics.

Nursing shortages, both on the floor and operating rooms.