Selected Results from 2020 National Resident Survey released

Resident Doctors of Canada (RDoC) today released the Summary of Findings from its November 2020 National Resident Survey (NRS), providing valuable data on a number of issues relevant to today’s resident doctors.

RDoC represents over 10,000 resident doctors across Canada. RDoC is the national resident voice and the catalyst for solutions to create the best possible resident training experience.

The NRS is a collaboration between RDoC and the seven Provincial Housestaff Organizations :

  • Maritime Resident Doctors
  • Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta
  • Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Manitoba
  • Professional Association of Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Professional Association of Residents of Ontario
  • Resident Doctors of BC
  • Resident Doctors of Saskatchewan

The NRS itself has been in existence since 2012. Its current form is an online, bilingual, census-style survey of the RDoC membership. Since residency training in Canada can last from two to seven years, depending on the specialty, the NRS is administered on a biennial basis, giving every resident the opportunity to participate at least once. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Results are reported only in aggregate form.

The results of the NRS inform RDoC’s advocacy efforts on behalf of its members on a range of issues important to post-graduate medical education.

The November 2020 NRS was distributed to members in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, the Maritime Provinces, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Issues examined included:

  • Diversity in post-graduate medical education
  • Bullying in the training environment
  • Mental Health (burnout, mental illness, and substance use)
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on residency training
  • Physician mobility
  • The residency transfer process
  • Transition to practice and health human resources

The RDoC 2020 National Resident Survey was completed by 1,227 residents for an overall response rate of 12%. Respondents came from all 13 faculties of medicine and from a variety of specialties.

The Summary concludes that “The NRS provides clear, concise data that proves current information for RDoC’s advocacy work on behalf of its members. It gives RDoC an opportunity to take its work to the next level to help effect change in post-graduate medical education in Canada.”

The Summary of Findings is available here.

Data may be requested from the 2020 Survey by completing this form.

For more information about the NRS or to contact the Survey Team, email nrs@residentdoctors.ca.