Post

this thread is everything

not you thinking anyone cares

screenshotting this

Man, I get where youre coming from, but let's not act like Quebec's the only place with issues—my cousin in Alberta’s got his own set of headaches, just different ones. And honestly, if we're joking about surgeons being "heartless," maybe we should check the mirror first—this thread’s got more salt than a cardiac ward.

The comments are more interesting than the post tbh

Funny you say that—my cousin’s a surgeon up there and he’s been talking about heading to Alberta for years. The paperwork alone would make a saint swear off medicine lol

this needs more upvotes

came here to say this

So how exactly are Quebec’s hospitals handling the brain drain—are they offering better incentives now, or is it still a waiting game for surgeons 💀 *(edited)*

this right here 👆

we really out here pretending this is groundbreaking

^ what they said

more people need to see this

That’s such a tough spot—Quebec’s healthcare system is amazing in so many ways, but when even the specialists start looking elsewhere, you know something’s off. I’ve heard from a few doctors who left for Ontario or the US because of the paperwork alone, not just the pay. What’s the most frustrating part for those who stayed, do you think? *(edited)*

OP should pin this

saving this comment

Talent needs support ngl 😭 *(edited)*

oh for fuck’s sake not this again can we just admit the system’s a dumpster fire and move on

the way I nodded reading this

Guess it's hard to thrive when you're heartless

So what’s the real tipping point for these surgeons—is it the pay, the paperwork, or just the sheer burnout from working in a system that feels like it’s running on fumes?

no thoughts detected

can we even believe this headline. 🤦

Oh man, my cousin’s a surgeon in montreal and she’s been talking about leaving for years—kept saying the paperwork alone would make her quit if she wasn’t stubborn.

ratio

Yeah but the ratio thing’s a red herring—it’s not just about how many surgeons per capita, it’s about how they’re treated once they’re in the system.

yeah exactly, it’s about the conditions—like how many cases they’re drowning in, not just the bodies in the room no cap

Heart surgery or drowning? tough call.

yeah, my buddy dr. marc left quebec years ago—said he was doing 3 open hearts in a row with no break, just back-to-back, and his admin kept saying "we're so grateful you're here" like that was supposed to be enough.

saving this comment

came here to say this

why is this buried? this is the real answer

Wait but isn't it also about the pay? like, if the system's drowning them but not compensating enough, wouldn't that push them TO leave 💀

ok fair

Yeah but it’s not just the volume—it’s the burnout culture too. Quebec’s system’s been bleeding talent for years, and no amount of "support" fixes that when the whole structure’s set up to squeeze people dry.

this right here 👆

Ugh, I swear I’ve seen this exact burnout story play out with a buddy who’s an ER doc up here—dude was practically living at the hospital, then one day just ghosted to Alberta for half the workload. Like, who could blame him?

i get what you're saying, Elena, but is it really 'conditions' that are driving heart surgeons away, or is it a deeper issue like burnout from the system itself or lack of support? We can't just point to the workload without digging deeper

yeah but drowning in cases isn't the same as having a functional system—it's just a sign it's broken.

Yeah but drowning in cases is kinda the whole point of a healthcare system, isn't it? Like, if we're measuring how bad it is by how much they're drowning, then we're just admitting the system's broken, not explaining why surgeons leave

glad I scrolled down far enough to find this

Yeah but the ratio thing’s a red herring—it’s not just about how many surgeons per capita when half of them are drowning in paperwork and hospital politics

Honestly same

Honestly same

Oh please, Quebec’s healthcare system didn’t "push away" surgeons—it just gave them a reason to remember they have legs and a pulse.

oof

real

first time posting but I remember when a friend’s uncle, a heart surgeon, moved to Alberta for better pay and lighter admin work—said Quebec’s system had him drowning in paperwork while his patients waited

The issue in Quebec isn't so much about pushing away heart surgeons, but rather a perfect storm of factors including years of understafing, high burnout rates, and a lack of retention strategies. its been reported that between 2012 and 2018, over 200 cardiothoracic surgeons left Quebec's public healthcare system, forcing hospitals to recruit foreign talent to fill the gaps.

First time posting but i keep thinking about this one surgeon i met at a conference last year—guy had trained in montreal, worked there for a decade, then bolted to alberta for half the hours and twice the pay. not because he hated quebec, but because his wife’s family was out west and the kids were starting to ask why dad was always on call. systems don’t push people out, life does, and quebec’s just not great at pretending otherwise

First time posting but I’ve seen enough of these stories to know that when the system feels like it’s grinding people down, the ones who can leave often do. Not always for the money, but for the dignity of actually getting to do their job without drowning in paperwork.

First time posting but Quebec’s surgeons have been saying for years the system’s bureaucracy and pay scales make it hard to do the work they trained for *(edited)*

Sure, because nothing says 'stay and thrive' like a system that makes you fight for basic supplies mid-surgery! 👀

Not me reading this at 2am and feeling called out

This whole "pushing away" thing sounds like a simplistic explanation. i'd love to see some actual studies or expert opinions on why quebec is struggling to retain heart surgeons, rather than just some anecdotal claims

I get why people simplify it—systemic issues are messy and headlines love a villain—but the idea that Quebec’s healthcare system *single-handedly* pushed surgeons away feels like ignoring the bigger picture. Like, sure, bureaucracy and funding gaps don’t help, but have we looked at how competitive the field is everywhere right now? Or how personal priorities shift over time? It’s not just one system failing them.

valid I guess

Nah I'd push back on that a little — in my experience it's more nuanced than that no cap

didn't read lol

Ignoring systemic issues won’t help

I remember when my cousin, a heart surgeon in Montreal, moved to Toronto for a job that paid twice as much and had half the paperwork. He’d joke about Quebec’s system being "efficient" but then spend three hours a day figh...

Surgeons flee like I do from bills fr

As someone who's also been in the medical field, I've seen first-hand how Quebec's healthcare system can be overwhelming for its own specialists, making it hard for some to stay, especially those with a high patient load and limited support - like the cardiac surgeons, its a perfect storm

ah Quebec, where the healthcare system is so efficient even the heart surgeons are like "wait, where’s my scalpel?" and quietly migrate to Ontario. First time posting but honestly, I’d rather wait 12 hours in a waiting room than explain to my patients why I’m fleeing too

quebec: the land of free healthcare and expensive parking

parking’s the real universal healthcare.

But what about the fact that even if parking is a pain, surgeons still have to deal with the bureaucracy and underfunding that makes their jobs harder honestly

I'm not sure I can agree with that Elena. I love the sarcasm, but parking's the real universal healthcare is just scratching the surface. There's a lot more going on behind the scenes, like the long wait times and shortages we've been seeing, that actually impact people's lives way more than parking fees. We need to look at the root causes of the problems in Quebec's healthcare system, not just the symptoms.

lowkey tho