Demographic characteristics of full-time emergency physicians in Canada

The objective of this study was to describe individual and practice characteristics of Canadian emergency physicians, and to determine if these characteristics varied with geographic region, type of certification, or method of reimbursement. The study took place in emergency departments across Canada, and all full-time physicians with certification in emergency medicine, and a random sample of Canadian Association of Emergency Physician members without certification were surveyed with a 23-item questionnaire. Descriptive statistics on individual and practice characteristics were outcome measures. Comparative statistics evaluating demographic characteristics by region, type of certification, and method of reimbursement were used. There were significant differences between responders and nonresponders based on certification (P < .001) and region of residence (P < .005). Most physicians are male (87.3%), married (83.3%), reimbursed on a fee for service basis (61%), work in teaching hospitals (65.8%), and participate in medical education (82.3%). On average physicians are 38 years of age, work of 14 shifts/month, 9 hours/shift, 11 nonclinical emergency related hours/week, and have 5 vacation weeks/year. More physicians with FRCP(EM) certification work in teaching hospitals (P < .00001), do nonclinical emergency related work (P < .0001), participate in medical education (P < .0001), and are involved in research (P < .001). There are significant differences by geographic region in gross annual salary (P < .00001), method of reimbursement (P < .00001), and independent hospital emergency department status (P < .00001). Fee-for-service reimbursement for clinical service provides a higher gross annual income than other methods (P = .028). Emergency medicine is an emerging clinical discipline with a strong academic focus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)