Abstract
Neither system or culture is perfect; a blend just might be. I can't say that one is definitely better, only different. Many Canadian doctors have emigrated only to return within a year or two, frustrated with a market-driven health care system and a much more eclectic and individualistic society. Yes, family physicians can earn more money here and have better access to diagnostics and treatment. But that has to be balanced with a larger bureaucracy and-at least on the surface-less freedom to access those resources. With time and the ubiquitous fiscal imperative, both countries could emerge from their respective crises at similar destinations, but by separate paths. Traveling and particularly working in another culture has been a positive experience for our family. It might not be for everyone. Each physician, with his or her family, must weigh the pros and cons of such a decision. To boldly go where you've never been before, to move or not to move: that is the question.
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