HEALTH CARE & SOCIAL ASSISTANCE Sector...

OTTAWA Integrated Local

Labour Market Plan

HEALTH CARE &

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE Sector Overview

Updated December 2011

2010 - 2012

2012

HEALTH CARE & SOCIAL ASSISTANCE Sector 1

The Ottawa Story: Health Care & Social Assistance

ISSUES & CHALLENGES: A 2006 report1 on the 10-year outlook for the Canadian labour market

stated that the largest number of occupations showing signs of shortages at the national level is found in

the health sector. Pressures are particularly acute for physicians, therapy and assessment professionals

(e.g., physiotherapists), head nurses and nurse aides. Other health occupations, such as registered

nursing assistants, audiology technicians, physiotherapy technicians and medical radiation technologists,

are also under pressure.

On the other hand, supply growth in many of these occupations has been relatively weak. Canadian

health professionals are ageing, particularly physicians and nurses. There is a 3 to 10 year time lag

between the labour market entries of health professionals into the labour market. Immigrants make up

a significant share of the Canadian health workforce, with more than 37% of all physicians and about

20% of all registered nurses being foreign-born. However, the rate of integration of foreign-trained

health professionals has decreased tremendously (e.g., foreign-trained physicians made up 30.5% of

Canadian physicians in 1980. In 2005, they made up 9%). With a large immigrant population in Ottawa

that is ageing, practitioners with multilingual skills are going to be in even more demand.

Technology is changing the way we deliver health, particularly electronic health informatics and

distribution. The top labour issues in e-health are: not enough candidates/qualified applicants;

candidates do not have the required competencies; and the compensation offered for the e-Health

position was not attractive enough. There is also a growing market for entrepreneurship in the health

sector. With an ageing population, there is immense scope for ageing products such as assistive devices,

personal support and nursing, long-term and short-term care facilities.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS: Exploring ways to increase access to healthcare jobs by

internationally-educated health professionals is a key strategy. Entry-to-practice rates need to be

increased substantially – and a combination of training solutions and engaging with stakeholders to

review licensing processes may be an option. Bridging programs have been set up for foreign-trained

healthcare professionals; however, licensure and employment rates have to be verified. Anecdotal

evidence suggests that although bridging programs may increase licensure rates, they do not tend to

increase employment post-licensure, thus not affecting the labour supply positively.

Considering that Ottawa is a technology hub, the city could consider playing a more strategic role in

attracting health technology businesses to the region. However, the appropriate training has to be

available, to train the next generation of e-health and health technology workers. Further,

entrepreneurship training and multilingual skill / cultural competence training has to be made available.

1 Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2010) Looking Ahead: A 10-year Outlook for the Canadian Labour Market

(2006-2015). http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/publications_resources/research/categories/labour_market_e

/sp_615_10_06/sp_615_10_06e.pdf accessed September 20 , 2011.

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/publications_resources/research/categories/labour_market_e/sp_615_10_06/sp_615_10_06e.pdf



Sector Summary: Health Care and Social Assistance

The Sector Summary: Health Care and Social Assistance was further developed in October 2011 to

provide in-depth analysis of labour market issues.

Sector Highlights & Potential Actions

SECTOR OVERVIEW Over the past decade, Ottawa-Gatineau’s health

and social assistance sector has been on a steady

incline. Between 2008 and 2010, the sector added

5,100 jobs. It also fared reasonably well during and

since the recessionary period, employing 80,700

persons in March 2011. About 5.3% of the city

residents are health professionals; there are 2.65

doctors for every 1,000 people living in Ottawa

(national average is 2.2).

Ontario Job Generation/Loss Ratio

141.3 Ambulatory Health Care Services

339.0 Hospitals

265.7 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

Ease of Labour Market Entry

Very easy entrance into labour market,

especially for hospital jobs.

KEY CHALLENGES The healthcare worker population is ageing. Between

2001 and 2006, the proportion of health

professionals in Ontario aged 55+ increased from

11.12% to 14.41% and it is expected to rise as the

population ages.

Due to long training requirements, labour supply

cannot be increased quickly; takes a longer transition

time. Skills shortages highest for Audiologists, Dental

Hygienists, Physicians, Medical Radiation Technologist,

Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists,

Physiotherapists, Registered Nurses and Respiratory

Therapists. Having French-language workers,

especially nurses, is important.

POTENTIAL ACTIONS Investigate the need for enhanced

multilingual and cross-cultural skills in the

health sector. Develop appropriate training.

Investigate the need for administrative skills

in the health sector (e.g., data entry and

note-taking skills).

Explore development of cross-disciplinary

training for emerging health technology/e-

health sector.

Explore development of ICT skills training in

health technology.

Explore development of entrepreneurial skills

for health professionals.

Explore advanced training for Personal

Support Workers.

Explore ways to increase access to

healthcare jobs by internationally-educated

health professionals. Verify the employment

rate for graduates of health bridging

programs in the Ottawa region..

KEY OPPORTUNITIES Considering Ottawa’s position as a knowledge-based

hub, e-health and health technology are emerging

professions worth exploring (roles that involve the

planning, implementation, analysis, use, and

sustainability of technologies and systems).


Sector Overview

The Health Care and Social Assistance industry in Canada includes establishments and services such as:

Hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities and out-patient care centres;

Offices of health practitioners (i.e., dentists, doctors, optometrists and chiropractors);

Medical and diagnostic laboratories;

Home health care services;

Ambulance services;

Social assistance services (i.e., for children, youth, the elderly, families);

Community food, housing, emergency and relief services;

Vocational rehabilitation services; and

Daycare services.

Hospitals employ the largest share of employees in the health care and social assistance sector, followed

by ambulatory health care services and nursing and residential care facilities.

Figure H1: Employees in Healthcare and Social Assistance, Canada, 2007

Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payroll and Hours, CANSIM table 281-00242.

2 Statistics Canada (2009) The Canadian Labour Market at a Glance, 2007. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-

cel?catno=71-222-X&CHROPG=1&lang=eng accessed September 23, 2011.

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600

Social assistance

Nursing and residential care facilities

Ambulatory health care services

Hospitals

thousands

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=71-222-X&CHROPG=1&lang=eng

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=71-222-X&CHROPG=1&lang=eng


How easy is it for new labour to enter the health care industry?

It’s much easier than entering other industries. The Ontario job generation/loss ratio for Health Care and

Social Assistance categories are very high – between 141.3 for ambulatory health care services to 339.0

for hospital jobs3. Workers can enter this marketplace very easily as there is high demand for health

care workers.

Table H1: Health Care Job Generation Ratio, Ontario, 2001 to 2006

3-Digit NAICS Job Generation

Job Loss Generation/ Loss Ratio

621 – Ambulatory Health Care Services 37.2 26.3 141.3

622 – Hospitals 17.8 5.2 339.0

623 – Nursing and Residential Care Facilities 36.7 13.8 265.7

624 – Social Assistance 30.2 13.4 226.0

Source: Ontario Labour Market Adjustment Dynamics by Industry Sub-Sector, LEAP Data, 2001 to 2006

Ottawa’s Health Care and Social Assistance Sector

The Census 2006 classifies healthcare as the third largest sector by employment in Ottawa at 9.9%.

Employment in the healthcare and social assistance sector has increased 5.1% since 2008, compared to

a 2.8% increase in the overall services category.

Table H2: Employment (persons x 1,000) Changes, Ottawa Census Division (CD)

2008 2009 2010 Δ 2008-10

Health care and social assistance [62] 73.1 75.2 78.2 5.1

Goods-producing sector 103.8 100.9 98.6 -5.2

Services-producing sector (13) 577.1 568.5 579.9 2.8

Total employed, all industries 680.8 669.3 678.5 -2.3

Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table 282-0061, Custom Tabulation.4

The Ottawa-Gatineau region is part of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), one of 14

LHINs across the province5. Over the past decade, Ottawa-Gatineau’s health and social assistance sector

has been on a steady incline. Between 2008 and 2010, the Health Care and Social Assistance sector

added 5,100 jobs. More recent reports show it also fared reasonably well during and since the

3 Source: Ontario Labour Market Adjustment Dynamics by Industry Sub-Sector, LEAP Data, 2001 to 2006

4 Extracted from Table 2 (section I).

5 Toward Transformation in Health: Creating an Integrated Health Service Plan in the Champlain Region (2008)

http://www.champlainlhin.on.ca accessed September 22, 2011.

http://www.champlainlhin.on.ca/


recessionary period, employing 80,700 persons in March 2011. About 5.3% of city residents are health

professionals, and there are 2.65 doctors for every 1,000 people living in Ottawa, compared to the

national average of 2.26.

Figure H2: Employment (x1000), Ottawa-Gatineau, 2000-2010

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Tabulation (3-month moving average,

unadjusted for seasonality, monthly x 1000 persons).

Figure H3: Employment (x1000), Ottawa-Gatineau, 2008-2011

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Tabulation (3-month moving average,

unadjusted for seasonality, monthly x 1000 persons).

6 http://www.moneysense.ca/2011/03/13/best-place-to-live-ottawa-gatineau/ottawageneralhospital440/

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http://www.moneysense.ca/2011/03/13/best-place-to-live-ottawa-gatineau/ottawageneralhospital440/


Labour Demand & Supply

Ontario's 23 self-regulated health professions have governing bodies called colleges that set the

standards for skills, knowledge and behaviour for their members. These professionals make up the

labour supply or health human resources, in the province. Ottawa has a higher proportion of

professionals in the health professions, but a slightly lower than average proportion of nurses, technical

and support professions.

Table H3: Occupational Share of Labour Force

Ottawa Labour Force

Ottawa

Distribution %

Ontario Labour Force

Ontario

Distribution %

D0 Professional occupations in health 6210 1.36 71,645 1.09

D1 Nurse supervisors and registered nurses 6925 1.52 102,325 1.55

D2 Technical and related occupations in health 5145 1.13 76,580 1.16

D3 Assisting occupations in support of health services

5830 1.28 90,130 1.37

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

The Health sector is predominantly small business; however, there are some very large institutions

(hospitals for example) that are also represented. Canadian Business Patterns (Table H4) data shows

that of non-indeterminate businesses, 66% of Ambulatory Health Care Services and 33% of Nursing and

Residential Care Facilities have 1-4 employees.

Table H4: Number of Employers by Employee Size Range and 3-Digit Industry, Ottawa 2011

3-Digit NAICS

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621 – Ambulatory Health

Care Services 2884 845 2039 1344 437 173 58 12 9 4 2

622 – Hospitals 21 4 17 2 1 1 3 0 0 0 10

623 – Nursing and

Residential Care Facilities 259 12 247 30 52 81 39 22 13 9 1

624 – Social Assistance 538 151 387 103 86 91 73 19 12 3 0

Source: Canadian Business Patterns, June 2011.


Table H5: Distribution of Total Employers by 3-Digit Industry, Ottawa and Ontario, 2011

3-Digit NAICS Ottawa Total

Distribution %

Ontario Total

Distribution %

621 – Ambulatory Health Care Services 2,884 5.04 36,327 4.07

622 – Hospitals 21 0.04 323 0.04

623 – Nursing and Residential Care Facilities 259 0.45 4,272 0.48

624 – Social Assistance 538 0.94 6,323 0.71


Ottawa has a higher share of ambulatory healthcare services and social assistance employers compared

to Ontario. All healthcare categories have seen an increase in the number of employers since 2008, with

nursing and residential care facilities growing over 44%. Ottawa is well-served by healthcare facilities in

relation to Ontario, and healthcare is a growing sector of Ottawa’s economy.

Table H6: Change in the Total Number of Employers, Ottawa, 2011

3-Digit NAICS Total Employers

2008

Total Employers

2011

Absolute Change

Absolute %

621 – Ambulatory Health Care Services 2,370 2,884 514 21.69

622 – Hospitals 19 21 2 10.53

623 – Nursing and Residential Care Facilities 179 259 80 44.69

624 – Social Assistance 483 538 55 11.39


Ottawa’s share of health professionals in Ontario exceeds its 6.6% share of Ontario’s population in 21 of

the 23 regulated health professions; of these, nine have good prospects for employment. This seems to

demonstrate a relatively adequate supply of professionals to the Ottawa area at the moment. The nine

professions that have good job futures include: Audiologists, Dental Hygienists, Physicians, Medical

Radiation Technologist, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Registered Nurses and

Respiratory Therapists. Considering, though, the advanced age of many health professionals, it is likely

that labour supply will be under pressure in coming years.


Table H7: Job Prospects, Share Analysis and Main Industry of Employment, Ottawa 2006-2011

Occupation (NAICS Code) Prospects 2006-2011

Ottawa %

Main Industry of Employment #1

% Main Industry of Employment #2 (>2%)

%

Specialist Physicians (3111) Good 13% Health Care and Social Assistance

99%

Medical Sonographers (3216) Good 12% Health Care and Social Assistance

96%

Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and Cardio-Pulmonary Technologists (3214)

Good 12% Health Care and Social Assistance

93% Retail Trade 2%

Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists (3141)


75% Educational Services

25%

Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists (3222)


98%

General Practitioners and Family Physicians (3112)


100%

Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists' Assistants (3211)

Average 11% Health Care and Social Assistance

91% Other Professional Services

3%

Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates (3413)


96%

Physiotherapists (3142) Good 11% Health Care and Social Assistance

100%

Dieticians and Nutritionists (3132)


75% Retail Trade 6%

Licensed Practical Nurses (3233)


97%

Medical Laboratory Technicians (3212)


89% Other Professional Services

4%

Optometrists (3121) Average 10% Health Care and Social Assistance

98% Retail Trade 2%

Registered Nurses (3152) Good 10% Health Care and Social Assistance

94% Public Administration

2%

Veterinarians (3114) Average 10% Other Professional Services


4%

Dental Assistants (3411) Average 9% Health Care and Social Assistance

98%

Dentists (3113) Average 9% Health Care and Social Assistance

99%

Medical Radiation Technologists (3215)


94%

http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/labourmarket/ojf/pdf/3111_e.pdf

































Occupation (NAICS Code) Prospects 2006-2011

Ottawa %

Main Industry of Employment #1

% Main Industry of Employment #2 (>2%)

%

Pharmacists (3131) Good 9% Retail Trade 83% Health Care and Social Assistance

17%

Ambulance Attendants and Other Paramedical Occupations (3234)



17%

Occupational Therapists (3143)


98% Educational Services

2%

Chiropractors (3122) Average 6% Health Care and Social Assistance

99%

Opticians (3231) Average 6% Retail Trade 85% Health Care and Social Assistance

15%

Source: Ontario Job Futures, Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Figure H4: Trends in Health-Workers-to-Population Ratio (per 100,000 Pop), 1997 to 2006

Sources: Health Personnel Database, Canadian Institute for Health Information;

1997 to 2006 population estimates, Statistics Canada.

Some professions have been growing more rapidly than others. For example, the dietitian-to-population

ratio grew by 18.4% between 1997 and 2006, compared with a 1.3% increase for medical laboratory

technologists. The ratio of social workers to population almost doubled in the decade from 1997 to 2006

as several provinces legislated social work as a regulated health profession.

20

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Pharmacist Social Worker







Figure H5: Health Professionals by Age

Source: Health Human Resources Databases Development Project, Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Canada – and Ontario’s – healthcare workers are ageing. Over one in five Canadian physicians is over the

age of 60, and almost 30% of physicians and nurses are between the ages of 50-59 years. Occupational

therapists and physiotherapists are amongst the youngest.

Between 2001 and 2006, the proportion of health professionals in Ontario aged 55+ increased from

11.12% to 14.41% and it is expected to rise as the population ages. The median age of persons

employed in the sector also rose by almost 1.5 years during the same time period. This is predicted to

put significant stress on the healthcare sector in coming years.

Table H8 and Table H9 outline the supply of physicians and nurses to the City of Ottawa. The rate of

growth of physician supply hovers between 1 and 2% as per 2008 to 2010 changes. The City of Ottawa

also seems well-supplied with nurses relative to Eastern Ontario.

Table H8: Employment Distribution in the Health Sector by Age, Ottawa-Gatineau,

2001 & 2006

Ottawa-Gatineau Total Population 15+ yrs.

15-24 25-54 55+ Median Age yrs.

Census 2006 60,115 5,755 45,690 8,665 42.1

Percentage 100% 9.57% 76.00% 14.41%

Census 2001 52,120 4,640 41,680 5,795 40.5

Percentage 100% 8.90% 79.97% 11.12%

Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2006 and 2001, Custom Tabulation.

Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent

<30 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50-59 years 60+ years

RN 11.2 20.9 28.4 29.8 9.7

Physicians 1.6 20.3 28.3 28.4 21.2

OT 21.9 36.1 25.5 14.0 2.4

PT 15.0 32.0 27.0 20.1 6.1

Pharm 12.6 28.5 27.2 21.6 10.0

0.0

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Table H9: Physicians, Ottawa, 2005 to 2010

Ottawa Family Physicians Specialists Total % Annual Δ

2010 1,059 1,536 2,595 1.37%

2009 1,064 1,496 2,560 2.07%

2008 1,053 1,455 2,508 - -

2005 969 1,381 2,350 - -

Source: Ontario Physician Human Resources Data Centre7.

Table H10: Regulated Nursing Workforce, by Health Region, Canada, 2009

Health Region

Population Estimate

Registered Nurses Licensed Practical Nurses

All Regulated Nurses

Direct Care

Count

Per 100,000

population

Direct Care

Count

Per 100,000

population

Direct Care

Count

Per 100,000

population

City of Ottawa 882,477 7,559 857 1,963 222 9,522 1,079

Eastern Ontario 199,061 921 463 492 247 1,413 710

Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information (2009).

Between 2005 and 2009, Canada gained just over 27,000 nurses, bringing the total regulated nursing

workforce to approximately 348,5008, an increase of 9% in the number of working nurses over five

years. In comparison, the Canadian population grew by 5% over the same period. However, when

examining the workforce of registered nurses, for which longer-term data is available, CIHI figures show

there are actually fewer registered nurses today relative to the size of the population than there were

20 years ago. In 1992, there were 824 RNs for every 100,000 Canadians, compared to 789 per 100,000 in

2009.

7Ontario Physician Human Resources Data Centre, https://www.ophrdc.org/Public/Report.aspx, accessed September 22, 2011.

8 Canadian Institute for Health Information (2010) Regulated Nurses: Canadian Trends, 2005 to 2009,

https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?pf=PFC1565&locale=en&lang=EN&mediatype=0 accessed September 23,

2011.

https://www.ophrdc.org/Public/Report.aspx

https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?pf=PFC1565&locale=en&lang=EN&mediatype=0


Challenges & Opportunities

A 2006 report9 on the 10-year outlook for the Canadian labour market stated that the largest number of

occupations showing signs of shortages at the national level is found in the health sector. Pressures are

particularly acute for physicians, therapy and assessment professionals (e.g., physiotherapists), head

nurses and nurse aides. Other health occupations, such as registered nursing assistants, audiology

technicians, physiotherapy technicians and medical radiation technologists, are also under pressure.

Growth in demand for those occupations has been strong, due to the rising needs associated with

population ageing, increases in government funding for health care, and a high number of retirements.

On the other hand, supply growth in many of these occupations has been relatively weak. In some

areas, the lack of supply may reflect the effects of earlier deficit control decisions (including accelerated

retirements), declines in enrolments in related training programs or delays in graduation due to

lengthening course requirements. There is a 3 to 10 year time lag between the labour market entries of

health professionals into the labour market.

Table H11: Time in Post-Secondary Education to Prepare Healthcare Providers10

Provider Training Time

Family physician 9-10 years

Specialist physician 12+ years

Sub-specialist physician 13+ years

Registered nurse 4 years

Advanced practice nurse (including primary care NPs) 6 years

Registered practical nurse 2 years

Physiotherapist 4 to 6 years

Medical imaging technologist 3 to 4 years

Medical laboratory technologist 3 to 4 years

Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Data.

Further, as noted in the introduction, Ottawa is in a unique position in the province since in 2006, 37.2%

of residents were able to converse in both official languages. The 2006 Census data also revealed that

11.1% of Ottawa’s population primarily speak a non-official language at home, up from 9.5% in 1996.

The number of people facing linguistic barriers to access (non-official languages) is between 10,300 and

88,660 people in Ottawa. This impacts most sectors, but perhaps healthcare is the most critical one.

9 Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2010) Looking Ahead: A 10-year Outlook for the Canadian Labour Market

(2006-2015). http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/publications_resources/research/categories/labour_market_e

/sp_615_10_06/sp_615_10_06e.pdf accessed September 20 , 2011. 10

Government of Ontario (2005) Laying the Foundation for Change: A Progress Report on Ontario’s Health Human Resources

Initiatives http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ministry_reports/hhr_05/hhr_05.pdf accessed October 28, 2011.



http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ministry_reports/hhr_05/hhr_05.pdf


How many doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, medical laboratory technologists, mental health

workers, and other regulated and unregulated health care providers does Ottawa need now?

How many will we need in the future?

Because of the length of time it takes to educate health care providers, planners must be able to

anticipate changing population health needs and changing treatments, and forecast into the future11.

Increasing the labour supply – both by attracting and graduating more health care workers and

increasing the registration rates of immigrant health professionals – will be critical in meeting the needs

of Ottawa’s population in coming years.

Figure H6: Migrants as a Percentage of the Total Population, Canada, 2001

Source: Canadian institute for Health Information, 2008

Note: General Canadian Workforce and Selected Health Care Occupational Groups (Based on Place of Residence 5 yrs Earlier)

11

Laying the Foundation for Change: A Progress Report on Ontario’s Health Human Resources Initiatives (2005)

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ministry_reports/hhr_05/hhr_05.html accessed September 23, 2011.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Physicians

Pharmacists

Dental Assistants

Dental Hygienists/Dental Therapists

Dentists

Occupational Therapists

Physiotherapists

Audiologists/Speech-Language Pathologists

Medical Sonographers

Medical Radiation Technologist

Respiratory Therapists

Medical Laboratory Technicians

Medical Laboratory Technologists

Licensed Practical Nurses

Registered Nurses

General Canadian Workforce

Total Population

Intraprovincial Migrants Interprovincial Migrants

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ministry_reports/hhr_05/hhr_05.html


Immigrants make up a significant share of the Canadian health workforce, with more than 37% of all

physicians and about 20% of all registered nurses being foreign-born. Figures vary significantly between

health occupations, but large contributions of foreign-born professionals are also witnessed, for

instance, for dentists and pharmacists. However, certain professions seem to be excluding foreign-

trained professionals such as such as nurses – and increasingly physicians – as the rate of integration of

foreign-trained physicians has decreased tremendously from 30.5% in 1980 to a low of 9% in 2005

(Figure H7).

Figure H7: Share of Foreign-trained Physicians in Canada, 1968-2005

Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information and OCED Data, 2008.

Note: Percentages are computed as follows: The number of foreign-trained physicians (including US trained physicians) / the

number of total "active" physicians (including physicians whose country is unknown). Data refer together to family medicine and

specialist physicians, registered on a full and temporary basis. Data exclude residents and physicians working abroad.

Entry-to-practice rates are fairly low for foreign-trained graduates and will need to be increased

substantially – and a combination of training solutions and engaging with stakeholders (to making the

process easier and more transparent, while maintaining the quality of professionals) to review licensing

processes may be an option. Bridging programs have been set-up for foreign-trained healthcare

professionals; however, licensure and employment rates have to be verified. Anecdotal evidence

suggests although bridging programs may increase licensure rates, they do not tend to increase

employment post-licensure, thus not affecting the labour supply positively. Ottawa’s population is

increasingly multicultural, and an ageing multicultural population will require healthcare workers to

have multilingual skills. Culturally competent medical care services will be important and multilingual

skills will be important for Ottawa’s healthcare workers

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

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88

19

90

19

92

19

94

19

96

19

98

20

00

20

02

20

04

Physicians Registered nurses


Figure H8: Share of Foreign-born and Foreign-trained Health Professionals in Main Health

Occupations, Canada, 2006

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census, Citizenship and Immigration

12.

Note 1: Place of training refers to the place where the person obtained its most advanced degree (University degree at bachelor

level or higher). The share of foreign-trained could not be calculated for nurses because most of them do not hold a University

degree at bachelor level (more than 50% of head nurses and registered nurses and about 95% of licensed practical nurses are in

this case).

Note 2: Foreign-born data include all persons born abroad independently of their place of training and citizenship. Few foreign-

born health professionals were born abroad with the Canadian citizenship (about 270 specialists and general practitioners,

about 670 licensed practical nurses and less than 100 in other identified occupations). A non-negligible number of foreign-

trained health professionals were born in Canada (about 770 specialists, 840 general practitioners, 1500 licensed practical

nurses, 1000 dentists and 600 pharmacists).

Private Sector Innovation & E-Health

Stakeholder consultations outlined key trends that may have a significant impact healthcare. The first is

private sector innovation and service delivery. With an ageing population, there is immense scope for

ageing products such as assistive devices, personal support and nursing, long-term and short-term care

facilities. Considering that Ottawa is a technology hub, the city could consider playing a more strategic

role in attracting such health technology businesses to the region.

The second trend is electronic health informatics and distribution. Technology is changing the way we

deliver health. A Labour Market Survey e-Health Supplement13 gathered baseline data on e-Health

professions across Ontario’s hospitals.

12

World Health Organization (2008) International Mobility of Health Professionals and Health Workforce Management in

Canada: Myths and Realities http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/7/59/41590427.pdf accessed November 30, 2011.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Specialist physicians

Genreal practitioners

and family physicians

Dentists Pharmacists Head nurses and

supervisors

Registered nurses

Licensed practical nurses

Foreign-born Foreign-trained

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/7/59/41590427.pdf


E-Health professions are defined as roles that involve the planning, implementation, analysis, use, and

sustainability of e-Health technologies and systems with the goal of improving health service delivery.

The use of ICT/technical skills – whether in health technology or health informatics – will be critical.

Table H12: Number of e-Health Employees by Profession

e-Health Profession FT PT

FT Casual

PT Casual

Job Sharing

Total HC

% of Employees Reported

Applications Analyst/Specialist 257 9 12 1 0 279 18.62%

Change Management Expert 5 1 0 0 0 6 0.40%

Chief Information Officer 29 2 0 0 0 31 2.07%

Chief Medical Information Officer 1 3 0 1 0 5 0.33%

Chief Technology Officer 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.27%

Clinical Information Specialist 98 10 9 0 2 119 7.94%

Clinical Systems Instructor 23 4 0 1 0 28 1.87%

Computer Support Technician 228 32 10 4 2 276 18.42%

Database Analyst 26 2 0 0 0 28 1.87%

Decision Support Analyst 96 4 2 2 0 104 6.94%

Departmental-IS Liaison 44 5 0 1 0 50 3.34%

Director of Clinical Informatics 20 0 0 0 0 20 1.34%

Director of Information Systems 38 1 0 0 0 39 2.60%

Enterprise Architect 22 0 0 0 0 22 1.47%

Help Desk Manager 14 2 1 0 0 17 1.13%

Interface/Reporting Analyst 20 0 1 0 1 22 1.47%

Manager of Applications Development 36 1 0 0 0 37 2.47%

Manager of Systems Development 10 0 0 0 0 10 0.67%

Manager of System Support 27 1 0 0 1 29 1.94%

Network Manager 29 1 0 0 0 30 2.00%

Network Technician 95 8 1 0 1 105 7.01%

Process Analyst/Re-engineering Specialist

4 0 0 0 0 4 0.27%

Program/Analyst 76 6 1 1 0 84 5.61%

Project Analyst 42 0 1 0 0 43 2.87%

Project Manager 35 2 4 1 0 42 2.80%

Other Administrative 5 0 1 0 2 8 0.53%

Other Business/Clinical 15 1 1 0 0 17 1.13%

Other Technical 37 1 1 0 0 39 2.60%

Grand Total 1336 96 45 12 9 1498 100.00%

Source: Ontario Hospitals Association, 2009.

13

Ontario Hospitals Association (OHA) (2009) 2008 Ontario Hospital Labour Market Survey: e-Health Supplement - Findings

Report http://www.oha.com/KnowledgeCentre/Library/Documents/eHealthSupplement_FINAL.pdf accessed September 27,

2011.

http://www.oha.com/KnowledgeCentre/Library/Documents/eHealthSupplement_FINAL.pdf


Some key findings the e-Health Supplement were:

Across the 86 hospitals that answered this survey, 1498 employees were working in an e-Health role. The Champlain LHIN (Ottawa region) had the second highest proportion of employees (13.02%) working in e-Health after Toronto Central (15.69%).

Most of the reported e-Health professions are those considered to be founded in a technical discipline (65.29%). This suggests that Ontario hospitals are currently focusing on the ‘build’ of e-Health, ensuring that the hardware, software, and connections are in place to facilitate e-Health adoption.

The majority of staff members in an e-Health role are full-time regular employees (1336). It was also found that these full-time workers dedicate 1317.63 FTE hours to e-Health. The gap between head count and FTE may mean that some full-time workers have responsibilities outside of e-Health at the hospital.

For the fiscal year 2007-08, the top three pools of applicants that represented the primary sources for external hires into e-Health were:

Employees from other hospitals/health care organizations

Employees from the private sector, and

New graduates from a post-secondary educational institution.

Students who were on a co-op placement/internship/fellowship were also high on the list.

In terms of internal transfers into e-Health, the top three sources were:

Nursing,

Information technology, and

Administrative/operational support.

Allied health also ranked fairly high as a source for internal transfers.

The three most commonly cited issues that influenced the ability to find suitable human resources in the e-health sector were:

Not enough candidates/qualified applicants;

Candidates did not have the required competencies; and

The compensation offered for the e-Health position was not attractive enough.

Finally, not all healthcare jobs will be within the public health sector. As per stakeholder consultation,

private health services and independent contracting in healthcare are likely to rise. This will necessitate

training in entrepreneurship for healthcare workers.


Potential Actions

Investigate the need for enhanced multilingual and cross-cultural skills in the health sector.

Develop appropriate training.

Investigate the need for administrative skills in the health sector (e.g., data entry and note-

taking skills).

Explore development of cross-disciplinary training for emerging health technology/e-health

sector.

Explore development of ICT skills training in health technology.

Explore development of entrepreneurial skills for health professionals.

Explore advanced training for Personal Support Workers.

Explore ways to increase access to healthcare jobs by internationally-educated health

professionals. Verify the employment rate for graduates of health bridging programs in the

Ottawa region.

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