Doctors

Alberta recognizes the vital role that physicians play in helping make Alberta a leader in health care delivery and health care innovations.

Alberta's health care system is one of the best in the world and one of the provincial government's top priorities is to develop advanced approaches to delivering health care services.

As such, Alberta offers physicians, both general practitioners and specialists, a wealth of challenging and rewarding opportunities, a high standard of living and a variety of exciting activities to enjoy.

Physicians in Alberta have access to first-rate research programs, competitive compensation and incentives, and medical practice options that suit their career aspirations and preferred lifestyle.

Working as a Physician in Alberta

Physicians are licensed health care professionals and are educated in the general practice, with opportunities to focus in specialized areas. Specialist physicians may work in one or more of several specialties including, but not limited to, anesthesiology, family and general medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and surgery.

Physicians may work independently or participate in health care teams and co-ordinate their work with other physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care providers.

There are two types of physicians in Alberta:

• General Practitioners (including Family Physicians)
• Specialists.

General Practitioners (GPs)

General practitioners (GPs) provide essential primary health care contact. They examine patients and advise them on diet, hygiene and preventative health care, and diagnose and treat patients' diseases, physiological and psychiatric disorders, injuries and other health-related problems.They usually work in private office practices or in group and team practices, like in hospitals and clinics.

Find out more about being a General Practioner in Alberta.

Specialist Physicians

Specialist physicians include those that work in clinical medicine, in laboratory medicine and in surgery. Specialists in clinical medicine diagnose and treat diseases and physiological or psychiatric disorders and act as consultants to other physicians. Specialists in laboratory medicine study the nature, cause and development of diseases in humans. Specialists in surgery perform and supervise surgical procedures. Specialists in clinical medicine usually work in private practice or in a hospital while those in laboratory medicine and in surgery usually work in hospitals.

Find out more about being a Specialist Physician in Alberta.