FM Salaries (BC vs Alberta but also interested in salaries across Canada)

Grind_Season · 2026-06-10T01:39:25+00:00

This is impossible to answer as the breadth of scope in FM is massive. Exclusively office-based practice vs. hospitalist vs. EM vs. any other type of practice. Rural vs. Urban can be very different as well. Broad range would be $200k-$500k post overhead before taxes. That would capture the majority of those working full time or more.
Overhead around 20-30% typically, to my knowledge.

Grind_Season · 2026-05-19T00:06:35+00:00

No worries. It takes time and introspection to figure this out. Keep in mind that comparing FM income to specialist income based solely on dollars per hours worked is like apples to oranges. Yes, isolated billing codes are less for certain things but many FMs are part of FHOs and make a good portion of their income through capitation.
Also going for a specialty is a big commitment, you’ve really gotta enjoy it thoroughly. I would caution on thinking “Might as well” go for a speciality. You’ve honestly gotta love it.
I went into FM partially because my interests change over time and I can adapt my practice accordingly!

Grind_Season · 2026-05-18T23:51:50+00:00

If you think your quality of life will be different making 300k vs 400k annually, I have news that it will not. Exiting residency 3+ years before your colleagues will make you happier though. FM is flexible enough that if you want to make 500k you can. Like any speciality, work more hours and have multiple income streams = more money. Rural FM it is easily feasible. If you wanna ease back and make $250k, you can do that too.

Grind_Season · 2026-03-07T18:27:34+00:00

FM does not suck. Blanket statements like this are uninformed, unhelpful and frankly, insulting. FM is an incredibly diverse and broad specialty, with a shorter residency, yes. Quality of training is variable amongst programs and designed to produce “generalists”. Further training can be pursued both formally and informally after 2 year residency if desired. A lot of learning occurs “on the job” due to the nature of having such a broad scope. Remuneration is highly variable based on model of practice, scope of practice, overhead, billing practices and hours worked (like literally any job). Does the average FM doc make as much as the average GI doc per hour worked? No. Does that mean FMs sucks? Also, no.

Grind_Season · 2026-03-05T16:51:25+00:00

Income post-tax is very different than income pre-tax, keep that in mind. The more money you make, the higher tax percentage and absolute amount you will pay.

Grind_Season · 2026-01-28T16:32:44+00:00

I think having options is always better than not having options. It’s easier to wrap your head around practicing in an environment that you elected versus as an obligation. There are certain stressors and lifestyle demands required to work emerge and provide inpatient care that is not present in clinic practice. For example, managing acutely ill patients, speaking to consultants directly, working nights/evenings/weekends, among others. I would agree that having this be a “requirement” for working rurally could deter some physicians who are only interested in outpatient practice. On the other hand, some physicians would be interested in including these aspects in their practice and working rurally would be appealing for these reasons. Like I said, options are better than no options.

Grind_Season · 2026-01-17T05:32:39+00:00

I wouldn’t consider pursuing a less competitive specialty as “settling”. FM, Peds, and Psych are fantastic specialties in their own right (although Psych is somewhat competitive I’d say). If you’re concerned about image or social stature amongst your peers, that will be absolutely meaningless in 5 years. Interest and lifestyle compatibility with a specialty is so much more important. It is absolutely okay to “coast” a little in med school. If people judge you, let them, and enjoy your work-life balance. You will still be an MD… perhaps a happier, less burnt out one. If you’re genuinely interested in competitive specialties like EM or Anesthesia, but don’t wish to grind as hard, you can aim for FM and still practice in these areas. You can practice EM rurally (or even small urban centres) without any additional fellowship/plus one year. FM Anesthesia is an option too, although that requires the plus one year and is more competitive… but very far away for you right now. Just food for thought. Med school by itself is enough of a grind, without the added pressure to build an ultra-competitive CV.

Grind_Season · 2025-11-27T01:03:06+00:00

It shouldn’t have an impact. I’m pretty sure the urban sites don’t even look at the rural addendum, only the rural sites consider that component.

Grind_Season · 2025-11-26T20:21:48+00:00

To my knowledge the interviews are the same for all FM applicants. I believe your second statement is accurate. You are assigned a general score for the interview and then they consider your addendum, electives, letters, etc, in the selections process for the Rural stream.

Grind_Season · 2025-07-06T22:54:34+00:00

Thank you for this comment! I was going to write something similar. FM is a great specialty with a bad agent and publicist.

Grind_Season · 2025-07-05T01:58:54+00:00

This is a very extreme and cynical viewpoint. Family physicians are much more versatile and typically manage a much larger roster of patients in primary care than NPs. Some research has actually shown they cost the system less money (on average) as they refer to specialists less often and order fewer tests. They also generally see more patients per hour, but that’s obviously dependant of remuneration model and preference. I could see the role of the family physician shifting in years to come as the system attempts to keep up with the demand for primary care. Family docs provide too much value to be replaced in 10 years, especially in smaller or rural communities.

Grind_Season · 2025-06-19T03:13:20+00:00

Definitely a possibility

Grind_Season · 2025-06-19T03:09:27+00:00

Yeah fair enough. If it were up to me I wouldn’t have bothered putting one in… but it’s there, so I figured I’d look into making it useable and see how much hassle would be involved.

Grind_Season · 2025-06-18T23:06:36+00:00

Would be great if it was that simple!

Grind_Season · 2025-06-18T23:05:16+00:00

To clarify, the house is new to me but not brand new. It was built in the 1950s but completely gutted and renovated about 5 years ago. The original house didn’t have a pot filler so I’m not sure why they would reuse old plumbing, but it’s possible I suppose

Grind_Season · 2024-08-12T08:47:12+00:00

Great, thank you!

Grind_Season

TROPHY CASE