Doctor Who Practiced in Both the U.S. and Canada Compares the Two Systems — Volume, Pay, and Appointment Length All Differ Significantly

An X post from @JayGenXer shared a TikTok video from creator Ashley, a family doctor practicing in Ontario and also board-certified in the United States.

In the video, she said she frequently gets asked by international medical graduates and doctors considering a move to Canada about the differences between practicing in the two countries, and she outlined several of them in her TikTok.

According to Dr. Ashley, the biggest difference was patient volume. In the U.S., she saw 18 patients a day, spending 20 to 25 minutes per visit covering all of a patient's medical concerns and screening questions. Her U.S. workday ran from around 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

In Ontario, she said, standard visits do not typically run 25 minutes, though she noted that time is still made for mental health concerns or urgent matters.

The U.S. system she worked in was primarily private, with her employer billing $250 per visit to a patient's insurance regardless of the reason for the visit. Ashley said she was a salaried employee in the U.S. with benefits and a biweekly paycheck.

In Ontario, the pay was more directly tied to patient volume, meaning she earned nothing during vacation, illness, or time away from seeing patients, though working longer hours could increase earning potential at the cost of higher burnout from paperwork, phone calls, and follow-up work.

Some replies described their own experiences with short appointment times in other provinces. One commenter wrote, "In Quebec, we get about four minutes and just one issue! You have two problems, than take another appointment! That's the 'free healthcare' that costs me $16,000 a year, 40 percent of my income taxes, which is part of healthcare in the budget in Quebec!"

One commenter disputed her characterization, writing, "My doctor books 20 minute appointments and covers all issues I present. Maybe Dr. Ashley's just not a good doctor? The other issue that Dr. Ashley won't have to deal with in Canada is getting approval from an insurer who decides whether or not to approve her designated treatment for a patient."

One commenter expressed broader skepticism about the healthcare industry, writing, "I imagine that, in four to five years, everyone in healthcare will be replaced by robots. And it's just as well. COVID taught us one thing, it etched indelibly into our brains, at least those of us who were not sheep. Virtually everyone in the healthcare industry cannot be trusted."

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify Dr. Ashley's employment history, patient volume figures, or the billing amounts she described. The details above reflect her account as shared on TikTok and reposted on X by @JayGenXer. Comments from other users reflect their personal opinions and have not been verified.