Why choose Alberta?
Alberta is the destination of choice for Canadians who want a province that offers a lower cost of living, including housing prices, than anywhere else in Canada. We offer a high standard of living, with no provincial sales tax, quality private and public education opportunities, and top-tier post-secondary institutions. Most communities are just hours away from the world-renowned Rocky Mountains, and every corner of the province is known for its national parks, outdoor adventures and stunning natural beauty.
Alberta offers:
- The lowest taxes in Canada: Alberta has no Provincial Sales Tax (PST), meaning you only pay the 5% federal GST on purchases. It also has one of the lowest personal income tax rates in the country.
- Affordable housing: Alberta has some of the most affordable housing in Canada, with average home prices that are often 40-50% lower than in Vancouver.
- Exceptional lifestyle: Known for stunning natural beauty, the province offers easy access to the majestic Rocky Mountains, world-renowned national parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, lush forests, rushing rivers and pristine lakes, which are ideal for adventure and exploration. Residents and visitors enjoy easy access to outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, camping, and horseback riding.
Rural Alberta is unique
Alberta is known for its friendly, diverse, and safe rural communities, making it an attractive destination for physicians and their families.
Rural communities are known for being welcoming and supportive, with each having its own unique local culture and charm. Alberta’s rural communities are filled with character—like the dinosaurs of Drumheller, the world's largest Pysanka in Vegreville, the Star Trek-themed attractions in Vulcan—and the historical charm of small-town main streets. Rural Alberta is also a hub for locally sourced food and culinary offerings, with unique restaurants, cafes, and markets offering fresh, farm-to-table dining.
Rural Alberta offers a slower, more tranquil pace of life, with a range of community groups and activities, and easy access to the outdoors. Alberta’s major cities, like Calgary and Edmonton, provide vibrant urban amenities, including shopping, dining and entertainment, and are usually within easy driving distance of most smaller centres.
Alberta depends on rural medicine
Rural Alberta is home to approximately 18% of the provincial population, yet generates more than 26% of Alberta’s total GDP. Rural health plays an essential role in driving that economic strength. The availability of rural health services is a key determinant in where businesses and industries choose to establish or remain in operation. Businesses want to know that their employees and their families will have access to high-quality primary and acute care—the care rural generalists, rural family physicians and rural specialists deliver.
Rural communities recognize how essential Rural Generalists and rural physicians are to the communities where they live and work, with many municipal governments undertaking recruitment efforts to encourage physicians to choose and remain in their communities.
Supporting and strengthening rural medicine
The AMA’s Section of Rural Medicine is the voice of rural physicians and Rural Generalists across Alberta. We work to educate and inform elected officials, partners and the public about the importance of rural medicine and to advocate for the financial respect rural and remote physicians deserve. We help Albertans understand what rural generalists do for patients and the economic impact rural health has on our communities and the future of our province.
As a physician working in rural and remote Alberta communities, you will play an integral role in the health of the people who live there, while enjoying a wider scope of practice than offered in urban settings. Rural medicine provides the opportunity, and the autonomy, to work in community practices, delivery rooms, emergency departments, operating rooms, continuing care facilities, and provide essential palliative mental health, women’s health, geriatrics and addiction care. You will lead multi-disciplinary teams, shape the future of rural health, and change—and often save—the lives of people who are your patients, your neighbours and your friends.
When you choose to practice rural medicine in Alberta, the SRM will be here to help you explore what rural medicine offers and the difference you can make. You can learn more about some of the work we’ve been doing by reading back issues of our monthly newsletter, Rural Rounds.
We’re also here to help you learn more about:
- The Rural Remote Northern Program – which provides financial incentives to support the recruitment and retention of physicians to live and practice in rural remote and northern areas of the province.
- Physician Locum Services Program – connects you with locum physicians who provide rural/regional locum coverage either full or part-time.
- Physician On-Call Program (Rural On-Call) – Rural On-Call funding is in place to compensate rural physicians who provide rural emergency on-call services at eligible facilities.
- Physician Locum Services - information on becoming a locum physician in Alberta.
- Benefits of AMA membership - information on what AMA membership offers.
- Become an AMA member - AMA membership is an investment in your profession, your practice and your patients.
If you have questions about being a rural physician in Alberta, please reach out to us anytime at [email protected].
