What’s involved in recruiting health professionals to Saskatchewan?
According to recent statistics, Saskatchewan has approximately 900 more doctors working in the province than it did 10 years ago – due in large part to the efforts of Saskdocs.
Saskdocs facilitates physician recruitment and retention for the Saskatchewan Health Authority and medical practices across Saskatchewan. Its sister agency, Health Careers in Saskatchewan, helps recruit and retain other health-related professions to the province. These professions range from continuing care assistants to Registered Nurses.
Health Careers also posts positions for well-paying health care facility support roles, such as administrators, cooks and environmental services workers.
James Winkel is communications manager with Saskdocs and Health Careers. He says that the types of physicians Saskdocs is looking for include internal medicine specialists, family physicians and psychiatrists.
“There is always a need for physicians in more rural and remote parts of our province. We know from studies, and anecdotally, that physicians can be attracted to rural and remote locations by monetary incentives. The top reasons that physicians stay in these roles are spousal opportunities and a good lifestyle fit,” said Winkel.
Saskdocs has a threepronged approach to making sure Saskatchewan has the right number of physicians for the province’s growing population: the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA)
program, engaging with University of Saskatchewan medical students as soon as they are accepted into the College of Medicine, and working with Manitoba and British Columbia to recruit and place physicians.
SIPPA is a competency assessment program for physicians from other countries. Beginning in 2011, SIPPA ensures that internationally trained physicians – who want to practice family medicine in Saskatchewan – have the right clinical skills and knowledge to provide quality patient care.
“We are really proud that of the 41 physicians who moved through the 2017-2018 SIPPA program, there was the highest-ever pass rate at 91 per cent,” said Winkel.
On the Health Careers side, in-demand professions include combined laboratory
and x-ray technologists (CLXT), medical lab technologists, medical sonographers and Registered Nurses.
Health Careers uses different tactics to recruit hard-to-fill positions, including social media and tracking gradu-
ating classes in these professions.
“The Saskatchewanderer actually did a story on a CLXT named Pam Rauscher who saw a Facebook post and moved from Mackenzie, BC, to southwest Saskatchewan in 2016. Pam’s move was a smooth transition. We often find this happens when the candidate either grew up in a small town or currently lives in a small town,” explained Winkel, who is himself from the town of Middle Lake.
Dr. Susan Shaw is chief medical officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority and a member of the Provincial Leadership Team. She also actively practices critical care medicine and anesthesiology in Saskatoon. Dr. Shaw is considered a leader in patientand family-centred care, continuous improve-
ment and large-scale system change.
“When we recruit health care providers to Saskatchewan, we talk about how they’ll join a dynamic health care team that grounds itself in Patient First and continuous improvement to provide high-quality care to the people of Saskatchewan,” said Dr. Shaw.
“Saskdocs supports the recruitment of University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine graduates to medical careers in our province. The team also recruits doctors trained both within and outside Canada who like what our province has
to offer in terms of personal and professional development, along with work-life integration. Health Careers in Saskatchewan helps recruit all the other providers who make up these dynamic teams. Combined, these people make the province and the Saskatchewan Health Authority a real leader in health care design and delivery,” said Dr. Shaw.
While there is always a need for psychiatrists, the demand will increase with the opening of Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford – a new 284-bed facility with 32 more beds than the existing hospital. This includes 96 secure beds for incarcerated offenders living
with mental health issues.
The new North Battleford hospital will be an innovative approach for delivering mental health care to two separate groups with significant psychiatric rehabilitation needs. Other related roles that Health Careers is recruiting for are Registered Psychiatric Nurses and mental health therapists.
Dr. Shaw concluded: “I urge any health care provider to view all our opportunities on the Saskdocs and Health Careers in Saskatchewan websites and apply today. We have so much to offer.”
Find out more at www. saskdocs.ca or www.healthcareersinsask.ca.