What is being done?

Physician recruitment and retention continues to be a top priority for Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), says Fraser Mooney, Public Engagement & Communications officer for Digby-Shelburne-Yarmouth Counties.

Last year, from April 2018 to February 2019, the province lost 109 doctors in Nova Scotia, mostly through retirement or relocation outside of the province. NSHA recruited 125 doctors over the same period. In the western zone (South West, South Shore, Annapolis Valley) there are approximately 34 vacancies for family doctors. Although the Authority is actively recruiting for about 34 vacancies, as Dr. Crystal Todd, director of family medicine says, “We will take as many as we can get.”

In Yarmouth, at least two family doctors will soon be closing their practice (Dr. Wertlen and Dr. Kim). As well, last year there was another family doctor who discontinued his practice to focus on hospital work.

On the plus side, in the past year, two of last year’s graduating class of Dalhousie Family Medicine residents have stayed in Yarmouth County.

“We really can’t overstate the importance of the Dalhousie Family Medicine Residency program in our area,” said Mooney. “Evidence shows that the location of training influences where physicians choose to work.”

Being able to have family medicine residents practice and train right here in south western Nova Scotia has been invaluable for our community, for our physician mentors, and hopefully for the residents themselves, he added.

More resources and additional support has been added to the doctor recruitment team in this zone of NSHA. The newest recruiter has only just started, but she is already focused on how best to highlight this area for potential new doctors.

A new NSHA doctor recruitment website was launched in the past year as part of a larger marketing strategy.

The authority also has a renewed focus on international medical graduates.

This year, NSHA is participating in more than 20 recruitment events and fairs across Canada, in the U.S. and Great Britain. International focus and partnership with the Office of Immigration has started to show some results and 20 per cent of hires this year are on track to be from international recruitment.

NSHA has also kept steady with site visits during the winter. Eight physicians interested in Nova Scotia were hosted in January, which is typically a slow time for site visits.

Regular meetings with community leaders from Shelburne and Digby Counties have been held, including municipal representatives, to talk about things like recruitment, how NSHA can improve access to primary health-care services and to develop local solutions to health-care issues in those areas. At the same time, in Yarmouth County, the authority plans on staying connected with the work of the local municipal health human resources committee.

Mooney says this is part of the work NSHA is doing to try to better support and include communities and local physicians in the recruitment process.

A provincial recruitment working group has been created with membership from Dalhousie Medical School, Doctors NS, the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Family Practitioners, Maritime Resident Doctors and the council of municipalities.