NH Physician Recruitment Update

By 250 News

Table from briefing note included in NH's Board meeting agenda

 Prince George, B.C.- After prolonged periods of crisis managment, three medical departments within the Northern Interior have experienced recruitment success...

The Departments of Psychiatry, Anaesthesia and Internal medicine were three crucial areas that benefitted from recruitment efforts in 2010. A report presented to Northern Health's Board of Directors at its meeting in Dawson Creek last week highlighted the 20 physicians recruited to the region last year (shown in table above).

In her overview, Northern Health's new Physician Recruitment Coordinator, Charlene Thomas, also detailed the 16 medical staff recruits with confirmed arrivals in 2011 (as of April 1st). There has been some relief for Mackenzie, where a Family Practise physician arrived in March. But the situation remains dire in Burns Lake, where just one physician has been secured, with an arrival date of September. (click here, for previous story)

The following table shows just where the recruits are going:

At present, there are 63 vacancies in the Northern Health Physician Human Resource plan - the bulk of which are in Family Practise (34), followed by Psychiatry (9) and Internal Medicine (9), both Paediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynaecology have two vacancies and there single openings in several specialty areas.

Thomas says NH's is committed to strategic physician recruitment with a focus on 'finding the right fit, for the right community', and in a timeframe that supports rural communities in maintaing sustainable medical services. In her report to the board, she also says there's been a paradigm shift from 'filling vacancies' to 'promoting opportunities'.

To that end, Northern Health will launch a new website tomorrow with creative recruitment strategies, similar to those employed by the Northern Cancer Centre - where Thomas previously oversaw the successful strategy that attracted oncologists to the region. It will feature newly recruited physicians and their families, along with testimonials from physicians actively practising in northern communities.

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