Northern Ontario researchers part of international doctor recruitment study

Researchers from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine(NOSM) in Sudbury and Thunder Bay are the only Canadians working on a $2.9-million international study on rural doctor recruitment.

The three year study, which began in June, is looking at physician retention in the northern European Union countries likeSweden, Iceland, Norway, the highlands of Scotland, as well as Nunavut in Canada.

• Nunavut joins European Union study to address high turnover of doctors

NOSM is trying to help the northern Canadian territory deal with a high turnover of medical professionals.

The school was approached for its involvement because of its mandate, and experience in the area of doctor recruitment, said Dr. Roger Strasser, the dean at the medical school.

"We have the track record of success in northern Ontario of improving access to health care, of producing doctors and other health professionals who are now providing care and staying in the remote and rural communities of northern Ontario. So we're drawing on that experience and now working with partners in Nunavut to make that sort of difference in the territory," said Strasser.

NOSM researchers have already identified 29 different factors which contribute to successful recruitment and retention of medical professionals in rural and remote communities, including community engagement, prior training, and the involvement of the recruited physician's family, said Dr. Strasser.

Data is currently being collected, and in 2017 researchers will begin trying out several new ways to attract doctors to Nunavut.

"This project is going ahead because of recognition, not just in Canada but actually internationally of the success of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, with a model that really has changed access to health care for people in northern Ontario," said Dr. Strasser.

In the third year of the study, the NOSM team will evaluate the changes that were made to doctor recruitment and retention in the Arctic.