Physician recruitment is important, but retention is just as important.
That was a prominent message conveyed as the Docs by the Bay physician recruitment program hosted their second Medical School 101 information session on Wednesday night.
Participants, including students and guidance councillors from the Quinte, Kingston and Peterborough areas, heard from six doctors and medical students with ties to the area about their experiences and their paths into the medical field.
Physician Recruitment and Retention Manager Paula Mason says the doctors hired locally come from four sources, and of those four sources; 25% of doctors are homegrown, which is why reaching out to local students now is so important.
The group at Docs by the Bay want to get to know students who are applying to medical school early on, and want to keep in touch along the journey of becoming a doctor in hopes they will return to the area.
Mason reinforced that retention is just as equally important, if not more important than recruitment of doctors to the Bay of Quinte area.
Dr. Erica Brant summarized the medical school journey for the almost 50 people in attendance.
She spoke about how many medical schools are in Canada (17), how many are located in Ontario (seven; McMaster University, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, University of Toronto and Western), how many people write the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) each year (80,000), how many applicants get into medical school (10%), the military pathway to becoming a doctor and the different pathways for indigenous and black students.
Participants were then able to ask questions of the panel following the presentation, asking about things such as extra-curricular recommendations, reference recommendations or specific medical fields.
Docs by the Bay has hired five new doctors this year, has more than doubled the number of learners coming to Quinte West and Brighton and has also significantly expanded its prospects list.
