Kincardine is going international in its efforts to bring more physicians to the area.
Physician Recruiter and Hawthorne Community Clinic Manager Chrystel Murphy says she attended the first annual Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK conference in Glasgow, Scotland on Oct. 19 and 20.
The event organized by The Canadian Society of Physician Recruitment was designed as an international outreach to try and draw medical students to practice in the area. It is a not-for-profit organization, in which Kincardine is an active member, and Murphy also visited another expo in Dublin, Ireland on Oct. 21.
“It was an exciting conference, the exhibition had over 1,000 physicians attending and a lot were interested in coming to Canada,” says Murphy. “I attended the event independently to share the word that Kincardine is recruiting family physicians for our community.”
She says this trip was part of the municipality’s goal of ensuring everyone in Kincardine has a family physician.
While no commitments were officially made at the event, as there is normally about an 18-month process from getting a lead to bringing the physician to the community, there were over 300 leads gathered during the trip.
“A few of them are actually from Bruce County area so that is looking really positive,” says Murphy.
She says one of the key takeaways from her time at the conferences, for the 400 Canadians in Ireland studying and getting their medical degrees, there is a desire to come home when they are finished.
“They are looking for that pathway, they are looking for opportunities here in Canada once they are finished becoming a doctor and so we are hoping to help make those pathways more accessible,” says Murphy.
When asked if attending this event each year will become a regular to recruit physicians, she says it depends on the municipality’s strategic plan and budget limitations for 2024.
