According to the numbers more physicians are practicing in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment has resulted in 91 physicians practicing in the province since 2011, with 19 passing the most recent assessment. The Sunrise Health Region has seen 10 physicians practice as a result of the program, with three in Yorkton specifically.
The program's goal is to increase the number of doctors practicing general family medicine in rural areas, explains James Winkel with saskdocs. There are three intakes each year, in January, May and September, with thirty spots for each intake. The doctors take a test at the beginning of the assessment and now 25 are beginning the next phase of the program, which is a clinical assessment in a rural location.
"In a perfect world we would have 90 new physicians every year, but obviously not all of them make it through," Winkel says.
Rural family medicine is the area which has seen the most need in the province. Doctors in the program are sent to locations based on need. Winkel says that the program has been successful in alleviating some of the pressure on rural health regions.
"It's helping us as we work on our retention of Canadian medical graduates and other practicing physicians right now."
Retention is the big problem for the province right now, Winkel admits, given the amount of opportunity out there, especially for family physicians. He says that the more doctors are recruited, the easier retention becomes, because it's easier to manage a balance between work and family, but it's still not at the point where they want to be.
"The more doctors you have, the more you can balance out the work load in a clinic or in a community or a region."
While there has been thought to expanding the program given the need, Winkel says that the priority is on managing the program at its current size, and responding to feedback from physicians to see ways to improve the program. He says the goal is to improve the program at its current size before expanding it.
Recruiting University of Saskatchewan medical graduates is also a priority, and Winkel says that keeping local doctors is similar to recruiting internationally, since one needs to recognize the amount of opportunities out there but highlight the benefits of the province, and of rural practices.
"There is a lot of opportunity in Saskatchewan right now, both for physicians and their families, and you will probably find that most communities and regions are flexible in what kind of work arrangements are available."
