小蓝视频

The Sun Country Health Region has changed its medical bursary policy in an effort to improve their recruitment of new doctors.

This fall, the region will target their medical bursaries to third and fourth year medical students in the family practice stream, and first and second year residents in family medicine.

These medical students will be offered up to $100,000 in exchange for four years of service. Smaller amounts are available in exchange for fewer years of service.

"We need family physicians, now and into the future, and we see this as a good way to ensure we have the doctors we need when we need them," said Don Ehman, vice-president of Human Resources.

The new policy was announced to a group of medical students at the University of Saskatchwan this week.

"We've been seriously recruiting for the past five years and realized we need to change our focus. We need to be more successful in our search, and quicker. It can take up to 18 months to get a foreign-trained physician through the immigration process and into the area," said Ehman, noting there are six communities in Sun Country that are short of doctors right now.

One of the things the region will look for from bursary applicants are rural backgrounds and a desire to work in a small community for the long term, not just for a few years.

"Students who come from the southeast of the province and are familiar with living here, and are convinced they want to come back here to practice, will be the first on our list to receive a bursary," said Ehman.

Sun Country also has bursaries of up to $25,000 per student year for a maximum two year return-for-service agreement for medical students, and there are relocation grants available to new employees in hard-to-recruit professions, including physician, registered nurse, registered psychiatric nurse, licensed practical nurse, nurse manage, pharmacist, physical therapist, occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist, among others.

The terms are up to $10,000 for two-year return-for-service agreements for full-time employment.