Praise for Fredericton Chamber's approach to physician recruitment

Home is where the doctor is; In our view: Chamber's plan to recruit doctors has an emotional edge others lack
The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Page: C7
Section: Opinion

There's no place like home.

That is the adage the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce hopes will prove true as its newly formed working group tries to bring local medical students home upon graduation.

There are at least 305 New Brunswickers studying medicine somewhere in the world right now, 300 of them in North America.

The chamber wants to track down the ones from the Fredericton area, develop a relationship with them, remind them of how great their hometown is, and offer whatever support and assistance it can. That could include information on available office space and job vacancies for spouses, administrative assistance, and the set up of meetings with whomever new doctors need to connect with.

With so many members of varied backgrounds, the chamber is the perfect organization to meet all the needs of new medical graduates looking to set up shop in the area.

But by far the most important action this working group can take is the cultivation of relationships with medical students. While cash, which they won't be offering, is a welcome incentive to new doctors, and connections, information and support have their value, the ties people have to home are equally powerful.

Of course some new doctors will want to explore other regions, but for many people, there is an unbreakable, emotional link to home. When properly nurtured by ongoing positive contact throughout medical school, this connection to home can be a real hook to lure these graduates back to Fredericton.

The chamber has come up with a unique plan for doctor recruitment and it has an emotional edge that other recruiting programs lack. Those other programs might offer free season passes to hockey, skiing and theatre, and they might boast a signing bonus, but they don't have the sentimentality of childhood memories, grandma's big house, familiar neighbourhoods, playgrounds and schools, and favourite places. They don't have the support system that comes with an extended family. In fact, these incentive programs lack any emotional connection to the new doctor.

That's why the chamber program has the potential for real results, and results are what the region needs to meet the growing demand as boomer-aged doctors set their sights on retirement and their fellow boomers require more medical attention.

However, we advocate going one step further. Why not expand the program, in due time, to target all doctors with ties to Fredericton? The appealing, familiar lifestyle this city offers might prove to be exactly what doctors far from home are yearning for as they cope with overwhelming traffic, noise and crime where they now live.

The chamber has discovered a powerful recruiting tool. We wish them well in their endeavours, and encourage them to expand it,for all our sakes.

© 2008 The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton)