Challenges and Opportunities in Recruitment and Retention of Rural General Practitioners 16 th March 2013 Wesley Henderson 1.

Challenges and Opportunities in

Recruitment and Retentionof Rural General Practitioners

16th March 2013

Wesley Henderson

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Recruit and Retain

• 8 partner regions: Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden

• Aim “ to identify solutions to difficulties in recruiting and retaining high quality personnel to work in the public sector in remote rural areas of Northern Europe”

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Catchment Area (Ireland / Northern Ireland)

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Status Report Compilation•Geography•Demographics•Health care systems•Education•Challenged Areas in recruitment and retention

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Surveys•Purpose•Contents•Circulation of Surveys•Challenges•Key Findings

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Semi Structured Interviews•Purpose•Categories•Format of interviews•Key Findings

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Negative Perceptions of Rural Practice

• city view of country• teaching hospital view of

medicine• “learned helplessness”• isolation of rural practice• good rural practice impossible• fear of being “trapped”

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Challenges of Recruiting for Single

Handed Practice• Bureaucracy in activity reporting

• Work – Life Balance

• Business Management skills

• Spouse/ family factor

• Lack of Investment in Facilities8

Challenges of Recruiting for Single

Handed Practice• Rural allowances not weighted

highly enough• Work-life balance• Diseconomies of scale• Locum cover for holiday periods

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“VICIOUS CIRCLE” of Rural Practice

Heavy workloadand responsibility

New graduatesstay in the city

Family & financialdisadvantages

Negative perceptionsof rural practice

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Attractions of Rural Practice

• environment & lifestyle• variety of practice• independence/responsibility• whole patient/family/ community care• role in community

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Rural Practitioners

• wide range of services• high level of clinical

responsibility• relative professional

isolation• specific community health

role

“Extended Generalists”

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Recruitment & Retention Strategies

• education and training

• financial incentives & rewards

• personal & professional support

• sustainable service models

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Recruitment Facilitators

for Rural Practice • rural upbringing• positive undergraduate rural clinical

experiences• targeted postgraduate training for rural practice

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Professional and Personal Support

• better living conditions• supportive work

environment• outreach support• career development• professional networks

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Other Support Factors in Rural Health Care

•specialists’ support role

•partnership not putdown

•Technology to bridge distance

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Australian and Canadian Initiatives

• Rural and Remote GP Program

- Rural Workforce Agencies

• Retention Payments

• Rural medical family network• Rural medical school 19

NorwayRecruitment strategies:

•Recruit those with Local attachment or who like aspects of life.

•Additional holidays.

•Action Zone to promote settlement.

•Exchange system between primary and specialist health care.

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Recruit and Retain

We aim to develop co-ordinated packages which will support the:

•Training of health care personnel

•Skills development

•Effects of isolation

•Welfare of families

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