SHA and North Battleford Medical Clinic actively recruiting family physicians

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and North Battleford Medical Clinic are actively recruiting family physicians to the area. Given the recent and ongoing physician vacancies in the Battlefords, recruitment efforts are important to ensure the community and surrounding region have an adequate and sustainable supply of family physicians in the long and short-term.

“We understand the concern about the reduced number of physicians available in North Battleford and are attempting to fill the vacancies as soon as possible,” said Andrew McLetchie, SHA’s Vice President of Integrated Northern Health. “We are committed to work alongside the North Battleford Medical Clinic to look for all possible solutions and minimize the impact these current vacancies are having on patient care while active recruitment is underway.”

The North Battleford Medical Clinic and the SHA are working together to implement additional clinic supports where possible such as Registered Nursing and Nurse Practitioner support. Patients in the Battlefords may also be able to book an appointment with a family physician at the Twin City Medical Clinic, which takes same-day appointments via phone calls and supports current patients for day-to-day health needs (i.e. prescriptions, test results).

Physician recruitment/retention is a challenge across the country. However, provincial recruitment strategies include targeted recruitment of Saskatchewan graduates; and broader efforts to recruit national and internationally trained physicians to the province. Specifically, the University of Saskatchewan’s family medicine residency training program is offered in North Battleford, as one of eight communities around the province, and teams also engage with local trainees at information seminars, career fairs and conferences. In addition, the SHA and its partners support and encourage medicine students to take electives outside of their training sites in order to gain exposure to other communities.

Recruitment efforts continue through the fall. Please call 911 in the event of an emergency or HealthLine 811 toll-free 24 hours per day if you have non-urgent health or mental health-related questions.