Medical learner perspectives on elements of an educational rural generalist pathway: survey outcomes.

Introduction: The Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM U) continues to be challenged in meeting its social accountability mandate of addressing the rural health human resource crises in its catchment of Northern Ontario. Its new educational initiative, the Rural Generalist Pathway (RGP) aims to graduate family physicians specifically prepared for rural practice. This study elicits the perspective of NOSM U learners on the various components being considered for this educational pathway.

Rural physician-community engagement: Building, supporting and maintaining resilient health care strategies in three rural Canadian communities.

Objective: To explore rural physician-community engagement through three case studies in order to understand the role that these relationships can play in increasing community-level resilience to climate change and ecosystem disruption.

Design: Qualitative secondary case study analysis.

Setting: Three Canadian rural communities (BC n = 2, Ontario n = 1).

Approaches to locum physician recruitment and retention: a systematic review.

A robust workforce of locum tenens (LT) physicians is imperative for health service stability. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize current evidence on the strategies used to facilitate the recruitment and retention of LT physicians. English articles up to October 2023 across five databases were sourced.

Draw to Practice: A Qualitative Study Examining Factors Attracting Physicians to Rural Northern Ontario.

Introduction Physician shortages are a persisting issue in rural regions around the world, and rural Northern Ontario, Canada, is no exception. Even with significant government interventions, financial incentives, and rural-specific contracts, physician recruitment to the region remains an ongoing challenge. Refining recruitment strategies based on specific factors that attract physicians to rural practice could help address staffing shortages and, ultimately, enhance healthcare access and outcomes in rural communities.

Northern Ontario's Rural Physician Teams: Who, why and for how long.

Introduction: This study examines the state of Rural and Northern Physician Group Agreement (RNPGA) physician teams in rural Northern Ontario in terms of demographics, intent to stay, length of stay, number of physicians relative to the RNPGA-designated complement and perceptions of various workplace and community factors.

Materials And Methods: Data were based on a survey mailed, in 2018, to Ontario physicians in RNPGA communities having a designated complement of 2 or more physicians. Physicians reported on aspects of the work environment, community and intentions to stay.

Teams of rural physicians matter: Testing a framework of team effectiveness.

Objective: To examine how rural physician team effectiveness predicts outcomes of team performance, team commitment, and intentions to stay.

Design: Surveys measuring team climate, team efficacy, and team performance were sent to rural physician team members. Surveys measuring team performance were sent to external observers in supervisory positions.

Northern Ontario's Obstetrical Services in 2020: A developing rural maternity care desert.

Introduction: Rural maternity care services matter. Obstetrical care in rural Canada has seen concerning trends of service closures and decreasing numbers of family physicians who predominantly provide this service. Such reductions have been shown to have a serious impact on maternal/foetal well-being.

Why they leave: Small town rural realities of northern physician turnover.

Introduction: This study seeks to explore influential factors leading to physician turnover in designated Rural Northern Physician Group Agreement (RNPGA) communities in Northern Ontario, as well as physician's perceptions of the RNPGA contract and effects of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) on physician retention in these communities.

Methods: Twelve qualitative semi-structured interviews were completed with rural physicians who had RNPGA contracts within the past 5 years but had left their practice community. Data collected from recorded interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis approach in order to identify common themes.

Beliefs and Perspectives of Women and Obstetrical Providers in Northern Ontario on Water Births.

Objective: This study sought to understand the beliefs and perspectives of women in northern Ontario and their obstetrical providers with respect to water birthing as access to this service is limited in this region METHODS: All midwives, family physicians (FPs), and obstetricians providing labour and delivery services in northern Ontario were surveyed, as were a sample of labour and delivery nurses in the region and convenience samples of regional women.

Results: Of the 362 women who completed the survey (a 90.5% response rate), 81.

Evaluation of a novel model for rural obstetric care.

Introduction: The group practice physicians in Marathon, a small rural community in northwestern Ontario, discovered general lifestyle dissatisfaction with the traditional model for obstetric practice. The old model of doing the follow-up and delivery for one's own patients created perceived onerous on-call responsibilities. The providers created a new model of obstetric care.

Home or away? Factors affecting where women choose to give birth.

Objective: To investigate the factors that influence women to deliver their babies in small rural communities rather than in larger centres that have more comprehensive obstetric services, including cesarean section capability and epidural anesthesia.

Design: Self-administered survey.

Setting: Marathon, Ont, a rural community of 4500 in north western Ontario that offers low-risk obstetric services and has no local cesarean section capability.

Marathon works. How to thrive in rural practice.

Problem Being Addressed: Medical care in rural Canada has long been hampered by insufficient numbers of physicians. How can a rural community's physicians change the local medical culture and create a new approach to sustaining their practice?

Objective Of Program: To create a sustainable, collegial family practice group and address one rural community's chronically underserviced health care needs.

Program Description: Elements important to physicians'well-being were incorporated into the health care group's functioning to enhance retention and recruitment.