Dalhousie med school sees more family doctor graduates than other fields
This year Dalhousie University graduated more medical students into the family medicine field than any other and it comes at a good time.
"I would say that there is a dire need for family physicians," said Dr. Katherine Stringer, department head of family medicine at Dalhousie University.
The 2024 graduating class has 62 medical students pursuing their residency training in family medicine, which is a major milestone for the program, especially at a time where more Maritimers don’t have a family doctor.
According to recent data from Nova Scotia Health, there are 160,234 Nova Scotians on the need-a-family-practice wait list, which represents 16.2 per cent of the provincial population.
There are 38,157 patients looking for a family doctor on Prince Edward Island, which represents 22 per cent of the island's population.
In New Brunswick, the medical society says at last count there were 92,000 people on the doctor wait-list.
Stringer says Dalhousie Medical School has been systematic in their approach to the doctor shortage and the strategy is straightforward.
Over the past five years, they have increased the family medicine curriculum by bringing more family doctors into the classroom and by putting all medical students into family clinics across the Maritimes.
"If you look back to medical schools in the past, they are traditionally taught within the hospitals, and now we are realizing, well, that's not where most of the medicine is practiced, so really we should be teaching outside of hospitals," said Stringer.
By all accounts the strategy is working. In 2018, 25 per cent of the graduating medical class chose to pursue family medicine. Fast forward to 2024 and 52 percent of the class in moving into family residency.
Dalhousie medical school grad Dr. Nick Ellingwood was one of them. He credits his learning in the family clinics and his mentorship with family physicians as driving factors to pursuing family medicine.
"I think it was my time in a family practice outside of the hospital setting that was really instrumental in my decision to pursue family medicine," said Ellingwood.
The 26-year-old is beginning his family and emergency medical residency in New Brunswick this week and says being able to form relationships with patients and the variety of medical practices within family medicine is the part of the job he most enjoys.
"Being able to develop such great relationships with my patients and understanding their individual needs and unique needs of the community is something that I value," said Ellingwood.
While working in the emergency department he saw what it was like for individuals who were struggling without a family doctor. He's seen the need in his community and the family doctor shortage in the Maritimes and that's part of what motivates him.
"How that impacts their hospital stay and presenting to the emergency room and how that could have been alleviated if they had a family physician," he said.
Stringer says of the 62 grads who are entering family residency training, 40 are electing to do their post-graduate placements in the Maritimes.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6946509.1719687583!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Who are the richest people in Canada? Here's how many billionaires there are
If you gathered all the wealth that billionaires currently have worldwide, you would have about US$14.2 trillion, according to Forbes Magazine. But what about in Canada alone?
'7 years of regret': Raunchy leg piece wins bad tattoo competition at Edmonton Expo Centre
Friday night was a celebration of mistakes for a small group of body art enthusiasts.
Health Canada recalls brand of sunscreen product due to potential fungal contamination
Double check your sunscreen products before lathering up this long weekend, as Health Canada has recalled several lots across the country.
U.S. and Europe warn Lebanon's Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel and back off from wider Mideast war
U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months. Iran and Israel traded threats Saturday of what Iran said would be an 'obliterating" war over Hezbollah.
Lightning deal Sergachev, Jeannot; Maple Leafs acquire Tanev's rights at NHL draft
General managers wheeled and dealed Saturday in Sin City.
Arizona man gets life sentence on murder conviction in starvation death of 6-year-old son
A northern Arizona man has been sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on convictions including first-degree murder in the 2020 starvation death of his six-year-old son, according to court proceedings.
Despair in the air: For many voters, the Biden-Trump debate means a tough choice just got tougher
The sound you might have heard after the presidential debate this past week was of voters falling between a rock and a hard place.
opinion Practical tips for seniors who want to supplement their retirement income
Are you retired and looking for some ideas to help make some extra money? Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew has some tips to help you earn some income in your golden years.
235 flights cancelled as WestJet waits to hear from labour minister on next steps in mechanics strike
WestJet said 235 flights have been cancelled Saturday as it waits to see what the next steps are in its ongoing labour dispute with its mechanics.