How a rural Nova Scotia village found a new doctor amid widespread shortage Social Sharing – CBC
Having roots in the community helps with retention, says Cheticamp’s retiring GP
Sep 02, 2022
A housing shortage, large patient rosters, and a lack of support are some challenges for recruiters looking to attract doctors to rural areas of Nova Scotia.
That challenge is underscored by a doctor shortage that’s left more than 100,000 Nova Scotians without a family doctor.
Despite those challenges, Sacred Heart Community Health Centre in Cheticamp has managed to keep doctors for long periods of time and even recruit new ones to the rural area.
Dr. Marcel Aucoin was a family physician in Cheticamp for 26 years. He retired last month, but not before recruiting his own replacement doctor — the daughter of one of his colleagues.
“It was an easy fix, let’s say, for our situation,” he said.
