RPAP uses several means to support community physician attraction and retention efforts:
- RPAP’s Community Recruitment Consultants (CRCs) are involved In supporting the development and enhancement of local physician attraction and retention (A&R) committees. This involvement includes participation in community engagement activities, such as the annual Rural Alberta Community Physician Attraction and Retention Conference, and the administration of the Community Physician Attraction and Retention Website.
- RPAP’s support for physician attraction and retention extends to providing grants for innovative programideas to promote the attraction and retention of rural physicians or for project ideas at the local level to encourage A&R. It includes reimbursement of specified recruitment costs to Alberta Health Services/Covenant Health, clinics, and candidates.
In addition, RPAP utilizes a physician newcomer contact process to support the integration of new physicians to Alberta. RPAP connects with newcomer physicians for three reasons:
- To let newcomers know about/remind them about the RPAP.
- To check on how they are settling in and if they have been contacted by the local physician attraction and retention committee (if there is one in their community).
- To see if the newcomers require any resources/connections which the RPAP can provide.
An important aspect of the Rural Community Physician A&R Committees’ work is the effort to facilitate the integration of the physicians and their families into the community. These A&R committees seek to connect family members with relevant networks and systems found in the community, including employment opportunities for the accompanying spouse or family partner, as well as extra-curricular activities for children. RPAP CRCs assist the A&R committees to achieve this integration.
Objective
To support the establishment and sustainability of Community Physician A&R Committees and their efforts.
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RPAP | Health Workforce for Alberta supports Alberta’s rural practitioners, their families and communities in improving the quality of rural health care by offering comprehensive, integrated initiatives to enhance rural medical services, education, attraction, recruitment, and retention.
For further information visit rpap.ab.ca/KPI
Contact RPAP Research & Analysis at 780-423-9911 or email: info@rpap.ab.ca.