Sharing and communicating online has become the way of the world. Following the launch of a physician recruitment website in 2014, the South Peace region of northwestern Alberta is hoping the world will find its way to them.
In 2014, the South Peace Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee—representing the County of Grande Prairie, the communities of Sexsmith, Beaverlodge, Wembley and Hythe, and Horse Lake First Nation—launched a physician recruitmnent website with the goal of attracting healthcare professionals to the region.
The South Peace committee decided to enhance its online presence after representatives attending the 2014 RPAP Community Conference learned about success of the Oyen Physician Careers website. Launched in 2012, the Oyen Physician Careers website and social media strategy, the latter supported by an RPAP Community Grant, has been successful in helping to fill all physician postings in the southeastern Alberta community.
Following the conference, the South Peace committee successfully applied for a grant contribution from RPAP, which went towards the construction of www.spparc.ca – promoting “Health Care in the County of Grande Prairie, Alberta”.
According to Leona Hanson, Mayor of the Town of Beaverlodge, working together to build a recruitment website has allowed the individual communities to reach a greater audience.
“Because we’re working cooperatively together, we have a greater ability to put out more information to promote any of our communities as a place that new physicians or physicians wanting to relocate can come and choose to live.”
The RPAP Community Attraction and Retention Grant program fosters the development of projects at the local community level, facilitating the attraction and recruitment of physicians into rural Alberta communities.
Grant funding has supported several physician attraction and retention marketing efforts, including a new physician recruitment website for the South Peace Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee.
These annual grants are intended to provide one-time funding for a rural physician attraction and retention project, or seed funding for a long-term project, to be carried out by an active community attraction and retention committee.
Examples of programs that are eligible include:
- The development of a formal community physician attraction and retention Plan.
- The development and production of physician attraction and retention marketing materials.
- Administrative supports for an attraction and retention committee.
- Support for an attraction or retention event.
For further details on the RPAP Community Attraction and Retention Grant program, contact the Community Recruitment Consultant who works in your area.
The RPAP Community Grant guidelines and application form can be accessed here.