Moncton gets first medical grads

The University of Moncton graduated its first class of medical students Saturday.

Degrees were presented to 24 students.

Officials at the institution said they hope that training physicians in New Brunswick will mean more doctors will stay and practice in the province.

Erica Doucet was valedictorian of the first group of graduates to come out of New Brunswick's only medical school. 

Doucet said she was proud of the honour.

"This is a very special day. We're very pleased to be able to share it with our family, with our friends, from Moncton and here in New Brunswick," she said.

Doucet said she is going to Sherbrooke this fall to complete her residency but plans to return to Moncton to practice.

Ease shortage

Dr. Aurel Schofield, associate dean of the medical school, said now that the province is training its own doctors, he hopes it will ease the shortage of family physicians.

"Fifty-four per cent of them will be going into family medicine and will be trained right here in New Brunswick in our program, so we should have a very, very high rate of recruitment and retention from those students," he said.

The University of Moncton will soon have company, as Dalhousie University is opening a medical program on the Saint John campus of the University of New Brunswick.

The Halifax-based university plans to admit 30 students this September.