Graduates of Yarmouth family medicine program all decide to practise in community

Dr. Maddy Arkle had never seen Yarmouth, N.S., before she moved there in 2018.

The self-proclaimed Prairie girl had only been to the East Coast on a few occasions. But after hearing from colleagues that southwestern Nova Scotia was a great place to be a medical resident, she applied to a Dalhousie University residency program located there.

"There's obviously the appeal of the outdoors and being so close to the ocean," she said. "That's certainly a special thing for me."

While Arkle grew up just outside of Winnipeg, she now considers Yarmouth home. She and her husband have decided to stay permanently.

"At this point, we're really happy where we are and ready to set down roots in Nova Scotia. Maybe we can convince some of our family to come out this way rather than us going back home."

As she officially begins her career, Arkle expects to spend her time working at a family clinic, at the hospital and by taking on some nursing home patients.

This year, six of the people who are graduating from the residency program have opted to stay and work, which is exciting news for an area where there has been a persistent physician shortage. A seventh graduate is entering an emergency fellowship, and will also stay in the area.

The community is celebrating its recruitment success, especially given that five of the physicians who have been hired are from other provinces, including Ontario and British Columbia.

"That was a really great win for us," said Patti Smith, a physician recruitment consultant in the western zone for the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

"I really do credit the physicians that are in Yarmouth, the preceptors and the community itself for being so welcoming and working so hard to keep the residents there."

Four of the physicians will be practising either full or part time, another has taken on a hospitalist position at Yarmouth Regional Hospital and the sixth has committed to doing locum work.

Once they graduate at the end of June, Yarmouth will have just one vacancy left for a family physician.

"I think it's a really great situation. I think there's been so many different factors that have come together," said Smith.

Yarmouth has aggressively pushed physician recruiting. Last year, community stakeholders hired a navigator who helps with everything from finding homes for physicians to helping their spouses look for jobs.

Arkle's husband is a mechanical engineer who found a job in a boat shop in Meteghan. She said they were invited to recruiting events as soon as they arrived, which helped with the transition.

The provincial government also added 10 family residency placements in other rural areas as part of its recruitment plan, bringing the total to 42 spots. The hope is more residents will stay on long term, even if they're not from the province.

What helped Arkle decide to stay

For Arkle, part of the appeal of the residency program was working in a variety of areas in and out of the hospital. She spent some of her time in Dr. Kenny Yee's office in Barrington Passage.

While working there, she did house calls on Cape Sable Island, which she said helped seal the deal when deciding to stay.

During her first shift as a resident, Arkle said patients were asking her to stay on after the residency and be their doctor.

"It's such a unique community and somewhere that people wouldn't really be able to experience unless you're here," Arkle said. "That really for me has been a great experience. I'm glad I had that chance."

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