New Brunswick bringing medical school students home to train

The New Brunswick government is moving 10 medical seats from Memorial University in Newfoundland to the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick program.

While the move doesn't increase the total number of seats for New Brunswick medical students, it will save money and make retention easier, said Trevor Holder, the minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour at an announcement on Monday.

"Retention rates for physicians trained within New Brunswick have been much better than for those studying outside the province," said Holder. "This strategic move will improve our chances of having newly trained physicians stay and work here."

He said roughly 40 per cent of New Brunswick medical students trained outside the province return to New Brunswick to work, while 60 per cent of those trained here will stay.

The province funds 70 medical seats in medical schools each year. By next fall, 64 of them will be provided within New Brunswick. Another six will continue to be available in Quebec.

"It's pretty clear that when students are able to learn in a certain environment, that's where they're likely going to stay. It's that simple," Holder said following the announcement at the Dalhousie University medical school on the Saint John campus of the University of New Brunswick.

Change = savings, says minister

Holder said the province initially paid $50,000 per student to Memorial University, but that cost increased over the years to about $130,000.

A spokesperson for the department later said the cost to train a doctor in New Brunswick through the Dalhousie program is approximately $60,000.

Holder also said the intention is to ultimately turn the cost savings into more seats for New Brunswick students.

"Our intention is that there needs to be more seats. What that looks like will be based on our conversations with both universities, both Dalhousie Medicine and Sherbrooke, as we move forward."

Health Minister Bruce Fitch said the province is currently short by about 250 doctors.

He said the move to train New Brunswick's future doctors within the province is "a step in the right direction in terms of securing more physicians for New Brunswick. We remain committed to searching for additional opportunities to get more resources in our health sector."

 Staying where you train 'makes sense'

Dr. Jennifer Hall, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick associate dean, said the school gets "an abundance of New Brunswickers applying for the positions here at DMNB and we're not able to provide a seat at this point in time for every New Brunswicker who meets our criteria and for admissions."

She said by training in New Brunswick, students "become true members of the community in which they train."

After attending university outside New Brunswick for her undergrad, first-year medical school student Kiera Dolan said she understands why so many students end up staying where they study.

"When you go somewhere else and you study somewhere else, you have a life outside of school, too. So you can definitely get attached to a location, to life outside of school."

Dolan, who grew up in Rothesay, said you make friends in that place, discover career opportunities there, and develop a support system.

"I think that makes a lot of sense to stay where you train. You make so many connections ... So it opens a lot of doors to train and study somewhere and I think it just makes it easier to stay there afterwards, too."

As a New Brunswicker, Dolan also appreciates the opportunity to come back home to attend medical school.

"We really need physicians in this province. So being able to study here, get the connections here and really just work in the community, it's really important. And I hope that people see how great it is to live here. I grew up here, so I know how great it is already."

Dolan said her intention is to remain in New Brunswick after she completes her training.