In light of doctor shortages all over Canada, it is not surprising Bracebridge is looking at ways to draw physicians to the community.

“We do face an ongoing shortage of not only family physicians but also specialists,” said Barry Lockhart, CEO of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, the organization that runs the hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville.

A public community welcome on Sept. 4 for seven third-year medical students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is part of a strategy to attract future doctors to the area, said Jill Harris, economic development assistant for the town of Bracebridge.

“The hope is that they will become familiar with the area and some may come back,” said Harris. “This is one of the steps the community is taking to address the shortage.”

Lockhart said the physician recruitment committee for the region works to bring physicians — both Canadian graduates and foreign trained doctors who are getting Canadian licensing — to the area.

Three of the seven students from NOSM will do a 32-week clerkship in the Bracebridge area. Four students will work toward their accreditation in Huntsville.

This is the second year the towns have hosted students from the school. Last year, two medical students were placed in Bracebridge and it was hailed as a success, said Liz Parrott, academic co-ordinator for the comprehensive community clerkship for NOSM.

Parrott said the three students coming to Bracebridge all chose the community as their first choice to do their clerkship.

“They want to be there (Bracebridge),” said Parrott.

John Sisson, Bracebridge CAO, said health care is a priority for the town. The municipality has been proactive in the recruitment of not only physicians but also health-care professionals in general.

There is a general shortage, said Lockhart, adding nurses, pharmacists and allied health practitioners are also in demand.

The medical student’s clerkship is part of NOSM’s degree program. In the 32 weeks the students will be assigned to family practice for 2-1/2 days a week. They will also spend time in the hospital emergency room and operating rooms, said Parrott.

They will work with allied health in programs like physiotherapy and occupational therapy and get a chance to learn at various health-related centres and in the community at large.

“The main goal of the program is to establish a relationship,” said Parrott.

The public will have a chance to meet all seven medical students at the Bracebridge Sportsplex Sept. 4 from 3 to 4:15 p.m. There will be a welcome from dignitaries including Mayor Don Coates.

Those wishing to attend the community welcome for the students are asked to RSVP Jill Harris at 645-5264 ext. 227 or e-mail at jharris@bracebridge.ca.