“Residency spaces are among our best recruiting tools – many residents who train here stay in Nova Scotia long term.” said Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey at the opening of the new North Nova Family Medicine training site on July 2, 2019.

Nova Scotians will have access to more family doctors, as six new residents began their training on Tuesday. The new North Nova Family Medicine Teaching Site in Truro welcomed the six residents with a lunch at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre, featuring remarks from representatives from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health Authority, and the Honourable Randy Delorey, Minister of Health of Wellness.

The additional spaces were announced last July and are part of Dalhousie University’s Family Medicine Residency Training Program.(Dr. Andrew Warren, Associate Dean Postgraduate Medical Education addressing the crowd. Photo: Communications Nova Scotia)

“In Nova Scotia, we have already proven the ability of residency sites to improve the availability of family physicians for rural or regional practice,” said Dr. Andrew Warren, Associate Dean Postgraduate Education. “This has been true in every single site we have opened, and we have every reason to believe that North Nova will be no exception.”

The residents will follow a non-traditional “longitudinal curriculum”, spending two years in a family practice where they will follow a group of patients, gaining skills and experience in areas like maternal care, mental health and senior care.

“Working in a rural setting, our residents will have the opportunity to learn a number of skills,” said Dr. Deanna Field, North Nova site director. “From minor procedures to home
visits to covering emergency rooms, our learners will be given a wide range of clinical opportunities.”

Based out of the North Nova training site, two residents will work in Truro, two in New Glasgow and two in Amherst. The existing Cape Breton training site will also welcome two additional residents. Two more family medicine residents will gain more clinical experience in areas that will improve services in the community - women’s health and community hospitalist medicine.

“I’m thrilled to be completing my family medicine residency through Dalhousie at the new North Nova site,” said Dr. Jamie Grandy, one of the six incoming residents. "This type of program will provide an excellent learning experience, and my plan for the future is to be a family physician in the Truro area.”

The Government of Nova Scotia will invest is $3.3 million annually in the new spaces.