Use of clinical placements as a means of recruiting health care professionals to underserviced areas in Southeastern Ontario: Part 2 – Community perspectives

OBJECTIVE: Part 2 of this two-part study identifies current recruitment strategies and existing incentives used by underserviced communities to recruit health science students during the clinical placement stage. Discussion surrounding current gaps in recruitment strategies and potential funding sources are explored. DESIGN: Mixed-method two-part study using a self-administered questionnaire. SETTINGS: Six community hospitals and one private practice. PARTICIPANTS: Community resource contact from seven underserviced communities in Southeastern Ontario. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Level of community agreement that current recruitment strategies include travel stipends, rent-free accommodation and interprofessional education opportunities. RESULTS: A 100% response rate established that one sample community provides travel stipends, three provide rent-free accommodation, and four offer interprofessional education opportunities. These incentives were frequently offered exclusively to medical students. CONCLUSIONS: When considering the results from part 1 of the study, there is a substantial gap between financial incentives students deem important in the creation of an appealing clinical placement opportunity and the provisions offered to them by the sample communities. The findings of this study support the need for a recruitment enhancement program in Southeastern Ontario.