One of our readers made some thoughtful suggestions. SOHC’s replies are in bold.
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Before we can figure out how to attract doctors to the rural Princeton area we need to address why they don’t want to be here. A Nova Scotia study done in 1998 found the following reasons doctors don’t like to practice in rural communities:
– Excessive work hours This is still a problem, however we currently have 3 physicians and a nurse practitioner and are hoping to be able to attract two more physicians

– Lack of specialists which means less opportunity for interaction with specialists We now have a visiting specialist program (11 different specialists) who love coming to Princeton, our docs love having the interaction and the patients like it because it cuts down on traveling Continue reading →

On May 26, iStan made a visit to the Emergency Room at Princeton General Hospital. Designed to provide an opportunity for health care providers to practice potentially lifesaving skills, iStan is the trade name of the “most advanced wireless patient simulator on the market.” As explained by Dr. Matt Petrie with the Interior Health Mobile Simulation Program, iStan “talks, blinks, breathes” and is capable of simulating a variety of scenarios that duplicate real life situations. Petrie was joined by Dr. Karla Tajik and Colleen Brayman who formed the visiting Simulation Team. Continue reading →

Cascade Medical Centre in Princeton has announced that Dr. Tim Van Der Heide will be joining their team of health care professionals beginning in July. Dr. Van Der Heide is originally from Chilliwack, and did his residency in Prince George with Dr. Ella Monro. Dr. Van Der Heide will be taking over Dr. Devinder Sandhu’s practice, who is leaving the Clinic on August 21st.

SOHC and other members of the Princeton Health Care Steering Committee continue to work collaboratively to recruit additional physicians to the community.