Retention of specialist physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador

Abstract

Background: Specialist physicians make up nearly half of the physicians practicing in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) but very little is known about them. -- Methods: We examined registration data from NL to form cohorts of specialists initially licensed between 2000 and 2004 (cohort I) and between 1993 and 1997 (cohort II) and followed them up to 2007. -- Results: By the end of follow-up, 50.6% of specialists in cohort I were still practicing in the province (median time 66 months) and 15.6% from cohort II were still practicing in the province (median time 35 months). Survival analysis indicated that Memorial University medical graduates (MMGs) were more likely than other groups to remain in NL. Large proportions of specialists in our samples were non-certified and provisionally-licensed. -- Interpretation: Memorial University is a substantial contributor to specialist physician supply in NL. Increased recruitment of MMGs may improve long-term retention.