Appropriate training for northern physicians

It remains difficult to find appropriately trained physicians to work in isolated northern areas. Urban-based family medicine programs have not been able to provide appropriate training. The Northern Family Medicine Education (NorFam) Program of Memorial University of Newfoundland was created to fill this need. This paper reviews the NorFam Program and discusses current practice locations and the relevance of the program as reported by its graduates. From 1993 to 1995, the NorFam Program trained 14 residents. The residents participate in a variety of educational and training activities--all chosen to be as relevant to northern practice as possible. When the graduates were surveyed, nine had remained in northern/remote or rural practice and three were doing further medical training. All respondents reported that the NorFam Program gave them more relevant training for northern practice than they would have received in an urban-based family medicine program.