The Lure of Tantramar

Sackville is part of the Municipality of Tantramar, which also includes Dorchester and surrounding districts. It is an idyllic small town at the heart of the Maritimes, which boasts Mount Allison University, one of the best undergrad institutions in Canada, a plethora of recreational, creative, and social opportunities, and a strong sense of community and caring.

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Sackville Memorial Hospital

The heart of healthcare in the community is the Sackville Memorial Hospital with 21 acute care beds, an ER open 8 am to 4 pm daily, a day surgery program, as well as on-site lab, imaging, physio, OT, dietician, extra mural hospital program, and a variety of clinics – diabetic, respiratory therapy, ambulatory care, MINT, and numerous specialty clinics run by Moncton consultants.

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Options for Family Physicians

There are two group clinics in town. One is the Tantramar Primary Health Care Centre, a collaborative care clinic run by Horizon Health, which currently has an MD, two NPs, and a variety of allied health and support staff. The other is a shared clinic space with three MDs. Both clinics have shared EMRs. There are also a few FFS practices.

 

Office-based physicians can opt for either salaried or FFS reimbursement. They are responsible for helping to cover hospitalist service or the ER ($225/hr), where there is the option of being the second physician who sees less urgent cases. (Physicians who work only in the ER are not obliged to do office or hospitalist medicine.)

 

Other opportunities include working in the local nursing homes (the Drew in Sackville or the Westford in Port Elgin) on an hourly/sessional basis, working at the Mount Allison University student health centre, doing procedures in the Ambulatory Care Clinic, and assisting in the OR. This array of options allows doctors to practice the wide array of skills they have learned and create a very rewarding work experience.

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Nearby Resources

Sackville physicians can refer patients to consultants and radiology services at the hospital in Amherst, NS (15-min), as well as The Moncton Hospital and Dr. Georges-L. Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, NB (30-min).

 

Recruitment Incentives

Physicians who set up practice here are eligible for a $100,000 grant from the Province of New Brunswick. Top-up incentives are also available from Horizon and funded by the Sackville Memorial Hospital Foundation, helping to make Sackville competitive with neighbouring provinces.

 

Community Support

Both the Municipality of Tantramar and the Rural Health Action Group will happily put you in touch with local resources such as real estate agents, schools, sports and artistic groups, etc. Contact us for a personalized tour of this unique community.

So the question “Why work in Tantramar?” is an easy one to answer. Much more difficult is finding reasons “Not to work in Tantramar.”

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Dr. Ross Thomas
Sackville, NB