Inspiring & uplifting!
From May 27-29th, the 20th Annual Canadian Society of Physician Recruitment (CaSPR) conference was held in St. John’s Newfoundland, gathering recruiters from all across Canada. The theme of this year’s conference was Finding the Extraordinary in Every Day. The backdrop of St. John’s was stunning, but the content and connections made during the conference highlights the critical and vital role physician recruiters play in building our communities across the country.
On a day-to-day basis, physician recruiters in our respective communities are often siloed and work independently. It was invigorating and refreshing to be in a room full of professionals that fight the same fight, experience the same types of challenges, celebrate the wins and assist us when we have setbacks.
Over this two-day conference, we heard from exceptional speakers on a variety of topics – Diversity, Inclusion & Health Professional Recruitment, Pathway to Pan-Canadian Licensure, The Power of Patience – trusting the process and enjoying the ride, Recruiting in the 21st Century. CaSPR Membership and conferences offer those entrusted with physician recruitment efforts from across Canada to share best practices, techniques, and tools which relates to all aspects of physician attraction and retention.
A bonus highlight from this trip, was gathering with my colleagues from the Southern Ontario Recruitment Alliance (SOPRA). In the summer of 2023, 16 recruiters from across Southern Ontario formed an alliance to represent Southern Ontario internationally. Since then, SOPRA has been represented at over 20 events in the US, UK and Australia. This June 15th, SOPRA is hosting our very first international recruitment event in Birmingham, England. This event is aimed at physicians interested in relocating to Ontario and we are thrilled that more than 60 physicians registered to participate. The power and impact of collaboration has set new heights for our efforts which are so critical to all of our communities.
We each have the same needs – bringing health care professionals to serve our communities. Another universal truth we all understand is that each doctor we work to recruit is an individual with unique and different interests and needs.
As recruiters, we seek to match their needs with the right community so they and their families can thrive and build a meaningful and extraordinary life.
Jenna Petker is the Director of Healthcare & Physician Recruitment for Kitchener, Waterloo, and surrounding Townships, with the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.