Stettler County, town join forces to offer financial incentives to address critical doctor shortage

Both the Town of Stettler and Stettler County are ramping up efforts to attract medical professionals as the county grapples with a severe physician shortage that has left the central Alberta community in a health-care crisis. 

Since November, Stettler has seen a sharp decline in its physician numbers, dropping from 12 doctors to just eight, serving a population of 5,752 as of 2022. 

The situation is poised to worsen as the community's only anesthesiologist prepares to leave the position to Red Deer in September.

Mayor Sean Nolls said the county and town are considering incentives to help recruit doctors.

"We're looking at a compensation package that works for doctors," he said. "That could involve housing, that could involve alleviating some of the costs of the clinics.… that could also include a bonus as well."

Nolls said they have not decided on an exact amount yet but will discuss it with doctors they are recruiting about their needs and will go from there. 

He said the town is also looking into red tape reduction, specifically asking the province to reduce the assessment period for doctors. 

"If we were recruiting only internationally … we could hire those six, eight doctors and they wouldn't be here for two years. And that's not very helpful," he said.

The province has an extensive process for foreign medical graduates. It includes a practice-readiness assessment and several other steps that include a review of their qualifications, completing any required exams, securing sponsorship for a position to work in Alberta, and submitting any supporting documents.

"This entire process can take anywhere from 10 months to three years, depending on each physician's individual circumstances," Melissa Campbell, senior communications adviser for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta wrote in an email. She said they have been working on several initiatives over the past few years to support the province's recruitment efforts.

She pointed to the accelerated Practice Readiness Assessment from six months to three months and the expansion of the sponsorship model from AHS alone to any individual, organization or corporation.

Before November, Stettler had 12 doctors that practised either out of their clinics or at the Stettler Hospital and Care Centre, according to the county. 

After a number of them left, the town was left with eight doctors, six of whom are emergency physicians, according to Alberta Health Services. 

The issue of shortage of doctors in the province is not new. In December 2023, the emergency department in the village of Boyle, Alta., located approximately 160 kilometres north of Edmonton, had to shut down for multiple days due to lack of doctors.