Scholarship Opportunity for Future Doctors

Woodstock – Future family doctors could receive a scholarship from the City of Woodstock to help fund their training. The City is offering five $1,000 scholarships for people currently enrolled in a medical school or family medicine residency program. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be a resident of Woodstock or Oxford County and be registered in a medical school or family medicine residency program recognized by the Medical Council of Canada. Eligible applicants can apply online with their current Curriculum Vitae (CV), proof of acceptance or current enrollment in a recognized program and a written submission outlining their future career intention.

Like many communities, Woodstock does not have enough family physicians to meet current needs. Staff has been actively working to recruit more doctors to the community since it was identified as a community priority in the 2012 Strategic Plan. The scholarship is one of the new initiatives introduced as part of the 2024 budget.

Based on calculations from March 2020 data from the Health Analytics Branch and Health Force Ontario, it is estimated that at least six new family physicians are needed to meet local demand in the City of Woodstock alone. Factoring in the need across Oxford County, data suggests the number of new doctors required to meet the demand is closer to 12.

Visit www.woodstockdoctors.ca to learn more about scholarship program and apply online.

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