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Family Physicians in New Brunswick

New Brunswick’s family physicians perform an invaluable role in the province’s healthcare delivery and are often the public’s first point of contact. Family physicians are generalists providing care to people of all ages. They evaluate symptoms and treat diseases, psychological disorders and injuries in private clinics, community health centres, long-term care/nursing homes, and hospitals throughout New Brunswick’s rural and urban areas. Family physicians may take additional training to develop Enhanced skills competence in certain domains of care such as: Addiction Medicine, Care of the Elderly, Emergency medicine, Enhanced Surgical Skills, Family Practice Anesthesia, Obstetrical Surgical Skills, Palliative care, and Sports & Exercise Medicine. Family physicians contribute greatly to the health of our communities by assessing health risks and disease prevention, and by providing care to families through all stages of life from pediatrics to end-of-life care.

Recruitment Incentives for Family Physicians

There are recruitment incentives available for family physicians who choose to practice in New Brunswick. See the latest incentives and requirements here (PDF).

Personal Characteristics and Skills

  • A genuine interest in the welfare of people
  • Good communication and interpersonal skills
  • Good bedside manner
  • Self-motivation and high ethical standards
  • Compassion and maturity
  • Patience, empathy, respect
  • Good manual dexterity and attention to details
  • Analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Stamina required to work long hours
  • Ability to make decisions in stressful situations
  • Capacity and eagerness to learn new skills and information

Family physicians in New Brunswick have a variety of important roles, including but not limited to:

  • Taking medical histories and examining patients
  • Ordering diagnostic procedures, such as x-rays and laboratory tests
  • Prescribing and administering medication and treatments
  • Consulting with other medical practitioners to evaluate patients’ health
  • Performing and assisting in routine surgeries
  • Providing emergency care
  • Acute care management
  • Inoculation and vaccination
  • Pre-natal care, post-natal care, childbirth assistance
  • Co-ordinating or managing primary patient care
  • Supervising home care services
  • Reporting births, death, contagious and other diseases to governmental authorities
  • Providing counselling to patients and their families on healthcare including health promotion, disease, illness, and accident prevention

Family physicians work in a variety of settings, such as:

  • Private practice, including group or team practices
  • Hospitals
  • Clinics
  • NB Health Link program
  • Government departments and agencies

The average workweek of a family physician is incredibly diverse and usually depends on the type of practice and place of employment. For those working in hospitals or clinics, overtime, on-call, and shift work is often required, while private practices determine their own working hours. This type of work can be demanding, but it is also incredibly rewarding.

To become a family physician, you must have completed a doctorate of medicine (MD) from a school of medicine accredited program, followed by a family medicine residency training program. In addition, to practice in New Brunswick, Family Physicians and General Practitioners must be licensed with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick and be members of the New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS).

Education programs offered in New Brunswick include:

Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick (DMNB) – English program

Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick – French program