A couple hiking along a shoreline, a lively beer garden and fresh lobster are some of the images the Nova Scotia Health Authority is showcasing to try to entice physicians on its new recruitment website.

More than Medicine, which is now up and running, includes current jobs listings and a breakdown of the different health regions. It also features information on everything from local historic sites to the average house price, with the backdrop of picturesque coastlines and people enjoying local meals.

Grayson Fulmer, senior director of medical affairs for NSHA, said the health authority had hoped to have the site up and running in June, but adding some job-search features and setting up a physician ambassador section — where candidates can connect with doctors who work in a specific region — took longer than planned.

Grayson Fulmer, senior director of medical affairs for NSHA, says the recruitment website offers potential physicians a chance to learn more about life in Nova Scotia. (Robert Guertin/CBC)

"Really focusing on the lifestyle content and making sure we're linking to different communities and really highlighting the positive aspects of living in Nova Scotia took us a little bit more time," he said.

"We wanted to ensure the quality of the work was there instead of moving quickly and having a lower quality product."

Another feature is a questionnaire doctors can fill out to help determine if they're eligible to work in Nova Scotia. Initially some of the combinations resulted in an error message. However, those were fixed by late Wednesday morning.

The cost of the project was capped at $25,000. The new site will be promoted at upcoming international and national recruitment events.

The health authority worked with the provincial Tourism Department to incorporate high-quality photos and videos. Fulmer said he hopes the site makes information related to living in Nova Scotia more accessible.

For instance, he said the health authority included a section on surfing after noticing it pop up on some candidates' profiles. The site now links to current surf reports at Lawrencetown.

"Surfing seems to be high on the list of activities and lifestyle interests so it was great that we were able to integrate that information into the website."

Other factors affect decisions

The lack of an online presence before now was a "huge gap," said Tim Holland, president of Doctors Nova Scotia. He described the new website as "beautiful," but added he hopes it's part of a broader recruitment effort.

"It can make the environment seem really attractive to live in. However, you also have to focus on infrastructure, administrative burden and compensation. The other factors that go into a decision when a physician is looking at Nova Scotia."

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