Disrupting and building a \u27Sense of community\u27: a case study of the Northern Medical Program.

Since the early 1980s, stresses associated with health care restructuring have led to concerns about long-term access to physicians in northern BC communities. The Northern Medical Program at UNBC was established to enhance the supply of physicians who want to live and work in northern BC. Previous research suggests that a strong sense of community among care providers can improve the efficiency and provision of health care services. However, it is unclear how changes associated with the implementation of the NMP have impacted the sense of community, through relationships and networks, of those physicians currently practicing in northern BC. Using key informant interviews with physicians in Prince George, BC, this paper explores how the NMP has impacted the sense of community amongst physicians by building or disrupting relationships and networks. While results suggest that relationships and networks have been disrupted in the short-term, the NMP has provided another venue for building relationships and networks to support the long-term viability of health care