Breaking trail in the Northwest Territories: a qualitative study of Indigenous Peoples’ experiences on the pathway to becoming a physician

ABSTRACT

Currently, there is a lack of Indigenous physicians in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. The goal of this qualitative study was to explore the underlying factors that influence the journey to becoming a medical doctor and returning home to practice for Indigenous students from the NWT. Eight qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone or in-person. Participants represented Dene, Inuvialuit and Métis from the NWT and were at varying points in their journey into careers in medicine, from undergraduate university students through to practicing physicians. The main themes identified included access to high-school courses, the role of guidance counsellors, access to mentors and role models, a need to prioritise clinical experience in the NWT, influences of family and friends, diversity and inclusion, and finances. Interpretations: Significant barriers, some insurmountable, remain at every stage of the journey into medicine for aspiring Indigenous medical doctors from the NWT. These findings can inform policy development for pathway programs that assist aspiring Indigenous physicians at each stage.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous
• medical education
• Northwest Territories
• physician
• circumpolar
• doctor
• diversity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Funding and support was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Team Grant in Community Based Primary Health Care [TT6-128271], Gordon Foundation, Jane Glassco Northern Fellowship, Institute for Circumpolar Health Research.