Return-for-service (RFS) bursaries for physicians have been in use in Canada for many years, yet little is known about the programs that are currently available or the features of the RFS bursary that are particularly important to potential participants. Using document analysis, we found that RFS programs were available in nearly all provinces and territories. A survey of medical trainees from Memorial University showed that the most important factors in their decision to accept an RFS bursary were the location they would be required to work, the monetary value of the bursary and the return time required to repay the service commitment. RFS bursaries fund trainees who plan to remain in the province rather than attract new trainees to the province. These bursaries may nonetheless serve to reinforce the decisions of physicians who are predisposed to work in an underserved community.