N.S. opens more seats for internationally-trained doctors who want to return for residency
The list of Nova Scotians without a family doctor has steadily increased throughout 2022, with more than 116,000 residents on the province’s doctor waitlist in October.
Now, Nova Scotia is opening 10 more seats to allow more medical graduates studying outside of Canada to complete their residency in their home province. The province says priority will be given to those with a connection to Nova Scotia.
The new seats are in addition to six previously designated seats for international medical grads interested in completing their residency in Nova Scotia, bringing the total to 16 students.
“We know that doctors stay and practise where they train. Without this pathway, these students are forced to accept a residency program wherever they can find a match. If they match outside Canada, they have a longer pathway to come home,” said Dr. Nicole Boutilier, vice-president of medicine at Nova Scotia Health and co-lead of the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment, in a Monday news release.
Boutilier added that some students “are spending five to 10 years in another country at that crucial age when people start to lay down roots and build community.”
It’s her hope that bringing more opportunities for international medical graduates to complete their residency in Nova Scotia will help with the current doctor shortage plaguing the province’s health-care system.
According to the province, the few residency spots offered to medical graduates from outside of Canada are coveted, with Halifax’s Dalhousie University receiving roughly 800 applications each year.
“We have heard from Nova Scotians who have gone away for medical school and want to come home but cannot get a residency here,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson in a release. “This new stream will help these future doctors start their careers where they want to be – at home.”
Applications for the Canadian Resident Matching Service program are available beginning Wednesday.
The province says any seats that go unfilled by Nova Scotians during the first matching round will then open to other international medicine graduates.
Those who are accepted to the program are required to work in an area of high need in Nova Scotia for at least three years after completing their residency requirement.
The provincial government has also created 10 new residency seats in family medicine for 2023.
Dalhousie University offered 48 family medicine residency spots for Nova Scotia in 2022. Next year, the university is offering 58.
Applicants must be able to verify their connection to Nova Scotia. Applicants are eligible if they attended a Nova Scotia high school or university for at least two years, if they’re a resident of Nova Scotia, or if they have another connection to the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.