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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.