Recruitment program brings more than 100 foreign-trained pharmacists to Nova Scotia

Prescription drugs are seen on shelves at a pharmacy in Montreal on March 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

HALIFAX -

One year after its launch, a streamlined licensing program aimed at attracting foreign-trained pharmacists to Nova Scotia has drawn more than 100 applicants to the province.

The Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists launched the program last December. The governing body reached out to pharmacists in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The program was made possible through the provincial Patient Access to Care Act, which waives the national licensing exam and internship period that is otherwise mandatory when internationally trained pharmacists come to practise in Canada.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Instead, applicants are now required to complete an open-book jurisprudence exam, provide a letter of good standing and complete a criminal background check.

Since the program started, 102 pharmacists have applied to be licensed in Nova Scotia -- 32 have their licences and 70 applications are being processed.

Bev Zwicker, CEO and registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, says the five countries were selected because their education models, scope of practice and regulatory oversight are similar to Canada's standards.

She said the program dramatically reduces the wait-time for approval to "weeks versus years."

"It's making it a much more feasible undertaking for people who are looking at Nova Scotia," she said in an interview Friday.

Allison Bodnar, CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, said pharmacists in the eligible countries are attracted to the program because the province allows pharmacists to treat minor ailments and administer vaccines.

"We have one of the broadest scopes of practice in the world, which is why there's so much interest in coming here," Bodnar said.

This isn't the province's only program aimed at attracting health-care professionals from abroad. In October, the province announced it would establish a Halifax clinic where the skills of international medical graduates will be assessed.

When it was announced, Premier Tim Houston said the program would cut the assessment time from 18 to 12 weeks.

Bodnar says the recruitment campaign for pharmacists will continue for another year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.