U.S. doctors able to practice in Nova Scotia without more certification

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia is removing a requirement for U.S.-certified doctors wanting to practice in the province.

Going forward, American-board certified doctors will be eligible to be fully licensed without having to write Royal College exams first.

“It may not seem like big news to some but it’s a dramatic departure from the history of medical licensure in Canada,” said Dr. Gus Grant, registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia’s licensing body is the first in the country to remove the requirement.

“I don’t know the size of the effect. Time will tell. But I can say with absolute confidence the effect will be positive,” Grant said.

The change comes too late for retired U.S. oncologist Edward Arenson, but he still applauds the decision.

The U.S.-trained specialist fell in love with Cape Breton and decided in 2016 he wanted to move to the area.

Arenson said he had explored becoming a family doctor but said he was told he’d need four years of additional training and would be required to write an exam to make the transition.

Arenson said he also considered working as an oncologist in Sydney—as he had done for decades in the U.S.—but he would’ve been required to write a Royal College exam. He didn’t move to Cape Breton until he retired in 2020.

“I would’ve been here years earlier living in a place that I wanted to be and had to wait several years because of the situation with the licensing barriers,” Arenson said.

Still, Arenson is happy to hear the news and believes he’s not the only American-certified doctor with his eyes on Nova Scotia.

“From a broader sense, it means the problem of inadequacy of medical care is being taken seriously,” Arenson said.

Doctors Nova Scotia is also pleased with the step. The latest waitlist for a family doctor or nurse practitioner sits at around more than 133,000 patients.

“About a quarter of our physicians in Nova Scotia are over the age of 60 so we need significant transition planning,” said Dr. Leisha Hawker, president of Doctors Nova Scotia.

Dr. Gus Grant anticipates other provinces will follow suit and notes The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia is exploring extending the accommodation to doctors certified in countries besides the U.S.

“We can say with absolute confidence that American training and practice is substantially similar to that which goes on in Nova Scotia,” Grant said.

“The big long-term challenge is to figure out what other jurisdictions around the world are substantially similar.”