Efforts underway to license more internationally trained physicians in Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons is looking to license more internationally-trained doctors.

As thousands of Nova Scotians wait for a family doctor, there could be hope on the horizon.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia said calls are now being made to patients on the waitlist to receive care at a soon-to-open clinic. The Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence, also known as PACE, will help license more internationally-trained physicians while offering care to Nova Scotians.

“The way the delivery of care will take place there is we will have a physician assessor – a fully licensed Canadian doctor – who will be overseeing the care delivered by a team of two to three international trained physicians,” said College of Physicians and Surgeons CEO Dr. Gus Grant.

The centre is scheduled to open next month and is expected to expand next year.

“Each of those teams will have a patient roster of 1,200 to 1,400 patients,” said Grant.

According to the college, 573 physicians were licensed between 2022 and 2024. That includes 260 physicians.

Nova Scotia Health said there are currently 116 vacant physician jobs in family medicine. It’s one of many areas being heavily recruited.

“We’re working not only here in our backyard and focusing on our Dalhousie residents, following Nova Scotians that are maybe training elsewhere outside of the country, as well as really expanding our international market,” said Nova Scotia Health physician recruitment director Katrina Philopoulos.

Nova Scotia Health has been working with the college on different recruitment and assessment efforts. Grant said the college wants to move away from a strict reliance on exams to a more robust workplace-based assessment.

“We want to widen the door to licensure as wide as possible without lowering the bar of competence,” said Grant.

Philopoulos sees the benefits in making those assessment changes.

“As you can appreciate, a mid-career physician who’s been practising in a different jurisdiction for a long period of time doesn’t really feel good about potentially having to come and write another exam that’s in another country,” she said.

Grant said while recruiting internationally trained physicians is important, there needs to be a focus on retention.

“We need to set them up for success and practice here, so they want to stay,” said Grant.

The Department of Health and Wellness said recruiting and retaining health-care professionals, specifically physicians, is one of the most pressing issues facing health care.

“Along with our partners, we’ve made many positive changes, like boosting physicians’ pay, making it easier for doctors to come work here, and providing funding to communities to support local recruitment and retention efforts,” said a spokesperson in an email to CTV News.

“We’re pleased to see such impressive growth in the number of doctors calling Nova Scotia home. We remain committed to recruiting and retaining the physicians we need to meet Nova Scotians’ health-care needs.”

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