Come home: Nova Scotia expands residency spots to entice internationally-trained medical grads with ties to the province

Internationally trained medical graduates with ties to Nova Scotia will soon have an improved chance of landing a medical residency spot in the province. As of early December, Dalhousie University is allocating 10 new residency spaces for medical grads who studied abroad and have some kind of connection to Nova Scotia. Six of these spaces will be in the central zone, which includes Halifax, while two will be in the western part of the province, one in the northern zone and another in the east, according to a CBC News report. The new placements translate to 58 available spots in Nova Scotia—which hit a new high on November 1 when it logged 120,409 patients waiting for a primary care provider—for domestically- and internationally-trained family medicine graduates. Katrina Philopoulos, head of physician recruitment for Nova Scotia Health, called the latest development “a significant announcement” that her office is already promoting. Read: Questions unanswered amid calls for urgent action on Nova Scotia ER understaffing "We're already pushing it to medical students that we know are training in the U.S., Ireland and the Caribbean," she said. "We know that there's over 800 international medical graduates a year [who apply to Dalhousie for a residency], so adding 10 for us it's amazing.” The announcement is great news as well for Nova Scotians with family members studying medicine abroad, added Philopoulos. "As part of our role, we visit and meet with many community members across Nova Scotia and we hear from the mother or an aunt, or a grandparent who has a student or a child who is training abroad," she said. “(The additional spots) will give our kids a chance to come home sooner and it'll give our communities a better chance to retain doctors who come to practice here." Read: Fresh cases to better reflect patients in the clinic: Dalhousie University revises curriculum for pre-clerkship medical students The additional 10 spots will bring the total number of spaces for internationally trained medical graduates up to 16. Competition for spaces is expected to remain stiff, said Philopoulos. The residencies will come with a three-year service requirement to work in high-need areas in the province. Graduates who complete two years of training in clinics, hospitals and private practices will be eligible for family physician certification with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia. Residency applications will be accepted through the Canadian Resident Matching Service program and the new placements will begin in the fall of 2023. Any spots not filled by Nova Scotians in the first round of placements will be opened up to all internationally trained medical students without a connection to the province. Read: We might as well outsource our healthcare to Tim Hortons

Come home: Nova Scotia expands residency spots to entice internationally-trained medical grads with ties to the province

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