Nova Scotia targets Canadian doctors working in Australia with new recruitment program
Health Department has launched one-year pilot program
Nova Scotia's Health Department has launched a one-year pilot project in the hopes of repatriating doctors currently working in Australia.
The government signed an untendered contract with Launch Pad Jobs Inc. at the end of January to recruit doctors here through the recently-opened Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence. The contract will run until March 31, 2026, and could be worth a maximum of almost $1.25 million.
A department spokesperson said the aim of the contract is to recruit Canadians working in Australia.
"This is part of the Office of Healthcare Professional Recruitment's efforts — along with its partners — in building a sustainable pipeline for physician recruitment," Amanda Silliker said in a statement.
The department didn't make anyone available for an interview. During budget debate earlier this week, Health Minister Michelle Thompson told the legislature that Australia and South Africa are two key markets the province is targeting for doctor recruitment.
Silliker said Launch Pad was selected because of its partnership with OzTREKK, a company that helps Canadians study medicine in Australia. Launch Pad is the exclusive placement service for alumni of the OzTREKK program.
"This offers them unique, timely access to this specific market, ensuring a continuous recruitment pipeline of quality candidates for Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence," said Silliker.
The Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence provides a setting for internationally-trained doctors to be assessed while they are also providing care for unattached patients in a clinic setting with physician oversight.
It's a partnership between the province, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia and the Medical Council of Canada, and replaces the practice ready assessment program that was operated by Dalhousie University.
The process aims to shorten the assessment period from the traditional 18 months to just 12 weeks. People who complete the program must sign a three-year return of service agreement to continue practising medicine in Nova Scotia.
When it's operating at full capacity, it's expected the centre will issue about 45 licences a year.
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