New family doctor residency positions target Nova Scotians who study abroad

Nova Scotia is opening up more spots for medical graduates with a connection to the province to return home, but it's expected the competition for the placements will be stiff.

The province announced Monday that 10 family medicine residency spaces are being created through Dalhousie University. New medical school grads who complete two years of training in clinics, hospitals and private practices will be eligible for certification as a family doctor by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.

They're designated for people who studied abroad and have some sort of connection to Nova Scotia, whether they're residents of the province, or went to high school or university in the province for at least two years.

"For us, it's a significant announcement," said Katrina Philopoulos, the head of physician recruitment for Nova Scotia Health. "We're already pushing it to medical students that we know are training in the U.S., Ireland and the Caribbean."

Philopoulos says her department is constantly being approached by people desperate for their loved ones to come home and work.

"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."

Up until now, there have been just six residency spots for internationally trained medical grads. The additional 10 will make a big difference, says Philopoulos, but they will be extremely competitive.

Graduates will have to apply through the Canadian Resident Matching Service Program (CaRMS) in hopes of landing a spot.

"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, it's a significant announcement. It'll 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."

As of November 1, Nova Scotia's waiting list for a primary care provider hit a new milestone with 120,409 names. People across the province have been calling for the government to do more. 

Of the ten new seats, six will be located in the central zone which includes Halifax Regional Municipality. One resident will be placed in the northern zone, one in the eastern, and two will be in the western part of the province.

All the residents will be required to work in areas of high need in the province for three years after they complete their residency.

Applications to CaRMS are opening this week, and the new placements will begin in the fall of 2023.

If any positions are not filled by Nova Scotians in the first round of placements, the spots will open to international medical graduates without a provincial connection.

The new residency placements mean there will be 58 available spots in Nova Scotia for family medicine grads, trained both in Canada and abroad, starting next year.