News

Dr. Gus Grant has been elected President of the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC). Dr. Grant, AB, LLB, CCFP, is the Registrar & CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia. FMRAC is a national organization with the provincial and territorial medical regulatory authorities as its members. FMRAC develops positions and policies on issues relating to the regulation of medicine in Canada.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia hosted the panel discussion, “The Moral and Professional Implications of the Supreme Court Decision on Physician-Assisted Dying” on May 22, 2015 at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The panel was moderated by Dr. Gus Grant, Registrar and CEO of the College and included the following panelists: Jocelyn Downie Dr. Rocco Gerace Dr. Jeff Kirby Dr. Nuala Patricia Kenny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCOIaiH3O6g

The College will not be offering the Clinician Assessment for Practice Program (CAPP) examination going forward and has cancelled the exam scheduled for June, 2015. Launched in 2005, CAPP was designed to select and support International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who are practice-ready, without any additional formal residency training in Canada. It created a pathway for IMGs to receive provisional licensure to practise with supervision in underserviced communities, while working towards full medical licensure. This decision will not affect those physicians currently licensed through CAPP. These physicians will continue to receive support and supervision from the College while in practice. The…

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia is pleased to announce Dr. John Fraser as this year’s recipient of its Gold-Headed Cane Award. The award recognizes an outstanding community-based physician who exemplifies professionalism in service to their patients, profession and community. The award was presented to Dr. Fraser by the President of the College Dr. James MacLachlan. Dr. John Fraser has spent over thirty years working as a Family Physician at the North End Community Health Centre. An expert in the areas of addiction and chronic pain, he is also the Medical Director at Direction 180 and has…

As in every self-regulated profession, there is a natural frostiness between members and their regulatory body. It goes with the territory. With the responses to the survey in your recent licence renewal, I was reminded of that chill. The feedback you provided was helpful, encouraging and at times caustic. I appreciate the thoughtful and constructive advice. I hope you will take a few moments to review a summary of your feedback and our response by clicking here.  Sincerely, Dr. Gus Grant, AB, LLB, MD, CCFP Registrar and CEO

The new provincial Medical Act came into effect January 1. With the proclamation of this legislation there have been a number of changes in licence categories.The names of certain categories of licence have also changed. Changes to the type of licence physicians hold do not change their scope of practice. There are now three registers maintained at the College: 1. Full Medical Register: Only physicians with a full licence, entirely free of restrictions or conditions, are maintained on the Full Medical Register. The only exception is when physicians have a voluntarily restricted their scope of practice. 2. Conditional Register: The Conditional…

In 2015, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (CPSNS) will transition from its current peer assessment process, the Nova Scotia Physician Achievement Review (NSPAR), to an enhanced peer review program. Physicians who are in the process of completing an NSPAR review are expected to complete the process to the satisfaction of the program and the College. Upon completion of these reviews, NSPAR will cease to operate. For the past 10 years, the NSPAR program has provided Nova Scotia physicians with valuable feedback about their practices. The rich source of knowledge and evidence provided by the program will…

The policy Specialty Qualifications Approved by Council is currently under review. If you require information on required qualifications for Defined licensing for specialty practice please contact the College at registration@cpsns.ns.ca.