Issue 4: December 2023

Having undertaken an in-depth review of licensing and practice in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, physicians on the equivalent of a Full licence in those jurisdictions are licensable here without need for Royal College eligibility.

The work of the College continues to expand in response to the call for improved access to care. We have opened our door wider for the licensure of more internationally trained, competent physicians. In addition to widening the door, the College has put in place policies and programs that offer the country’s shortest pathway to independent licensure for physicians internationally trained. Our efforts are leading the country. 

The College is also leading the way in supporting such physicians entering practice. The Welcome Collaborative orientation program is the first of its kind in Canada designed for physicians who have trained outside of Canada to successfully integrate into the Nova Scotian healthcare system. 

Twice as many physicians participated in the first year of the Welcome Collaborative than originally projected. Four sessions were delivered in 2023 to a total 60 physicians who had trained outside of Canada and were new to medical practice in Nova Scotia.

Increasing Internationally Recognized Jurisdictions for Licensure

Having undertaken an in-depth review of licensing and practice in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, physicians on the equivalent of a Full licence in those jurisdictions are licensable here without need for Royal College eligibility, which historically has been a rate limiting step. 

We are actively looking at other jurisdictions appropriate for the same recognition. We continue to rely on certification from the Royal College or the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The difference is that, for purposes of licensure in Nova Scotia, we no longer exclusively rely on their certification. We have built pathways to long-term, full licensure for internationally trained physicians that do not require passing, or even challenging, Canadian certification exams. 

Full licensure for American-Board Certified Physicians

In October we became the first province in the country to offer full licensure, without need of Canadian certification exams, to American board-certified physicians. This has now been largely adopted across the country. At the same time, we passed policy enabling internationally trained subspecialists to attain full licensure in Canada without need for Canadian certification in the base specialty.

The Atlantic Registry: Enabling Physician Mobility

In early spring, we launched the Atlantic Registry, which enables fully licensed physicians in any of the Atlantic provinces to enjoy full licensure and seamless mobility throughout the region and is widely seen as the prototype for national licensure. Health Canada is engaged in assessing the impact of the Atlantic Registry and the feasibility of scaling it across the country.

The impact of new policies and initiatives aimed at opening the door wider to the licensure of competent physicians are currently being tracked as each takes root over time.