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Ongoing Licensure Requirements

Currency of Practice Experience

Preamble Registrants must remain qualified, competent and fit to always practise within their scope of practice. There are several ways a registrant can maintain the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to practise safely and ethically. This policy addresses one of those ways: the currency of a registrant’s practice experience related to a defined scope of practice.

Continuing Professional Development: Requirements

Preamble The purpose and duties of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (the College) are: To serve and protect the public interest in the practice of medicine, and To preserve the integrity of medical professions and maintain confidence of the public and the professions in the ability of the College to regulate the practice of medicine.

Participation in the Welcome Collaborative Physician Orientation Program

Preamble The Welcome Collaborative physician orientation program supports newly licensed physicians that have trained outside of Canada or the United States of America (USA) and are new to practice in Canada. Physicians who were new to practising in Canada identified the need for this support. The College offers this 3-day in-person orientation session four times per year. The Welcome Collaborative offers education, support, and orientation to help physicians successfully integrate into the Nova Scotian healthcare system. [...]

Certificates of Professional Conduct – Requirements for Licensure in Nova Scotia

Preamble In accordance with the Medical Act, the purpose and duties of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (the College) are to serve and protect the public interest in the practice of medicine, and to preserve the integrity and maintain public confidence of the medical profession in the ability of the College to regulate the practice of medicine. In doing so, the College relies on information provided in a Certificate of Professional Conduct ([...]

Capacity, Competence and Character for Safe and Ethical Practice

Preamble The Medical Practitioners Regulations1 require all registrants have the current capacity, competence and character to safely and ethically practise. This is relevant at the time of initial registration or licensing, while licensed and at the time of annual licensing renewal. 

Re-Entry into Practice and/or Change in Clinical Scope of Practice

Preamble A physician’s clinical scope of practice can be broadly defined by the patient population served, the range of clinical conditions managed, the medical procedures performed and the clinical environment in which care is provided. It is accepted that clinical scope of practice will evolve incrementally over the course of a physician’s career through the influence of changing patient demographics, the emergence of new diseases or conditions, the development of novel diagnostic or treatment modalities, and through changes in practice environment. Distinct from this incremental evolution in scope, a physician may from time to time contemplate making a significant or abrupt change to their clinical scope of practice. Such transitions may pose a particularly high risk [...]

Guidance to Physicians Contemplating a Change in Clinical Scope of Practice

Definitions Every physician's practice is unique and may include both clinical and non-clinical responsibilities. A physician's clinical scope of practice is defined by the range of patients cared for, conditions encountered and procedures performed. The environment in which care is provided is an additional, yet equally important, consideration. Non-clinical scope of practice will typically include administrative, research and educational duties related to the practise of medicine. While important, these non-clinical aspects of scope are not the focus of this policy. Responsibilities It is every physician's professional responsibility to practice only with within a scope for which they are appropriately trained and competent. The College is mandated to ensure that physicians practice in a competent manner within [...]