Representatives from Nova Scotia will be in London today to further spread the word about the province’s Physician Immigration Stream which launched in February.
A team from the Office of Immigration, the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and the Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons will be attending the British Medical Journal Careers Fair in Islington today and tomorrow, which up to 1,700 medical professionals are expected to attend.
Family physician, Dr Simon Bonnington, who immigrated to the province from the UK and practises in Annapolis Royal, will also attend to share his insights with doctors interested in moving there.
“We are continuing to aggressively target doctors who are interested in living and working in Nova Scotia,” said Lena Metlege Diab, the province’s Minister of Immigration. “Our goal, in attending these recruitment events, is to help bring more doctors from Ireland and the UK to the province’s communities. I am pleased our work is helping more Nova Scotians access the care they need.”
Fourteen new doctors have already been approved through the Physician Immigration Stream, which makes the immigration process easier and faster for those who have already received job offers from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre.
The 14 doctors hired through the new immigration stream are currently on a path to permanent residency. They include 12 family doctors and two specialists who are currently working in, or will work in, Sydney, Baddeck, Antigonish, New Glasgow, Truro and Halifax.
“We are encouraged by the increased interest from the UK and Ireland arising from our trips last year and will continue building our presence in these areas. Recruitment is most successful when it is a community effort, and in Nova Scotia we see our partners as a strategic advantage that is hard to match,” said Dr Nicole Boutilier, co-vice president of Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority.
Article published 19th October 2018