Nova Scotia Has Over 100 New Foreign-Trained Pharmacists

Thanks to a new recruitment program, Nova Scotia has attracted more than 100 foreign-trained pharmacists to the province.

Pharmacists were sought from Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States, and New Zealand — five countries whose education models, scope of practice, and regulatory oversight parallel those in Canada.

Since the program started last December, 32 applicants have gained their pharmacist licenses and 70 applicants are in the midst of processing.

The Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists program waives the typical national licensing exam and internship period for applicants and instead has them complete a jurisprudence exam, present a letter of good standing, and provide a criminal background check. Doing so reduces the wait time from years to weeks so applicants can become fully licensed and get to work.

Since Nova Scotia’s healthcare system is perpetually in crisis, at least it’s good to know we’re keeping our stock of pharmacists up.

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