Start your practice in Nova Scotia

Bring Your Expertise Home: Shape the Future of Health Care in Nova Scotia

Physicians in Nova Scotia provide fulfilling patient care which embraces family life, professional development and community involvement. That’s what makes practicing medicine in Nova Scotia unique. Physicians are increasingly attracted to practices that offer team-based care to their patients and allow them to consult with their peers. The size and scale of Nova Scotia allow for better connections across the health care system. Your practice of medicine and your life is richer here. Nova Scotia is more than medicine.

Pathways to Practice 

The CaRMs Match

The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) help to provide postgraduate medical training application, selection and matching service for those medical students and residents that are seeking training positions in Canada. To learn more about the match process, please visit: www.carms.ca

• Dalhousie Medical School offers accredited clinical training for more than 560 medical residents and 50 Royal College specialty programs (including 24 subspecialties). Our residency programs are approved by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and are conducted in our affiliated teaching hospitals and clinics across the Maritimes.
• There are XX dedicated family medicine residency and XX specialty residency positions under Nova Scotia International Medical Graduates (NSIMG) Program with priority given to those with a connection to Nova Scotia
• If you are interested in completing an elective at Dalhousie University, please contact intl.electives@dal.ca

Applying to both CaRMs and the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP/US) matches

For applicants who wish to participate in both the US and Canadian matches, CaRMS and the NRMP operate a mapping program to manage matches that may occur in both countries.

• You may register for both matches and apply to Canadian and US programs, with the understanding that whichever match is run first takes precedence.
• If you are matched to an R-1 position through CaRMS’ first iteration, you will automatically and without any notification be withdrawn from the NRMP—and vice-versa, should the NRMP match occur first in a given year.
• If, for any reason, you are released from either the Canadian match contract or the US match contract, you are not necessarily eligible for the second iteration of the CaRMS match in the same year, applicant release policies apply.

Acceptable alternatives to LMCC

Acceptable alternatives to the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) in an application for registration, according to College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia:

• United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Steps 1, 2 and 3; or
• Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX) components 1 and 2; or
• National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) parts I, II, and III; or
• The Comprehensive Osteopathic Licencing Examination (COMLEX-USA) levels 1, 2 and 3; or
• For physicians currently licensed with the College, a Comprehensive Clinical Assessment of Practice that is satisfactory to the Registration Committee; or
• A recognized MD1 together with a pass standing in the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I AND at least one year of verified postgraduate training; or
• A minimum of five years of recent practice experience as the most responsible physician after completing the postgraduate training program in the specialty for which they intend to practise.