Program provides new licensing pathway for family physicians

MONCTON (GNB) – Ten family physicians are joining New Brunswick’s health-care system, having completed a program to help internationally trained physicians become licensed and work in the province.

The first cohort of physicians recently completed the Practice Ready Assessment New Brunswick program. They will begin working in the Moncton, Campbellton, Bathurst, Miramichi and Woodstock regions for the Horizon and Vitalité health networks, providing care as part of family physician teams for an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 New Brunswickers.

“The Practice Ready Assessment program is helping us to build up the team of much-needed primary care providers in our health-care system,” said Premier Susan Holt. “We are incredibly grateful to have had these doctors choose New Brunswick as a place to call home and to practise medicine. They will be on the front lines, providing care to the thousands of New Brunswickers who we know have gone far too long without it.”

The first group of candidates began the program last September and finished clinical field assessments this winter. The program will continue this year, with a second cohort beginning assessments in the fall.

Internationally trained physicians make up a significant portion of New Brunswick’s physician workforce; about one-third of licensed physicians in the province hold a medical degree from outside the country.

“This program is helping to address New Brunswick family physician recruitment needs by tapping into a pool of international medical graduates living and legally able to work in our province,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “We look forward to seeing the success of this new pathway and having more licensed physicians able to provide essential care to New Brunswickers.”

The program was created through a collaboration between the Department of Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick. Candidates participate in a 12-week clinical field assessment, under the supervision of licensed New Brunswick physicians, to evaluate their readiness, skills and suitability to provide safe patient care.

Successful candidates sign a three-year return-of-service agreement with the department.

Prior to their assessments, candidates underwent an orientation program to support their integration into New Brunswick’s medical system.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these physicians to our province,” said Dr. Laurie Potter, the college’s registrar and CEO. “These physicians have undergone a robust assessment that confirms their competence as medical practitioners, and we’re pleased that, through the Practice Ready Assessment New Brunswick program, thousands more New Brunswickers will have access to a primary care provider.”

The program has been financially supported by the Department of Health and developed in collaboration with several provincial and national partners. It is the only bilingual program of its kind in Canada, allowing candidates to be assessed in either official language.

Dr. Mathias Forgo, a general practitioner from Burkina Faso, was one of the 10 inaugural candidates. He will soon begin working on a family physician team for the Vitalité Health Network in the Restigouche region.

“I am excited to begin this next chapter of my life where I can practise medicine and make New Brunswick my home,” said Forgo. “As a francophone, I greatly appreciated that the Practice Ready Assessment New Brunswick program provided a pathway for me to become a licensed physician in the province and was able to accommodate my assessment and examinations in my preferred language. I feel welcomed here and look forward to caring for patients.”

The program is supported by the Working Together agreement between the provincial and federal governments. It provides more than $313 million to improve New Brunswick’s health-care system.