N.B. hires 10 family doctors through alternate licensing program

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When Arshia Haqani moved to Canada from Iran in 2022, she knew it wouldn’t be easy to continue her work as a general physician in a new country.

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“There were times that I really lost my hope and thought maybe I can not get into the system and maybe I can not be a family doctor over here and help people,” she said. 

That changed when she was selected as one of 10 candidates for the Practice Ready Assessment program, which provides an alternate route to licensure for experienced, internationally trained family physicians. 

At a news conference in Moncton on Wednesday, Haqani said she’s “so thankful” for the program. 

Launched by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick in 2023, the first cohort began the program last September. In a release, the college said that the 12-week program for internationally trained family physicians allows them to take part in clinical field assessment, under the supervision of licensed New Brunswick physicians, to evaluate their readiness, skills and suitability to provide safe patient care to New Brunswickers.

“Successful candidates sign a three-year return of service agreement with the Department of Health,” the college said.  

Haqani is now working in Moncton and has taken on more than 300 patients so far. She aims to take on 2,000 patients. 

Health Minister John Dornan told reporters that, on average, a physician will take on 1,200 to 1,500 patients and sometimes more. He said the 10 new doctors will help reduce the province’s family doctor waitlist. 

“We expect to see 15 to 20,000 people come off the list,” said Dornan. 

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He said the number of people on the list is always changing and did not provide an estimate. 

Along with Moncton, doctors from the first cohort are working in Campbellton, Bathurst, Miramichi and Woodstock. 

“The split is even. Five will be working in rural Vitalité and five will be working in rural Horizon,” said Dornan. 

The province is moving toward collaborative care health clinics, but whether these doctors will work in these clinics is still unclear, according to one of the new physicians.

Wael Zohdy said they will be working in community practices and do one week of hospital shifts every four to five weeks. 

The Department of Health said in a news release that the program is supported by the Working Together agreement between the provincial and federal governments, which provides more than $313 million to improve New Brunswick’s health-care system.

Dornan said the program will continue this year with a second cohort of 10 doctors beginning assessments in the fall.

In a statement sent to Brunswick News, Lise Babin, president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, said the group is excited to see the first cohort of physicians complete the program. She said streamlining the recruitment of international medical graduates and facilitating their transition to practice has been a priority of the medical society for several years. 

“We were pleased to collaborate with the Government of New Brunswick and other health-care partners to realize this new opportunity for highly skilled, internationally trained medical professionals to practise in the province,” said Babin. 

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“Adding ten new licensed family physicians to the province should improve patient access in those communities and alleviate some of the pressure the health human resource shortage has placed on our province’s hospitals.”

Premier Susan Holt, who attended Wednesday’s event, said the doctors will be on the frontline providing care to patients, many of whom had not had care in quite some time. 

“It is a priority of our government to ensure that every New Brunswicker has access to great primary care in their communities,” said Holt. 

“New Brunswickers have gone far too long without primary care, so we are very grateful to everyone who is coming to our province to take care of us.” 

Haqani said one of her patients recently expressed to her what it meant to have a doctor. 

“They spoke about how having access to a family physician in New Brunswick felt like a miracle. An answer to their hopes and prayers,” she said. 

“Moments like that remind me why I chose this path.” 

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