N.B. creates new classification to allow internationally trained doctors to work
Candidates will work on the front lines alongside already-licensed doctors
The New Brunswick government has made it easier for internationally trained doctors to get to work in New Brunswick — but as clinical assistants, not licensed doctors.
Health Minister Bruce Fitch announced the new program for clinical assistants on Friday.
He said it will allow internationally trained doctors who don't meet the licensing standards in New Brunswick "to work and provide valuable medical services to patients" in the province.
He said the candidates will work "under the supervision of a fully licensed physician, and our hope is that this program will help relieve the pressure on our surgical services, hospital and patient flow," and other areas affected by the shortage of health-care professionals.
Clinical assistants will "provide much needed relief where it is most needed — at the front lines," Dr. Laurie Potter, registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, said at the announcement.
Over the next three years, as many as 24 positions will be created — four are now being advertised.
A news release from the government said the "credentials of clinical assistants will be assessed and approved, and each person will then be licensed through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick."
Their work will include:
- Providing surgical assistance for elective and emergency surgeries.
- Evaluating and providing care for hospitalized patients in conjunction with an attending physician.
- Participating in on-call rotation during statutory holidays, weekends and evenings.
- Practising in a collaborative fashion as a member of the interdisciplinary team and consulting with members of other health-care professions as appropriate.
"Internationally trained medical professionals are already an essential component of New Brunswick's health-care system," said Potter.
She said the "new licensing pathway" will allow them to better integrate into our health-care system, "while also filling some of the gaps created by" the shortage of health-care professionals.
Neither Fitch nor Potter knew how much the new positions will pay.
Potter said pay is "being negotiated" with the New Brunswick Medical Society, since that group will represent the clinical assistants.
She said the salaries would be "competitive."
The New Brunswick Medical Society was asked about salaries, but a spokesperson referred the inquiries to the two regional health authorities.
A spokesperson for Horizon said the job listing for the first group of clinical assistants puts the starting salary at $146,517 per year.
According to the province's records, New Brunswick has about 1,900 practising physicians. The majority earned less than $400,000 from the province last year, but the number who make more than $1 million continues to grow.
Thirty-five physicians earned at least $1 million in 2022, the report shows.
The amounts — listed only as a range, not a specific number — represent gross earnings and do not reflect expenses some doctors may have, such as staff salaries or rent, the department has previously said.
Quite a pay disparity, Fitch says
Fitch said "a lot of those individuals are working at a position that is well under … their earning potential, so this will be inviting enough that we'll have a lot of applications."
Potter said the positions are already generating a lot of interest.
"And again this is a viable career pathway for physicians that would not be able to work in health care," she added.
Potter said the college had to create a new licence type to allow clinical assistants. She said the Department of Health also had to create a new category, and the New Brunswick Medical Society had to agree to take them on.
Fitch said the new classification is just "one of the other pieces of the puzzle that will fit together to make sure primary care in the province of New Brunswick is improving."
In October, the government announced a practice-ready assessment program for internationally trained doctors.
It will start with 10 applicants who will go through a 12-week clinical evaluation under the supervision of a practising doctor who's trained as an assessor and will help determine if the candidate is ready to practise in New Brunswick.
Fitch said the government has also created a new rapid-entry to allow internationally trained doctors to become fully licensed doctors in New Brunswick.
He said when doctors trained abroad come to Canada, many don't have the time to go through the rigorous testing and retraining required to be licensed here. He said the process often takes years.
"For some, that's just overbearing because they have a family, they need to work," he said.
"Now they'll be able to work hands-on right away."
According to the government press news release, the program is open to graduates of institutions listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.
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