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Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province approves regulation changes to lure U.S. docs to Manitoba
More U.S.-trained physicians are expected to join the Manitoba workforce, following provincial efforts to streamline recruitment amid an ongoing doctor shortage. The Manitoba government approved a change to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba regulations, forging a path for U.S. doctors to apply for full licensure if they meet certain requirements. The change means physicians no longer have to apply for provisional registration before they can obtain full licenses — eliminating the need for 'supervisors, assessments, and practice location restrictions, which can be costly and time consuming,' the college said, announcing the change in a statement Thursday. Doctors Manitoba president Nichelle Desilets said she's excited to see the recruitment push for U.S. physicians. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files) 'We looked at our regulations in Manitoba and designed a new path to licensure that would benefit both the province and U.S. physicians looking to relocate,' Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk, college registrar and CEO said. 'Our goal is to have the proper requirements in place so that only people who are safe to practise can do so, but we also don't want requirements that create unnecessary barriers.' To qualify, the doctors must have completed an accredited residency program, and possess relevant certification and licenses in the U.S. Medical regulators in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have similar provisions in place. Manitoba's amendment took effect on May 30, the college said. Doctors Manitoba publicly advocated for the change last November, when it launched advertisements in medical magazines and newsletters appealing to U.S. doctors. The campaign targeted health-care providers in North Dakota, Florida and other states where abortion and gender-affirming care had become politicized issues during Donald Trump's presidential run. The materials market Manitoba's low cost of living, competitive pay, friendly reputation, universal health-care coverage and a culture of putting trust and value in both doctors and medical evidence. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. In March, Shared Health launched a similar recruitment campaign aimed at health-care workers in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. 'We are excited to see that our work to appeal to U.S. physicians, dismayed with the political and financial uncertainties posed by the current administration, has inspired our partners who are making concrete changes to our health system,' Doctors Manitoba president Dr. Nichelle Desilets said in a news release Thursday. Doctors Manitoba said the number of physicians in Manitoba has grown, but national reporting shows the province still has the second fewest physicians per capita in Canada. It will continue to call for more training, recruitment and retention efforts, the news release said. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
02-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba regulator proposes fast-track for U.S. physicians
Facing the second-largest doctor shortage in Canada, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba has launched a review to make it easier for American-certified physicians to become licensed in Manitoba. 'We understand the pressures in Manitoba to get more physicians into practice. So we are constantly looking for ways that we can cut down on red tape or facilitate safe changes to a process that might have worked historically, but doesn't meet our modern demand,' said Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk, registrar for the Manitoba physician watchdog. The proposed changes would allow physicians from the U.S. to apply for Manitoba licences if they have completed an accredited residency program and hold certification from the American Board of Medical Specialists and have an independent or full licence to practice with a U.S. state medical board. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk said the restrictions are costly, time-consuming and a disincentive to doctors applying to practise in Manitoba. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk said the restrictions are costly, time-consuming and a disincentive to doctors applying to practise in Manitoba. If all goes to plan, internationally trained doctors could be working in Manitoba by June. Similar policies are in place in several other Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, which changed regulations in February. Mihalchuk and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba looked east and west of Manitoba and, to remain competitive in the market, began the process to loosen regulations. 'If Manitoba is an outlier, that's not good for us,' Mihalchuk said. Current regulations dictate that individuals must first apply for provisional registration, which places limitations on their ability to practise medicine (such as requiring supervisors, assessments, and practice location restrictions). Mihalchuk said the restrictions are costly, time-consuming and a disincentive to doctors applying to practise in Manitoba. 'We went to them and said we think that this is a safe thing to do (and) it would make us attractive to physicians from the States that we know are interested in potentially practising in Manitoba,' Mihalchuk said. The regulator said it is generally accepted among Canadian medical boards that American physicians are as competent and safe as their Canadian counterparts. Doctors Manitoba applauds the proposed changes. After launching recruitment efforts late last year, the doctor advocacy organization said there was interest from physicians south of the border but Manitoba's restrictive licensing requirements for internationally trained doctors was a barrier. 'We want to make sure that every physician practising in Manitoba is practising of the highest standard,' said Doctors Manitoba CEO Theresa Oswald. 'But there are ways to do this that have proven to be more accessible and more rapid than has been the case in Manitoba.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. In December, the group took the unusual step of launching its own campaign to target health-care providers in North Dakota, Florida and other states where providers could find their practice in jeopardy under U.S. President Donald Trump's policies targeting the health-care system. Since taking office, Trump has signed off on ending federal support for gender-affirming care, exiting the World Health Organization and no longer recognizing transgender and non-binary identities. 'We know here in Manitoba that that (doctor-patient) sanctity is respected and that evidence and science have to be at the forefront,' Oswald said. Oswald estimates between 40 and 50 doctors have expressed interest in coming to Manitoba, which the organization has referred to the province's recruitment and retention office. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Thursday the province is actively engaged with about a dozen foreign doctors to receive their Manitoba certification. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The province has hired more than 1,600 net-new health-care workers since April 2024, including 600 nurses, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The province has hired more than 1,600 net-new health-care workers since April 2024, including 600 nurses, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said. Asagwara accused the previous Progressive Conservative government of not taking the necessary steps to improve patient care or use a patient-centred approach. 'Our government is laser-focused on making health care better for Manitobans, and that means making sure that we have the health-care professionals and experts in our province to provide that care,' the minister said. In March, Shared Health launched a similar recruitment campaign south of the border in an effort to bring American nurses to Manitoba. The initiative was to offer asylum to working nurses worried about their ability to care for patients, while addressing the province's nurse shortage. At the time, Asagwara said the recruitment and retention office had worked to make transferring U.S. nursing licences to Manitoba easier. The province has hired more than 1,600 net-new health-care workers since April 2024, including 600 nurses, Asagwara said. Provincial figures on nurses hired through the recruitment campaign were not made available before press time. The NDP campaigned on a promise to hire 400 new doctors within five years prior to winning the 2023 election. No update was provided Thursday on the status of that objective. Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
