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The program was made possible through the provincial Patient Access to Care Act, which waives the national licensing exam and internship period that is otherwise mandatory when internationally trained pharmacists come to practise in Canada.聽

Instead, applicants are now required to complete an open-book jurisprudence exam, provide a letter of good standing and complete a criminal background check.

Since the program started, 102 pharmacists have applied to be licensed in Nova Scotia 鈥� 32 have their licences and 70 applications are being processed.

Bev Zwicker, CEO and registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, says the five countries were selected because their education models, scope of practice and regulatory oversight are similar to Canada's standards.聽

She said the program dramatically reduces the wait-time for approval to "weeks versus years."

"It's making it a much more feasible undertaking for people who are looking at Nova Scotia," she said in an interview Friday.

Allison Bodhar, CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, said pharmacists in the eligible countries are attracted to the program because 聽the province allows pharmacists to treat minor ailments and administer vaccines.

鈥淲e have one of the broadest scopes of practice in the world, which is why there鈥檚 so much interest in coming here,鈥� Bodhar said.聽

This isn鈥檛 the province鈥檚 only program aimed at attracting health-care professionals from abroad. In October, the province announced it would establish a Halifax clinic where the skills of international medical graduates will be assessed.

When it was announced, Premier Tim Houston said the program would cut the assessment time from 18 to 12 weeks.

Bodhar says the recruitment campaign for pharmacists will continue for another year.

This report by 春色直播was first published Dec. 6, 2024.聽