Nova Scotia opens an innovative assessment centre for internationally trained physicians

An assessment centre designed to help more internationally trained physicians obtain a licence to practise medicine in the province is now open in Nova Scotia.

The Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence (PACE) is a centralized Practice-Ready Assessment (PRA) model led by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia that will see qualified candidates providing primary care for patients while they work under the supervision of trained and accredited physician assessors at an on-site medical clinic. These candidates will complete competency-based workplace assessments during which their skills and performance will be evaluated in an office environment, along with their readiness to provide safe and high-quality care for patients. 

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) will play an important role by supporting the program with assessor training and developing robust assessment tools to ensure safe licensure decisions.

PACE will also join the National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Practice-Ready Assessment Working Group. Overseen by the MCC, this group brings together all the PRA programs to collaborate on creating and maintaining pan-Canadian PRA processes and initiatives.

Learn more about PACE.