Application, Review, and Selection for PACE Assessment Programs

Welcome to the PACE Assessment Program application, review, and selection process page. Below, you will find detailed information about the criteria and steps involved in selecting candidates for the PACE Assessment Programs.

PACE Assessment Programs

There are two PACE assessment programs — one for office-based primary care and one for hospitalist medicine. There are two sites for each program.

Program locations

The office-based primary care program is located at the Halifax Shopping Centre and at 117 Kearney Lake Road.

The hospitalist assessment program takes place at the Dartmouth General Hospital and at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre. 

Selected candidates will enter either the office-based primary care program or the hospitalist assessment program. In some cases, candidates may complete both programs.

The PACE Program will advise you at which site your assessment will take place.

Eligibility Criteria

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (the ‘College’) sets the eligibility criteria for participation in the PACE Assessment Program. For detailed eligibility requirements, please refer to the College’s website for:

• Pathway to Conditional Licensure for Internationally Trained Physicians via a Practice Ready Assessment – Office-Based Primary Care
• Pathway to Conditional Licensure for Internationally Trained Physicians via a Practice Ready Assessment: Hospitalist Medicine

Please review the eligibility criteria. If you feel you are eligible, you are invited to apply to a PACE Assessment Program.

Application Process

To apply for one of the PACE Assessment Programs — please go to the More Than Medicine website to begin your application.

You will be asked to provide your curriculum vitae and to complete an application for one of the PACE Assessment Programs.

Your application will be reviewed by Nova Scotia Health.

Please do not call the PACE Clinic. Phone lines at the PACE Clinic are dedicated to patient care. Phone inquiries negatively impact patient care and will not expedite or influence the application process.

Please refer to the FAQ (frequently asked questions) section of our website for more information.

Please reach out to nshpace@nshealth.ca with questions.

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Ranking of Eligible Candidates

Eligible candidates are initially ranked based on their likelihood of success in the Assessment. The ranking process considers several factors, such as but not limited to:

• Currency of Practice: The candidate’s recent practice in the relevant scope of practice — either office-based primary care or hospitalist medicine.
• Relevance of Rotations: The relevance of the applicant’s rotations (internship/postgraduate training) to the competencies being assessed through PACE.
• Performance in Standardized Examinations: The candidate’s performance in any standardized examinations, including Canadian examinations such as NAC OSCE, MCCQEI, and TDM examinations. These examinations are not mandatory and fees for these examinations are not reimbursed by PACE, however pass standing in these examinations is favourable in the selection process.
• Canadian Healthcare Experience: Experience in the past 3 years in Canadian healthcare, such as work in allied healthcare professional activities, clinical assistant work, surgical assisting, support work, etc.
• Continuing Professional Development: The recency of continuing professional development relevant to primary care practice.
• It will typically take 6–8 weeks to have your PACE application reviewed.

If you are selected to proceed in the application process, you will be invited to submit your licensing application with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.

Review of Qualifications

The College will email these applicants within 2 weeks to start the process for reviewing your qualifications.

The Review of Qualification stage of the licensing application can take 1–6 months and is highly dependent on the timeliness of the required documents being received by the College.

Upon successful completion of the review of qualifications by the Registration Department at the College, eligible and selected candidates are referred to PACE.

Competitive Selection Process

Following a positive review of qualifications, the College will refer you to the PACE selection team. You should receive an email from the PACE team within 2–4 weeks of the referral.

You may be invited to an interview if you are selected at this stage to proceed with the application process.

The selection process is competitive, with limited space in PACE Assessment Programs. Only the most qualified candidates will be offered an interview with PACE and Nova Scotia Health.

If you have participated in an interview, you will receive an email within 2–4 weeks advising whether you will continue in the application process. 

Successful candidates endorsed by Nova Scotia Health will be invited to undergo a PACE Assessment Program.

Final Selection and Requirements

The final selection for participation in the Assessment is made by Nova Scotia Health following the interview process. The names of the selected candidates are then sent to PACE. 

Selected candidates are required to sign:

• a letter of offer from Nova Scotia Health
• a return of service agreement with the Department of Health and Wellness with a 3-year commitment to practice in Nova Scotia upon successful completion of the Assessment Program
• a contract with PACE for participation in the Assessment Program

Nova Scotia Health determines the potential options for placement into communities throughout Nova Scotia for successful candidates.

Selected physicians may only commence the Assessment upon providing proof of legal authority to work in Canada (such as citizenship, work permit, or permanent residency), after being issued a Clinical Assessment licence, and becoming privileged through the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

For more information, please refer to the PACE Assessment Program Overview and the College’s website.