The Manitoba government has approved new rules to help U.S.-trained physicians obtain full licenses more easily in the province.
Effective May 30, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) removed the mandatory provisional registration period for American doctors. As a result, the change eliminates supervised assessments and practice restrictions, which the college described as costly and time-consuming.
“We reviewed our regulations and created a path that benefits both Manitoba and U.S. physicians,” said Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk, CPSM’s registrar and CEO. Meanwhile, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara called the move a necessary step to value internationally educated doctors. In fact, the province said dozens of American physicians have already shown interest in relocating to Manitoba.
Furthermore, this shift follows recruitment campaigns led by the province and Doctors Manitoba to attract more physicians. These campaigns focused on states such as Florida and North Dakota, emphasizing Manitoba’s stability and universal healthcare. They also contrasted Canada’s model with the politicization of issues like abortion care in some U.S. states.
Doctors Manitoba president Dr. Nichelle Desilets said the organization welcomes the province’s quick action. “Our outreach to U.S. physicians has worked,” she said. “It’s encouraging to see partners making concrete regulatory changes.” Nevertheless, Manitoba still ranks second-lowest in Canada for doctors per capita. Therefore, the new licensing rules aim to close that gap and improve healthcare access across the province.
