Achi news desk-
Some doctors in Cape Breton say there are not enough doctors on the island to staff the new medical school that is set to begin teaching students in the fall of 2025.
Dr. Stacy MacDonald says family physicians in Cape Breton are stretched thin and most do not have the capacity to increase their teaching loads.
MacDonald trains medical students from Dalhousie University at her family practice in Cape Breton, and says Cape Breton University has failed to adequately consult with doctors about what is needed to establish the province’s second medical school.
The doctor says that although she is in favor of having a medical school in Cape Breton, the university seems to be rushing the process, and she says she is worried about whether the school can meet the rigorous requirements for accreditation.
The president of Cape Breton University, David Dingwall, said that the school had engaged with the accreditation body and that he was confident that it would meet those standards.
Dr. Katharine Kellock, a pediatrician in Sydney, NS, says she and her colleagues are too busy caring for patients and training students at Dalhousie to take the 30 students Cape Breton University plans to enroll in its medical school new.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on May 22, 2024.
