A Request for Proposals has been issued by Memorial University to review increasing the Faculty of Medicine from 80 students to 90 students. These additional seats would be used to allow for an additional 10 medical students from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The current 80 seats in the Faculty of Medicine’s four-year undergraduate medical program includes 65 seats for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, with the remaining 15 seats allocated for learners from other parts of Canada. 

“We recognize there is a global shortage of physicians. While our recruitment incentives and initiatives are working to attract and retain health care professionals, we also recognize the importance of more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians receiving their education here in the province,” says Tom Osborne,
Minister of Health and Community Services. “By expanding the number of seats in this program, we can help ensure more physicians from Newfoundland and Labrador are educated here and will practice here. This is one more step to securing more local physicians for the future.”

Research shows that students who study and complete their medical education in their home province have a higher rate of staying in that province as a practicing physician. Increasing the number of reserved seats for students from Newfoundland and Labrador will, according to the provincial government, provide an opportunity for more learners from this province to study medicine right here at home.