Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine is expanding seats for Newfoundland and Labrador students as the undergraduate medical education program will increase to 85 seats from 80 seats in September 2024.

This comes as a result of significant financial investments from the Provincial Government, with Budget 2024 committing $2 million to increase the number of Faculty of Medicine seats at Memorial University for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

This expansion will allow more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to receive their medical education in the province and stay to work here following completion of their training. This is essential to the sustainability of health care in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A second expansion of another five seats is planned for September 2025.

Currently, the 80 seats in the Faculty of Medicine’s four-year undergraduate medical education program consists of 69 seats for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, with the remaining 11 seats allocated for learners from other parts of Canada.

This expansion complements other recruitment and retention initiatives led by the Provincial Government to increase the number of health care professionals in the province, which has resulted in more than 520 nurses and more than 110 physicians who have committed to work in the province since April 2023.

In addition to expansion of seats for nursing students in recent years, in June 2024, the Provincial Government announced tuition relief for Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Practical Nursing students in select campuses who begin their studies in September 2024 in effort to attract more students to the nursing profession.

More information for health care professionals interested in learning about the opportunities and incentives to work in Newfoundland and Labrador is available at WorkInHealthNL.ca.