Locum jobs in Nunavut

Nunavut is Canada's largest and most northerly territory, with a population of a few tens of thousands living in communities spread across the Arctic mainland and islands. No road connects its communities to each other or to the rest of Canada, so people, supplies and patients move by air, with sealift in the short summer season. Most residents are Inuit, and Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun are spoken alongside English and French.

Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit is the territory's main hospital. Care in other communities is delivered largely through community health centres, where nurses provide much of the day-to-day care with physician support on site or remotely. Patients needing specialized care often travel to Iqaluit or to southern centres.

In Nunavut, licensing for physicians, pharmacists and several other health professions is administered through the territorial government rather than a separate college, and nursing regulation has its own arrangements. Confirm the current licensing authority for your profession directly with the Government of Nunavut before applying.

Holding registration in a province does not by itself authorize practice in Nunavut. Ask the licensing authority about temporary or short-term licences, what documentation and proof of standing are needed, and how long processing takes, and allow for it well before your planned start.

Health care in Nunavut depends to a large extent on short-term and rotating clinicians, particularly nurses in community health centres and physicians who visit communities or work in Iqaluit for set periods. Community health nursing here commonly involves a broad scope of practice, independent assessment and treatment, and coordination of medical travel for patients.

Every assignment involves air travel and a real chance of weather delays. Confirm who arranges and pays for travel and accommodation, what orientation is provided, including cultural orientation to working with Inuit communities, and what interpretation support is available. Cost of living in the territory is high, so ask what is provided on site.