First students signed up for new P.E.I. residency program

All five available positions for a new medical residency program on P.E.I. have been filled.

The five medical school graduates will begin their two-year residency training in July.

"It's unheard of for a new residency program to match all of its residency positions in the first round of matching," said Health Minister Doug Currie.

The program has accepted two students from the University of British Columbia, one student from the University of Calgary, one from Dalhousie University and one international graduate.

None of the five are from P.E.I.

The provincial government introduced the program as part of a long-term strategy to increase the number of doctors on the Island. The idea is that doctors who train on the Island will be more likely to start a practice in the province.

"We're pleased. It's certainly a very positive step forward," said Currie.

The residents will be working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, the Prince County Hospital in Summerside and at a number of other health care facilities across the province.