On this episode of All Aboard with Rob Belliveau, Rob talks with Kris Lane, Director of Programs and Allied Health Professionals at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, about what it really takes to welcome internationally trained physicians into a new healthcare system. They dig into the Welcome Collaborative—a mandatory orientation program that goes far beyond clinical skills to cover Canadian medical law, billing and documentation, practice management, and the everyday basics of settling into life in Nova Scotia. They explore why helping doctors navigate housing, banking, transit, and schools is just as important as teaching clinical norms, and how that focus on belonging leads to safer care and better retention.

Kris shares how the program was co‑designed with internationally trained physicians, why orientation is actually a form of proactive risk reduction, and how blending in‑person cohorts with online learning in Brightspace, supported by Neon Train, has made the experience more consistent, responsive, and human. She and Rob talk about turning “drinking from a fire hose” into digestible, ongoing support, what happens when even US‑trained doctors start asking to join the program, and how any organization can adapt these ideas to improve onboarding, confidence, and long‑term engagement for their own people—inside or outside healthcare.

Learn more about Neon Train here: https://www.neontrain.com/ 

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