What is the Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic?

The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is a new clinic opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in November 2025 to address long waitlists for breathing tests and provide on-the-job training for Dalhousie respiratory therapy students.

How will the Dalhousie students be involved in the Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic?

The Dalhousie respiratory therapy students will administer spirometry tests at the clinic under the supervision of a preceptor provided by Nova Scotia Health, gaining valuable on-the-job experience.

What is the goal of the Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic?

The clinic aims to tackle the long waitlists for critical breathing tests, such as spirometry, which are essential for diagnosing conditions like asthma and COPD. It also serves as a recruitment tool to address respiratory therapy staffing shortages in the province.

Home / Health / Dalhousie Students Provide Vital Breathing Tests to Reduce Waitlists

Dalhousie Students Provide Vital Breathing Tests to Reduce Waitlists

13 Nov

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Summary

New lung clinic opening in Halifax to address long waitlists for breathing tests
Clinic partnership between Lung Association, Nova Scotia Health, and provincial government
Clinic will provide on-the-job training for Dalhousie respiratory therapy students

On November 13, 2025, a new lung clinic is set to open in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the goal of addressing the province's long waitlists for critical breathing tests. The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic has been in development for over two years, conceived as a solution to the growing problem of people in some parts of the province facing a four-year wait for a five-minute spirometry test.

The clinic is a partnership between the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia Health, and the provincial Department of Health and Wellness. It is being funded by the biopharma company GSK Canada, which has provided Dalhousie University with $300,000 to test the clinic as an 18-month pilot program.

The clinic will allow respiratory therapy students at Dalhousie to administer the spirometry tests under the supervision of a preceptor provided by Nova Scotia Health. This will not only help address the backlog of patients waiting for these vital diagnostic tests, but it will also provide the students with the on-the-job training they need to complete their program.