About Us

The Professional Association of Internes and Residents of Newfoundland (PAIRN) is the official voice for approximately 220 postgraduate medical trainees in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our members are medical school graduates registered at Memorial University of Newfoundland and completing residency training in hospitals and health care centres throughout the province.

PAIRN is the smallest of seven provincial house-staff associations who are members of the Canadian Association of Internes and Residents (CAIR), which represents more than 7,500 physician trainees. PAIRN has two voting representatives on the CAIR Board of Directors, providing resident representation on a variety of national organizations including the Canadian Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Postgraduate medical trainees have a unique role as students, employees, teachers and providers in the health care system. The primary role of PAIRN is to advocate on their behalf to improve salaries and benefits as well as ensuring the rights, interests and well-being of our members. This is accomplished through the negotiation and enforcement of the collective agreement, which governs the scale of remuneration and working conditions for our members. The collective agreement is negotiated with the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Boards Association on behalf of Eastern Health and the provincial government.