Saskatchewan brought in an act Tuesday to regulate physician assistants under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.
The province claims the introduction of this role will add more skilled workers to the provincial health system.
“Licensing and integrating physician assistants into our health care teams will help meet the health care needs of Saskatchewan people,” said Health Minister Paul Merriman.
“We are making key investments in 2023-24 to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more health care workers, including physicians, nurses and other health professionals.”
Physician assistants practise medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician.
The province said they fill duties like patient examinations, prescribing meds, and ordering and interpreting tests.
“This is a vital step in effectively introducing physician assistants (PAs) into the province at a critical time when the health care system has been stretched to the limit. Regulating PAs through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan means that PAs in the province will be required to follow standards for competency, safety, and ethics like other regulated health professionals in the region,” said Todd Bryden, Saskatchewan director of the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.
The government of Saskatchewan said it anticipates this introduction will reduce wait times, improve patient discharge times and decrease the length of hospital stays.
The 2023-24 provincial budget set aside $1.3 million to create 12 physician assistant positions in the province.
The province added it consulted with stakeholders before the announcement, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Medical Association, and the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
- Canadians more likely to eat food past best-before date. What are the risks?
- Invasive strep: ‘Don’t wait’ to seek care, N.S. woman warns on long road to recovery
Comments