Addressing the Family Doctor Shortage using Physician Assistants and Team-Based Care
November 7, 2025 from 3:00pm MDT to 4:00pm MDT
Family Medicine is the foundation for building healthy communities and more resilient health systems. Yet in Alberta and across Canada, a significant number of patients do not have access to a family doctor. As well, those who do have a family doctor report difficulty getting an appointment to see their doctor. This is impacting health care access, leading to potential delays in diagnosis and treatment, and creating an increased strain on hospital emergency departments.
To meet these challenges, Calgary, Alberta-based Crowfoot Village Family Practice (CVFP) launched its Rainbow Team – a model that embodies team-based care innovation. This new care model positions CVFP to navigate the family doctor shortage by integrating health providers including physician assistants (PAs) working to their full scope. By empowering PAs as key contributors in team-based care, CVFP family doctors can focus their time as mentors, consultants and guides for complex cases.
CVFP’s Rainbow Team highlights the important role of PAs in supporting family medicine excellence and system-wide health care innovation that is aimed at improving patient experience and outcomes. Early data and patient feedback for the Rainbow Team model have been positive and indicate improvements in access to care, enhanced patient experience and increased provider satisfaction.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Illustrate a real-life example of how PAs can address care gaps in family medicine
- Identify the team-based care strategies used to empower PAs to work to full scope
- Explore how PAs can contribute to clinic excellence and system wide healthcare innovation to improve patient experiences and outcomes
Speakers / Panelists
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Addressing the Family Doctor Shortage using Physician Assistants and Team-Based Care
November 7, 2025 from 3:00pm MDT to 4:00pm MDT -
Addressing the Family Doctor Shortage using Physician Assistants and Team-Based Care
November 7, 2025 from 3:00pm MDT to 4:00pm MDT -
Addressing the Family Doctor Shortage using Physician Assistants and Team-Based Care
November 7, 2025 from 3:00pm MDT to 4:00pm MDT
Joelle Wooldridge
CCPA, MPAS, B.Sc.
Joelle Wooldridge
Joelle Wooldridge is the first physician assistant working at Calgary-based Crowfoot Village Family Practice; a family medicine clinic serving over 25,000 patients. She is passionate about primary care and the PA profession and advocates for both at the local level. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba MPAS program and is a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary program.
Shauna Thome
MBA, B. Mgt(Hons)
Shauna Thome
Shauna Thome has been the Executive Director of Crowfoot Village Family Practice (CVFP) since 2011, working alongside a team of 140 health providers, physicians, and learners to deliver care to more than 25,000 patients across Calgary and surrounding communities. In her role, Shauna leads innovation and quality improvement initiatives, continuing to evolve team-based care in ways that enhance the quality of life for both patients and providers. She holds a Bachelor of Management with specializations in Accounting and Human Resources from the University of Lethbridge and an MBA from the University of Calgary.
Julie Croteau
CCFP, MD, B.ScEng
Julie Croteau
Dr. Julie Croteau completed her Family Medicine residency at CVFP and has been a part of the clinic team since 2014. Her newest role is leading and supporting the Rainbow team - launched in Q1 2024. The focus of this new model is team-based care with a flexible entry point reflecting a patient’s immediate health need. Dr. Croteau was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She completed a BSc. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta prior to completing her Medical Degree and Family Medicine residency at the University of Calgary.