JANUARY 2022
REGROUP, REJUVENATE, REFRESH
CAPA has been working diligently on your behalf to advocate for the advancement of the profession and we have enjoyed some great successes along the way. With a new year comes the opportunity to take a pause to regroup to ensure that we are on track with our strategic plan, rejuvenate our engagement with members, and refresh our advocacy strategies to ensure we are optimally supporting the membership.
Key priorities for the upcoming year include:
- Using information gathered from the 2021-member survey in our advocacy efforts
- Working more closely with Provincial Directors to increase direct communication with members in their province
- Launching a campaign to advocate for more PA education training spots, as well as programs
- Working to finalize PA Regulation in Ontario
- Leading advocacy campaigns in provinces where provincial elections are being held; Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia
- Work to have PAs formally introduced in more Atlantic provinces
- Delivering more virtual CPD in a second virtual eLearning series
- Offering a hybrid conference should we be able to meet in-person in Quebec City in November 2022
CAPA MEMBERSHIP: WE’RE HERE FOR YOU
The past year has brought forward many challenges and we know that you have been working tirelessly to help get us through the pandemic. We thank you for your dedication and we want you to know that we’re here for you.
As 1 April is fast approaching, it is now time to renew your membership for the 2022-2023 membership year. As a token of our appreciation, if you renew by February 28th, you will be entered into a draw to win a subscription to EM: Rap, a monthly emergency medicine audio series full of CPD and the latest reviews and perspectives.
ADVOCACY NEWS
National
CAPA staff sent a congratulations letter to the Federal Minister of Health, the Honorable Jean-Yves Duclos. In this letter we asked for a meeting to discuss PAs across Canada and reiterated our federal priorities which include:
- Hiring PAs to work in Indigenous communities.
- Adding PAs to the Health Human Resources Strategy; and
- Gaining federal support for PA training programs.
Provincial Pre-Budget Consultations
CAPA will be providing pre-budget consultation submissions to the provinces to advise governments that they should be investing more in PAs. To see how you can also provide input to each of the provinces, see below.
British Columbia
CAPA staff met with the BC Health Coalition which is an organization dedicated to improving health care delivery across BC. This is a valuable connection to have as we continue to gather support to advocate to the Government to introduce PAs. In the upcoming year, CAPA will continue to put pressure on the BC Government to introduce PAs into the province. We understand this is a top priority for Canadian PAs as shown by our 2021 Member Census where 15% of PAs say British Columbia would be a desirable place to work.
Alberta
We hear Alberta PAs loud and clear in their frustration regarding compensation. On December 15th, 2021, AHS Human Resources sent an email update to non-union exempt employees on the province’s salary freeze. CAPA is reaching out to be part of this consultation and will continue to advocate for Alberta PAs to be eligible for compensation increases.
The Government of Alberta is currently doing their 2022 budget consultation and there is ample opportunity for public involvement. CAPA encourages all PAs to take the survey and participate in the upcoming town halls to let the Government know they should be investing more in PAs.
Alberta’s Health Minister, Jason Copping, responded to National PA Day with a letter, thanking PAs for their service during the pandemic. The letter can be viewed here.
Stakeholders in Alberta are considering developing a one-year anesthesia assistant fellowship training program for PAs to work in the anesthesia specialty. CAPA wants to know how many PAs would be interested in such an opportunity. If you would consider a program like this, please email mbanister@capa-acam.ca or respond to the poll below. YES/NO
Saskatchewan
CAPA staff are working with the Provincial Director to renew our advocacy document with the intention of reaching out to the Government of Saskatchewan and allied health stakeholders to restart the conversation around introducing PAs in the province. CAPA also intends to focus on public education in 2022 which includes writing op-eds, social media awareness, and targeted Saskatchewan communications campaigns. We are still looking for local champions to be featured in our communications, particularly health professionals who have experience in rural Saskatchewan health care, family physicians, and PAs who had to leave Saskatchewan to find work. If you know of anyone that fits this description, please contact mbanister@capa-acam.ca.
Manitoba
Congratulations to Physician Assistant, Josh Kahanovitch, who gave a meaningful interview on how to care for your child in the current health climate. This interview can be seen here.
CAPA has sent a congratulatory letter to Manitoba’s new Premier, Heather Stefanson. Premier Stefanson is the former Health Minister, and Minister Audrey Gordon has become the new Health Minister. CAPA staff are currently reaching out to the Government of Manitoba to organize advocacy meetings. Our top priorities include:
- Asking the Government to increase the number of funded PA positions.
- Improving the funding model so it is easier to hire Pas.
- Increasing the health system’s awareness of the PA profession.
The Government of Manitoba is currently doing Budget 2022 consultations. We encourage all Manitoba based PAs to get involved in the consultations and tell the Government they need to invest in PAs. More information on the consultations can be found here. There are lots of ways to participate including town halls, surveys, and emailing feedback before January 31, 2022 to budget2022@gov.mb.ca
CPSM is hosting a Complaints and Investigations practice direction Webinar on January 26th, 2022 from 6:00-7:00pm. This is a Webinar for CPSM registrants regarding the new process and an opportunity to ask questions and hear concerns from their colleagues. It has a significant impact on PAs in Manitoba. Every member in Manitoba was sent an invitation by the CPSM.
Ontario
Investing in Additional PA Education Seats
On December 10, 2021, CAPA sent a letter to Premier Ford and Minister Elliott to advise that expanding the number of PA training spaces should be one of the key priorities to help with their health human resources strategy. CAPA recommended the government move quickly to announce funding to support the creation of 100 new training spots for PAs over the next 3 years. For more information on the recommendation and to read the full letter, please click here.
Pre-Budget Consultation
The Ontario Government is currently doing pre-budget consultations. Please send a written submission by January 26th, 2022 to let the Government know they should be investing more in PAs.
Quebec
The Government of Quebec is currently doing pre-budget consultations. Please send a written submission by February 18th, 2022, to let the Government know they should be investing in PAs.
New Brunswick
The 2022 – 2023 Capital Budget was released on December 7th, 2021. The budget will address the province’s infrastructure deficit with $153.2 million going towards healthcare. CAPA made a submission last September during the pre-consultation process to provide feedback on how expanding on the use of PAs, would better equip the government to fulfill the objectives outlined in their policy paper and achieve their vision of a dependable health care system. To see the full submission, visit the CAPA website.
Nova Scotia
Letter to Premier and Minister of Health
There was a lot of action in the province last year with the newly elected government receptive to PAs, meetings being held with Doctors Nova Scotia, and the profession garnering media attention on several occasions. To build on the momentum, a letter was sent on December 20th to Premier Houston and Minister Thompson to continue the conversation about expanding the PA role in the province. The letter can be found here on the CAPA website.
Pre-Budget Consultation
The Nova Scotia Government is currently doing pre-budget consultations. People are encouraged to submit their budget suggestions by mail, email, on Twitter or by speaking with their MLA Friday, February 4 to let the Government know they should be investing more in PAs.
Prince Edward Island
The Government of PEI is currently doing pre-budget consultations. CAPA encourages all PAs to take the survey or email budgetsubmissions@gov.pe.ca by January 24th to let the Government know they should be investing in PAs.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is currently doing pre-budget consultations. Please send a written submission to let the Government know they should be investing in PAs.
CAPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
CAPA 2022 is scheduled to take place November 10th – 13th in Quebec City and will be a hybrid event. Therefore, should you not be able to attend, there will be an option to participate virtually. The call for speakers is now available.
PAs IN THE NEWS
National PA Day might be on November 27th, but we are committed to celebrating PAs all year round. The Class of 2023 CAPA Student Representatives created two wonderful videos talking about PAs from their student perspective and from the Health Care Provider’s perspective highlighting the important work they do every day to improve patient care. These students go above and beyond to contribute to their future profession. #CanadaNeedsPAs
If you see members recognized within your workplace or in your community, let us know so we can spread the good news. And if you see local health care headlines and believe there is an opportunity to highlight PA contributions or follow up with a letter to the editor, we would like to hear from you. Please contact oonuk@capa-acam.ca.
Op-Ed
To stay top of mind with the public, Nova Scotia Provincial Director Peter Thibeault sent a letter to the editor of The Chronicle Herald on January 7th, Missed Opportunity? Let’s move quickly to introduce and enlist Physician Assistants to help rebuild our health system, commending the government for introducing the pilot yet stating that it’s time to allow PAs to practice more broadly, now. The letter was published on January 20th. Click here to read the full letter on the CAPA website.
CERTIFICATION
ERROR – No Cycle Requirements
As some of you may have discovered, your CPD profiles in the Mainport ePortfolio dashboard are showing that you currently do not have any CPD cycle requirements. This was due to a technical issue on the platform that affected PA profiles.
To see your current cycle credits, you may view the “My MOC” tab to for a high-level summary. For a more detailed report, you may generate a Credit Summary under the My Reports tab. This will show you your current cycle and the number of credits reported in each year of your cycle.
As a reminder your maintenance of certification requirements are:
Must annually renew your CAPA Membership and earn and report at least:
- 400 credits over the course of your five-year cycle by participating in educational activities that meet the identified needs of your professional practice.
- 40 credits of CPD activities per year, even in the years after you have reached the 400-credit minimum requirement.
- *Note: For PAs, the 25 credit hours per section rule applies to Section 1 and 2 only. You may still earn and report activities in Section 3, however, having a minimum number of credit hours in this section is NOT a condition for meeting your CPD requirements.
The Royal College is looking at a solution for this issue. We will report back as soon as a solution is confirmed. Should you have any questions or require any assistance with reporting your credit hours or determining your cycle requirements please do not hesitate to contact Sandra Bourgon (sbourgon@capa-acam.ca).
Maintenance of certification
As a reminder, the annual minimum requirement is STILL required even if you have met the five-year requirement of 400 credit hours i.e., if your cycle is 2017 to 2021 (now 2022) and you attained a total of 400 credit hours by the end of 2021, you must still report the minimum requirement of 40 credit hours in year 2022.
Also, as a reminder, all previous years’ credit hours MUST be entered by 31 January annually.
2020 and 2021 Canadian Certified Physician Assistant
Please join us in congratulating all the new Canadian Certified Physician Assistants wrote were successful on the 2020 and 2021 PA Cert Exam. The 2020 PA Cert Exam was administered in February 2021 and the 2021 PA Cert Exam was administered in November 2021.
CONGRATULATIONS to all the new CCPAs!
JOB LISTINGS
Visit the Job Listings in the members only section of the CAPA website for the latest career opportunities in family medicine, nephrology, and mental health.
If you have job ads to share, send them to us at admin@capa-acam.ca. We post job ads for free on the Job Listings page and, for a small fee we email job opportunities to all our members.
MEMBER BENEFITS
Looking to fulfill that New Year’s resolution? Save up to 45% off regular GoodLife Fitness membership rates.
Tax season will be here before you know it. Did you know that you receive a 20% discount with Liberty Tax Services?
For more information and a complete list of member benefits, visit the Members Only section of the CAPA website.