May 2021
FAMILY MEDICINE VIRTUAL LEARNING SERIES
The last session in the series will take place on June 10th beginning at 7:00 PM EST and will cover management techniques for Depression and Anxiety during the pandemic and will take place on June 10th. This is a great way to obtain the CPD credits you need to meet your CPD requirements for the maintenance of your CCPA certification designation. Be sure to mark your calendar!
For more information, including registration, click here.
ADVOCACY NEWS
Alberta
CAPA staff and board members are working together to further the conversation on Alberta representation. This includes discussion on the pros and cons of establishing a worker’s association dedicated to representing the labour interests of PAs in Alberta. If you are interested in getting involved in discussions on the future of Alberta representation, please email mbanister@capa-acam.ca.
Quebec
CAPA staff have been in discussion with a PA/MD team in Quebec to talk about a potential project to integrate PAs into the province. Meeting dates have yet to be confirmed, however we are hoping to be able to make a presentation to the Minister of Health, as well as the Fédération des Médecins spécialistes du Québec in the fall.
Newfoundland and Labrador
On April 30th, CAPA staff met with the Minister of Health, Dr. John Haggie and support staff to discuss introducing PAs into the province. Staff were joined by Kevin Dickson (Practicing in Emergency Medicine in NB), Erin Sephton (Practicing in the Ortho Pilot Project in NS), as well as Drew Gould (Practicing in a Family Health Group in ON). The meeting was productive as the Minister was supportive and recommended aligning our advocacy efforts with the Newfoundland Medical Association (NLMA) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (CPSNL). The Minister was also particularly interested to learn how PAs can help with access to mental health services. A follow-up summary of the meeting, along with some case examples of PAs working in mental health was sent to the Ministers office.
Staff have also followed-up with the NLMA from the meeting in March. Since then, the NLMA has explored various funding models and their team met at the end of May to discuss. Outreach was also made to the CPSNL to explore their receptiveness of discussing PAs. A meeting date with Registrar Dr. Linda Inkpen and Executive Director, Robert Thompson from the NLMA is being coordinated for the end of June. Stay tuned for details following the meeting.
Nova Scotia
On Tuesday, June 15th, 2021 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM ADT, the Nova Scotia Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs will meet to discuss Veteran Physician Assistants’ Role in the Health Care System. Tune in to watch Nova Scotia Director, Peter Thibeault and Alternate Director, Erin Sephton, present to the committee. Deputy Registrar, Dr. Keri McAdoo from the Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons will also be in attendance. Stay tuned for more details on how to watch the meeting live.
Ontario
On June 1st, 2021, Bill 283, Advancing Oversight and Planning in Ontario’s Health System Act, passed third reading in the Ontario Legislature. Following this on June 3rd, the bill received Royal Assent, when the Lieutenant Governor signed the bill, officially making it law.
This is amazing news as Bill 283 will amend the Medicine Act, 1991 and allow PAs to be regulated under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). This is a giant step forward to modernizing the PA model in the province and will help solidify the important role that PAs are playing in Ontario’s health system. However, there is still much more work that needs to be done.
Next steps are to confirm timelines from government and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). CAPA has been speaking regularly with the College since the introduction of Bill 283 and is cautiously optimistic that they will move quickly to draft a regulation and submit it to government for approval. The CPSO has committed to work closely with us on this important work in the months ahead and have agreed to establish a joint working group. We will keep you apprised of our progress along the way.
Also, did you miss the Live Stream of Public Hearings on Bill 283 Advancing Oversight and Planning in Ontario’s Health System Act, 2021 featuring CAPA President, Leslie St. Jacques and Director, Ontario Sahand Ensafi If so, you can watch it by clicking here.
Ontario Physician Assistant Association (OPAA)
The OPAA and interim stewards entered bargaining with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and their representatives on May 6th. While negotiations are still in progress, they are expected to wrap-up shortly. Details of the outcome to follow.
Ontario Long-Term Care
In response to a Staffing Study launched by the Ministry of Long-Term Care in July 2020, educators Dr. Leslie Nickell and Dr. Kristen Burrows have put together a proposal for a pilot project for PAs in Long-Term Care.
To support their efforts, CAPA has been working to obtain formal endorsements from the Ontario Long-Term Care Association and the Ontario Medical Association. CAPA is also working to secure meetings to get the proposal in front of ministry officials.
Further to this, Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission released a final report on April 30th to the Minister of Long-Term Care, Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, which included a list of recommendations to be addressed by the government. To see the list of noteworthy recommendations, please click here.
Canada Student Loan Forgiveness
CAPA recently sent a letter to the Minister of Finance to request PAs be included in the Loan Forgiveness program. The program allows family doctors, residents in family medicine, nurse practitioners, or nurses practicing in an under-served rural or remote community for 12 consecutive months, to apply for loan forgiveness to an outstanding Canada Student Loan balance. CAPA has once again requested that PAs be added to the list of professionals included in the program.
Federal
CAPA staff are investigating applying to the Canadian Drug and Substance Act (CDSA) so PAs can have increased prescribing abilities.
UPCOMING EVENT FOR STUDENTS
Registration is now open for the “Intro to Clerkship” event on June 26th from 10AM – 1:30 EST. The CAPA Student Committee has organized this event so students can gain valuable clinical pearls from physician assistants, connect virtually with students from all three Canadian PA programs, and gain access to a clerkship handbook with tips and tricks for surviving second year of PA school. Learn more and register here.
CAPA 2021 CALL FOR SPEAKERS
Are you still thinking about presenting at CAPA 2021? If so, please be sure to submit your abstract by June 30th, 2021. Presenting is an excellent way to promote your educational and professional background. Show your dedication to the PA profession and engage your peers with the most recent information. We encourage diversity in the organizing team and speakers. This includes diversity of viewpoint and thinking regarding the topics discussed at the symposium or workshop, gender, race, affiliations, seniority, geographic location, etc.
Click here to find out more or submit your abstract.
PA RESEARCH
Raymond Khanano, second year PA student at McMaster and member of CAPA was recently published in the Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for a study on Reliability and Concurrent Validity of the GAIN Short Screener Among Youth Utilizing Integrated Health Services. To read the study, click here. Good work Raymond, congrats!
Have you been a part of a research study? Have you written an article that was published? If so, please send it to Alexis at agunawardena@capa-acam.ca so that we can share with your PA colleagues.
PAs IN THE NEWS
Radio Canada recently aired an interview with President of the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), Dr. Diane Francoeur who mentions Physician Assistants as a viable option for members of the health care team. Dr. Francoeur proceeds to encourage the province to explore all solutions for health care delivery in the province. To listen to the full interview in French, click here.
If you see members being 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 Alexis at agunawardena@capa-acam.ca.
JOB LISTINGS
Visit members-only Job Listings on the CAPA website for the latest career opportunities across Canada.
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 on behalf of employers directly to all our members.