University of Saskatchewan to offer training for physician assistants

Saskatchewan is preparing to train more health-care professionals in the province.

In a media release Tuesday, the provincial government said it has asked the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine to develop a new two-year physician assistant master’s program.

The government announced in March that it was introducing legislation to license physician assistants and announced the creation of 12 positions. Funding was provided in the 2023-24 budget.

Training at the College of Medicine is to begin in the fall of 2025, with funding to be provided through the 2024-25 budget. There are to be 20 spots available when the program is launched.

“This is a unique opportunity to provide new training here in the province that will be customized to meet the needs of Saskatchewan people,” Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant said in the release.

“The Physician Assistant program will be specifically designed to meet critical needs in our health-care system, particularly in rural and remote areas.”

The provincial government has been trying to increase the number of health-care professionals working in the province.

In September of last year, it launched the Health Human Resources Action Plan in hopes of adding more than 1,000 health-care workers over a few years.

The province also has increased the incentives to get health-care professionals to work in rural communities.

Physician assistants work under the supervision of a licensed physician and often within a multidisciplinary health team.

The government said the physician assistants offer services in primary care, long-term care, emergency medicine, cancer care, general internal medicine and surgical specialties.

They can do things like get patient histories, conduct exams, diagnose patients and give treatment options. They can also help with surgeries, prescribe medications and perform procedures as long as they align with the supervising doctor’s scope.

“As the newest members of team-based health care in Saskatchewan, we look forward to Physician Assistants making valuable contributions to timely, high-quality health care and enhancing patient access to health services,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said in the release.

“We are now hiring in the province for these positions and adding this training program means more opportunity for Saskatchewan residents to build a career right here at home.”

Job opportunities that are available in the province can be seen here.

“Our college is excited to be leading the development of a Physician Assistant Master’s program for Saskatchewan, with an intake of 20 learners when the program is launched,” Dr. Preston Smith, the dean of the College of Medicine, said in the release.

“Our team here will be working hard in the coming months to deliver this new program with the same high academic standards we currently meet at our medical school.”

More information on training initiatives in the province is available here.