The Journal of Canada’s Physician Assistants

The Differences Between Canadian Armed Forces and Civillian Physician Assistants: An Interview Series

Sofie Kennedy — 2023-07-29

The number of Physician Assistants (PA) in Canadian healthcare will grow as the population increases and ages. The closure of the Canadian Armed Forces Physician Assistant Education Program will increase the direct entry of civilian-educated PAs into military service. Knowing the factors related to military or civilian education and practice is essential in understanding this human resource. Information for this qualitative study was gathered through structured interviews to develop and explore the themes occurring during the Canadian Armed Forces Physician Assistant’s journey through their career, education deployment, and transition to civilian employment. Civilian PAs joining the military must understand that the military is a controlled environment that requires flexibility and adaptability, but a high level of comradery is among the benefits. Role differences were noted in military and civilian practice and explored the experiences, practice environments, teamwork, resiliency, flexibility, limited range of patient ages, and medical conditions limited clinical experiences. The transitions into civilian practice by military PAs resulted in a steep learning curve related to the health concerns more common to civilian populations. Still, they were backed by the confidence and attributes those individuals developed in the military. Regarding work environments, the military requires and offers unique experiences and posting to remote locations, naval ships, and overseas, which can result in autonomous practice only found in specific rural civilian areas.

How will you be part of the team? Lessons from the first PAs on a UK hospital service

Tamara Ritsema — 2023-07-29

The Physician Associate (PA) profession is relatively new to the British National Health Service. PAs have been educated in the United Kingdom since the mid-2000’s, but only recently have universities begun training large numbers of PAs. More than 70% of all UK PAs work in hospitals, but there is little published literature about the experiences of these PAs. This brief report is a sub-study of a larger grounded theory study on the barriers and facilitators to the integration of PAs into the NHS . PAs who had been the first PA on a secondary care service in the NHS were recruited. The PAs in this study were asked what advice they would share with those who are initiating the PA role on a specific hospital service. PAs advised their colleagues to: 1) Be able to explain the Physician associate role succinctly and clearly, 2) Manage expectations for the PA role, 3) Be honest and trustworthy. Know the limits of your knowledge and training, 4) Take initiative in all areas of your professional life, 5) Be a good team member, 6) Be patient and have perseverance, and 7) Get involved to solve administrative issues. This study has limited generalizability as a qualitative study, but the themes raised by these PAs may help newly graduated PAs achieve a successful transition. These data may also guide PA educators around the world as they prepare their students to enter hospital practice.

Exploring Physician Assistant Entrustable Professional Activities, Integration, and Role Satisfaction Within Academic Hospitals in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Juliana Wadie — 2023-07-31

Physician Assistants (PAs) have been integrated across academic teaching hospitals in Hamilton since 2010. A survey was administered to practicing PAs at Hamilton Health Sciences Centre (HHSC) or St. Joseph’s Healthcare (SJH) to explore PA role integration and PA satisfaction in working at an academic hospital. The 22 PA respondents reported a considerable amount of autonomy of 76% (with 100% being full autonomy). The PAs felt their respective training programs prepared them for the workforce. It is evident that PAs integrate well into the healthcare system; many are mentoring medical students, and all have excellent relationships with their supervising physician(s) and co-workers. However, many PAs expressed feelings of burnout, lack of compensation, and paucity of PA mentorship. Areas of improvement include increasing PA mentorship, recruiting more PAs, and integrating more specialized clinical experience into PA programs.

CAPA 2023 Conference Invitation

CAPA-ACAM — 2023-08-02

Registration for CAPA 2023 Now Open!

The CAPA Annual Conference is the only national conference designed for Canadian physician assistants by physician assistants. The conference attracts Canadian and international PAs looking for high-calibre continuing professional development opportunities, learning from national and international experts, and networking and sharing expertise. With over 19 hours of high-calibre CPD, highlights will include:

Workshops throughout
Exhibit hall with networking breaks
Welcome Reception Thursday, October 19 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Awards Ceremony and President’s Dinner on Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 pm

We hope to see you there!

Call for E-Posters Submit your abstract by September 11

Have you conducted a research project? Do you have valuable data to share? Submitting a poster abstract is an important way to showcase your knowledge and expertise amongst your peers. Please consult the selection criteria before making your submission. Poster abstracts will be accepted in the following categories:

original research
case report
educational resources and interventions

All poster abstracts are automatically entered into the competition for Poster Awards, which are presented at the annual Awards Ceremony and President’s Dinner on Saturday, October 21, 2023. All posters will be displayed electronically for the duration of the conference.

For Further Information: 877 744 2272 │admin@capa-acam.ca │capa-acam.ca