Medical Matters: a time to remember and a time to reflect

It’s already November and with that comes our annual day of remembrance for those who have served in the military. Remembrance Day has a very different meaning for everyone based on your personal experiences or connections with the military. Regardless of how deep your connection runs, I hope this is a time of personal reflection for you. This year, you’ll see Dr. Graham Campbell, one of CPSA’s Councillors, was kind enough to share a special message about what Remembrance Day means to him. I highly encourage you to read his article.

For me, this Remembrance Day brings back some very fond memories of working with many tremendous care providers during my time with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Many Canadians may not be aware of the hardworking professionals known as Physician Assistants (PAs). PAs have a very long and proud history with the CAF, and have been a valuable part of that system for decades. I worked with them in primary care clinics and in deployed operations. I’ve seen PAs run trauma resuscitations in remote locations in Afghanistan, and I’ve witnessed PAs provide compassionate care to people in clinics who have been diagnosed with conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

As some of you may know, legislation has been proclaimed bringing PAs under the regulation of CPSA. This is exciting news; I know they will make a wonderful addition to Alberta’s regulated healthcare team. One of the great things about PAs is they work with and support physicians—they are not here to replace physicians.

I realize that many Albertans and physicians don’t know much about PAs, but I encourage everyone to learn. They are skillful care providers and we look forward to bringing their unique skillset under CPSA regulation.

Scott