Physician Assistants – Part of the Team

The Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) is holding an Advocacy Day on April 11th on the lawn of the BC Legislature. They are calling on the BC government to:

• Regulate Physician Assistants (PA) with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC
• Support local universities to develop Physician Assistant training programs
• Collaborate with partners to expand PA practice into various medical roles like primary care

BC Family Doctors believes PAs can be a part of the solution. They have a role to play within a team-based care model. By acting as ‘physician extenders’, PAs can increase access to high-quality care, reduce wait times, and streamline medical processes. In primary care, they can help make services more accessible and help family physicians grow their roster while increasing the volume and scope of services they provide.

At BC Family Doctors, we know Physician Assistants are not a replacement for family doctors. We see the inclusion of qualified PAs as one step towards addressing the overall burdens family doctors carry as the foundation of our healthcare system.