Doctors Nova Scotia hopes all physician assistant graduates stay in N.S.

The first-ever class of physician assistants have graduated from Dalhousie University.

Doctors Nova Scotia hopes all 20 graduates of Dalhousie University’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies program will stay in the province and be part of the health-care system’s future.

“Right now, it’s a small role,” says Dr. Amanda MacDonald Green, president of Doctors Nova Scotia. “We’re hoping to see that expand, and especially as we are moving to more ‘health home’ models.

“We definitely see that physician assistants can be a really great part of that model.”

It’s a relatively new profession in Canada’s health-care system, with a pilot program in Nova Scotia first announced in 2019.

Dalhousie’s two-year master’s program, open to 24 students, was launched in 2024.

At that time, the provincial government called this the first physician assistant program in Atlantic Canada, and one of only four in the country, but more have since popped up.

It cost the province over $5.6 million for the program’s creation, along with $1.5 million in annual funding.

According to the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA), the profession can handle up to 62 per cent of ER visits, subsequently reducing wait times, and increase efficiency of doctors who work with PAs.

Their responsibilities, according to CAPA, include:

• conducting physical exams
• diagnosing and treating illness
• ordering and interpreting tests
• developing treatment plans
• counseling on preventative health care
• writing prescriptions
• assisting in surgery

Doctors Nova Scotia says continuity of care with a trusted provider is vital, and everyone should have a family doctor.

“Having other providers, like PAs, treat you for your cellulitis or arrange for an X-ray that’s urgent can really help to bolster the ability for me to see more patients, or, in more timely access,” says MacDonald Green.

But she says a lot of doctors are already overburdened with patient load.

“I think for those physicians that cannot possibly take on more patients, it would certainly improve their access and their wait times, which is really motivating.

“That’s a huge element of burnout for family physicians, is knowing someone’s waiting for a long time to see you.”

She says there’s more to be figured out in terms of what the correct ratio of PAs in a ‘health home’ is, as well as funding structures for private practices.

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