Expanding Physician Extender Programs
It is hard to overstate the impact of physician extender programs on the delivery of excellent medical care in Nova Scotia.
At the onset of the pandemic, there were 13 physician extender programs in our province, all within the central zone. There are now 32 such programs, distributed across the province. In many instances, the presence of physician extenders, be they associate physicians or physician assistants, has enabled departments to remain open.
At the onset of the pandemic, there were 13 physician extender programs in our province, all within the central zone. There are now 32 such programs, distributed across the province.
In addition to licensing and regulating the physician extenders, the College approves and helps develop the structure, supervision and scope of the programs, with periodic accreditation. We do this quickly and efficiently.
With gained experience and momentum, it has become easier to develop more physician extender programs. These programs create another important efficiency, economies of scope. More patients are seen by appropriately trained and supervised professionals, allowing fully licensed physicians to focus on patients who truly need their expertise.
The College is enthusiastic about a new associate physician pilot launched in the northern zone. This pioneering project in Canada offers a pathway for associate physicians to become attending physicians through a competency-based assessment of their performance over time.
The ongoing pilot project involves associate physicians working in a hospitalist setting with oversight of fully licensed physicians. Over 18 months, the associate physicians will be assessed for promotion to a Restricted license, which will entitle them to act as the Most Responsible Physician.
At present, three associate physicians are now seeing patients and progressing successfully through the pilot—one at the Aberdeen Rural Hospital and two at the Colchester East Hants Health Center. Hospitalist care is an area of need, particularly outside the central zone.
This pilot will introduce up to eight new hospitalists into the healthcare system over the next few years. With success, this approach may well be scaled up.
Physician Extender Programs
