REGINA — Saskatchewan will establish a physician assistant training program in the province.
The government has asked the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine to develop a new two-year physician assistant master's program to begin in fall 2025.
Introduced to Saskatchewan as a health profession for the first time, physician assistants will soon be joining health-care teams to help provide enhanced care and strengthen the health system. Physician assistants practise medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician, often within a multidisciplinary health team. They provide services in primary care, long-term care, emergency medicine, cancer care, general internal medicine and surgical specialties.
Twelve physician assistant positions will be available in communities across the province. Current opportunities are posted on HealthCareersInSask.ca.
Funding for the new training program will be finalized through the 2024-25 provincial budget process.
"Our college is excited to be leading the development of a physician assistant master's program for Saskatchewan, with an intake of 20 learners when the program is launched," College of Medicine Dean Dr. Preston Smith said.
"Our team here will be working hard in the coming months to deliver this new program with the same high academic standards we currently meet at our medical school."
For more information on health-care training initiatives, visit saskatchewan.ca/hhr-train.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
