B.C. hires its first physician assistants at Saanich hospital [Video]

To help address doctor shortages in health-care facilities around B.C., Island Health has become the first in the province to approve physician assistants.

These positions do not have a medical degree but they have undergone a two-year graduate program and work under supervising physicians.

It is hoped that the one-year pilot with two physician assistants at Saanich Peninsula Hospital can eventually be rolled out across B.C.

“Many people have been advocating for PAs (physician assistants) for the last 10 to 15 years,” Dr. Paeta Lehn, ER doctor and the medical lead for the Physician Assistant Program at Saanich Peninsula Hospital told Global News.

He previously worked in Manitoba and he said physician assistants are common there.

“I had seen the value of having physician assistants in terms of helping with the volume, helping with procedures, just, you know, just being part of that allied health care team for cohesive patient care,” Lehn added.

He said patient volume at Saanich Peninsula Hospital …