The road to regulation can be a long and arduous one. However, with continued persistence, advocacy and a little patience, regulation can be achieved. This session will seek to provide attendees with a look back at how far PAs have come in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario, identify the current state of regulation in each province and where we go from here.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:
Compare and contrast the experience of advocating for regulation in Alberta versus Ontario.
Articulate the process of implementing regulation.
List the benefits of regulation.
Discuss what followed in Alberta after regulation came into effect on 1 April, 2021.
Identify next steps in the process for implementing regulation in Ontario.
Kirsten Luomala is a neurosurgery Physician Assistant at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. She served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 26 years and graduated from the inaugural PA Degree class in 2009. Kirsten served on multiple deployments in Haiti, Afghanistan, and Alert. She is a former PA instructor at the Canadian Forces Medical School. In 2014, she retired from the CAF to join the Alberta PA demonstration project and has worked in Neurosurgery since then. She completed her Doctor of Medical Science with a neurovascular focus in 2021. Kirsten is the current CAPA Alberta Director and has been significantly involved in PA regulation in Alberta.
Prior to joining Santis, Patrick served as the Executive Director of Public and Corporate Affairs at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the voice of the province’s 34,000 physicians. Over ten years with the organization, he led the OMA through several strategic communications campaigns, a comprehensive governance review, as well as a major rebranding of the organization itself. Under his tenure, member satisfaction with the OMA doubled to a record high while over the course of a recent five-month advocacy campaign the profession has witnessed a remarkable 12% increase in public trust. From 1998-2003, Patrick worked in senior communications roles in the Ontario government. As an aide to Ontario’s Minister of Health, Patrick led the issues management and legislative agenda.
Dr. Kristen Burrows is the Assistant Dean of the McMaster Physician Assistant Education Program and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. Kristen’s clinical work includes internal medicine and dermatology. Her research interests focus on medical education, health policy, and health human resources with a focus on PA integration. In addition to her academic role, she consults for Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Josephs Hospital regarding PA health workforce planning.