Sault Ste. Marie's two Ward 1 councillors are pushing to have our physician recruitment committee target more than just doctors.
Sandra Hollingsworth and Sonny Spina will ask city council next week to consider adding physician assistants to the Sault's recruiting efforts.
Physician assistants are taught using a medical model.
They have either a bachelor or masters degree in physician assistant studies and always work in collaboration with a supervising physician, never independently.
Physician assistants practise in all areas of medicine.
The following is the full text of the resolution to be presented at Monday's council meeting:
Physician assistant recruitment
Mover: Coun.. S. Hollingsworth
Seconder: Coun. S. Spina
Whereas in January 2024 the council of the City of Sault Ste. Marie passed a resolution seeking staff feedback on adding nurse practitioner recruitment to the scope of the physician recruitment committee; and
Whereas council is awaiting a recommendation on that issue; and
Whereas the City of Sault Ste. Marie is pushing for the development of a distributed-model third campus for NOSM-U which could include, among other things, the training of allied healthcare professionals; and
Whereas the shortage of family physicians in Sault Ste. Marie and province-wide is impacting the health and well-being of residents; and
Whereas opportunities exist to alleviate the caseload of routine family medicine treatment through the targeted use of allied healthcare professionals;
Now therefore be it resolved that staff be requested to include recruitment of physician assistants and any other allied healthcare professionals deemed beneficial to the well-being of the community into their investigation on potential widening of the scope of the physician recruitment committee.
Monday's council meeting will be live-streamed on SooToday starting at 5 p.m.