The Nova Scotia government has announced the creation of Atlantic Canada’s first physician assistant program, at Dalhousie University.
The province is investing $5.6-million to get the program up and running followed by $1.5-million in annual funding.
Physician assistants work under the supervision of doctors and can perform physical exams, make diagnoses, create treatment plans and prescribe medication.
The two-year master’s program will be open to 24 students, with preference given to applicants from Nova Scotia.
Dr. David Anderson, dean of Dalhousie’s faculty of medicine, says training physician assistants will lift a burden off the province’s doctors.
The government says it will spend $1.7-million more this year to add 10 physician assistants to the seven working in the province.