Welcoming Three New Family Physicians to Prince Albert
Greater access to physician care is a key part of our plan to build a better quality of life for all Saskatchewan people. One of the ways we are working to attract and retain medical professionals is through the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA).
SIPPA is a made-in-Saskatchewan program that assesses International Medical Graduates on their education and clinical ability before allowing them to practise medicine. Since 2011, this program has added 18 new practicing physicians to the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.
This week we learned that three more internationally-trained doctors have completed the assessment and will soon begin practicing in Prince Albert. Later this spring, even more doctors are expected to complete their clinic field assessments and begin practicing across the province.
In addition to attracting doctors, our province is making progress toward retaining more locally-trained family medicine grads. The retention rate of those trained at the University of Saskatchewan has jumped by 17 per cent over the past two years – from 58 per cent to 75 per cent.