Series: Q & A with Your CVFP Health Team
Get to know your CVFP Health Team – they are making a positive impact on the health of our
community and beyond.
CVFP Health Team Profiles
In this feature, we talk with Joelle - physician assistant at CVFP.
Joelle joined CVFP in 2023 as a physician assistant (PA). She was born and raised in Okotoks and completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Lethbridge in 2020. After working in optometry for a year and a half, she moved to Winnipeg to train at the University of Manitoba’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. During this program, she was involved in student leadership as the vice president for the Class of 2023, which involved co-coordinating several fundraisers and mentorship workshops, and advocating on behalf of the PA profession. She also completed a capstone research project on weight-inclusive care within the adolescent population; an area she is extremely passionate about. She graduated from the MPAS program in August 2023 and received her Canadian Certified Physician Assistant designation in October 2023. She is incredibly excited to be back in Alberta and starting her career in family medicine at CVFP.
Joelle’s passions outside of work include spending time with her friends and family - whether that be hiking and biking, camping and travelling, or checking out Calgary’s expansive food scene. She is an avid reader and loves to try out new crafting and exercise classes.
“I hope to become a familiar face to the CVFP community and be someone patients are comfortable seeing when they come in for appointments. By being an additional care provider, I hope to help increase access to care for our patients and help our physicians with their workload.”
Help us to understand the role of a physician assistant (PA) in primary care.
Joelle: A PA is a healthcare professional who works in collaboration with a physician to deliver high-quality patient care. PA’s complete two years of intensive medical training that allows us to graduate as generalist medical providers. This means that we come out of school with a solid foundational knowledge, and the ability to enter any specialty for further training under our supervising physicians.
In primary care, PAs work in the clinic setting alongside family medicine physicians. We function very much like a family doctor would - we assess patients, order and interpret labs and imaging, diagnose and create treatment plans, provide patient education, prescribe medication, and perform in-office procedures. PAs work on behalf of their supervising physicians and are often thought of as extensions of the physicians. By integrating PAs into primary care, clinics can improve wait times, improve clinic efficiency and workflow, increase patient satisfaction, and reduce overall costs.
Why did you become a PA?
Joelle: After completing my undergraduate degree in 2020, I wasn’t quite sure what to do next. I had spent some time working in research but found I was not passionate about this field. I had always had an interest in medicine but wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to the process of medical school or residency. I decided to take a gap year and began working in an optometry clinic in my hometown. Here, I found immense joy in connecting with the patients, helping to solve their problems and providing education surrounding eyecare. I had found a true passion for healthcare, patient care and connection.
I started looking into professional programs that would allow me the opportunity to work within healthcare and create connections with my patients. Several programs piqued my interest but either came with a narrow scope or a lengthy program duration. I was searching for something that would give me ample opportunity for growth and expansion of my career while still allowing for work-life balance.
Then I found physician assistant school - a two-year intensive program that would allow me to start working in medicine sooner and offer a substantial impact on the healthcare system as a whole. Being a PA allows me to improve access to care for patients, share the workload with physicians, continually improve my knowledge and skill set, and work in a variety of healthcare settings and specialties. This is my dream career because it allows me to make a difference in the healthcare system, challenges me to grow and improve daily, and allows me time for all the passions I have outside of work.
Take us through what a day looks like for you as part of the CVFP Health Team.
Joelle: Every day starts with a team huddle, where the entire team reviews the day’s schedule and ensures we are prepared for each appointment. Afterwards, I will sit down with the physician I am working with that day to divide the schedule and ask questions as needed. From there, I am off to see patients! I will always take a moment to introduce myself and my role at CVFP to patients I have not yet met and answer any questions they have before starting the appointment. I will review each patient with the physician either during the appointment or throughout the day, depending on the appointment concern. In between seeing patients, I will be charting, writing referral letters, sending prescriptions and following up on tasks that show up in the physician’s inbox. At the end of the day, I will ensure that all my charts and tasks are complete for the physician to review and sign off.
How do you hope to impact patient care at CVFP?
Joelle: I hope to become a familiar face to the CVFP community and be someone patients are comfortable seeing when they come in for appointments. By being an additional care provider, I hope to help increase access to care for our patients and help our physicians with their workload. Team-based care is foundational to the physician assistant role, and I am glad to represent my profession in a clinic that also values this approach to medical practice. I am excited to build relationships with both my patients and my colleagues and contribute to all the amazing things that happen in this clinic!