HEALTH CARE
ASSESSING SIPPA PHYSICIANS
VERY REWARDING
Submitted by saskdocs
W
hat is a normal day like for a physician in Saskatchewan?
As circumstances are different and every individual has a
different routine and career path, a “typical day” may vary.
However, a typical day for a doctor in this province may
include important responsibilities like: seeing patients
throughout the day; making rounds, being on-call, and
consulting with peers. It may mean physicians head home
tired, but hopefully feeling they’ve made a difference.
Other physicians may include all of the above and more, but
also dedicate some time toward a larger effort, like assessing potential doctors to practice in Saskatchewan. Such is
the case for Dr. Arthur Robinson, a family doctor practicing
in Saskatoon. Dr. Robinson and many of his professional colleagues are assessors for the Saskatchewan International
Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program.
Dr. Robinson says that being an assessor is both rewarding
and challenging.
“The process has rewards and some drawbacks. It causes
some upset to the clinic schedule and daily process, but if
you plan ahead it is easy to manage. Good communication
is your best tool, and the more you do the easier it gets.”
An assessor is a vital component of the SIPPA program, but
is only one piece of the puzzle. SIPPA involves, many, many
different people and organizations, but it is administered
by Continuing Professional Learning (CPL) at the University
of Saskatchewan’s (U of S) College of Medicine. The sole purpose of the program is to assess International Medical Graduates (IMGs) for licensure in Saskatchewan. Thanks to SIPPA, a
total of 93 new physicians have been practicing medicine in
this province since January 2011. The program is unique in
Canada as it requires each candidate to go through a series
of examinations and an orientation period before moving on
to the most important part of the process, the three-month
clinical field assessment (CFA). This assessment is designed to
give an understanding of the candidate’s ability to put knowledge into practice as a physician in Saskatchewan.
Dr. Arthur Robinson and many of his colleagues are assessors for the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program.
Dr. Robinson has been an assessor since the program began. He believes being an assessor is important and that the
role goes beyond strictly assessing medical aptitude.
SMA NEWS DIGEST | SPRING 2014
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