N.B. to hire clinical assistants

New Brunswick plans to add a new role to the province’s health-care system in an aim to help with the staffing shortage.

The clinical assistant position will provide an opportunity for internationally trained medical professionals to enter the field in New Brunswick, according to a news release from the provincial government.

“The clinical assistant program represents a wonderful opportunity to have talented internationally trained physicians provide valuable medical services to the health system,” said Health Miniser Bruce Fitch in the release.

“New Brunswickers will benefit from the knowledge of these internationally educated health professionals who otherwise would be unable to share their knowledge and expertise at this level.”

The goal of the program is to alleviate pressure on the health-care system. The government says clinical assistants will work under the direct supervision of a licensed physician and will:

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  provide surgical assistance for elective and emergency surgeries
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  evaluate and provide care for hospitalized patients in conjunction with an attending physician
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  participate in on-call rotation during statutory holidays, weekends and evenings
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  perform collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team, consulting with members of other health-care professions as appropriate

The government says up to 24 clinical assistants will be hired over the next three years and four of those positions have already been posted.

Of these positions, 14 will be for the Horizon Health Network, and the remaining 10 will be for Vitalité Health Network. The positions will only be available in hospitals, Sean Hatchard, communications officer with the health department, wrote in an email to CTV News.

Applications will be open to graduates of schools listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.

Those who apply will have their credentials assessed, and if approved, the government says they can receive a clinical assistant license through the New Brunswick College of Physicians.

“Internationally trained medical professionals are already an essential component of New Brunswick’s health-care system,” said Dr. Laurie Potter, registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswic, in the release.

Laurie Potter, CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, says this type of license is new to the province.Laurie Potter, CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, says this type of license is new to the province.

“We have already had a lot of interest at the college, and, again, this is a viable career pathway for physicians who would not be able to work in health care,” said Potter during a news conference Friday.

“We actually think this is going to be very, very attractive for many physicians.”

To create the license for clinical assistants, Potter says her team worked with the minister of health, the health department and the New Brunswick Medical Society.

The province says, eventually, all New Brunswick health zones will have clinical assistants.