The Canadian population is severely under-served by orthopaedic services while experiencing the longest waiting times of any specialty for elective consultation and surgery. Resource restrictions further exacerbate this problem. The University of Manitoba Joint Replacement Group (UMJRG) at Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba has met these challenges by adopting the physician assistant model. Known as clinical assistants (CA) in Manitoba, CAs have been practicing since 2003.

This study of physician assistants working in a busy Canadian joint replacement practice demonstrates that physician assistants integrate well into the care team and can increase surgical volumes to reduce wait times cost effectively while providing a large amount of value added service.

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