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Oakville Centre at Trafalgar 590 Argus Road, Oakville Newly Re novated & Waitin g To Make Your Chri stmas Special! For more Information and Reservations please call 905.842.5000 Christmas Day Feast Saturday, December 25th, 2010 12 noon, 2:30pm & 5:00pm seating times Let Us Do The Work Turkey Dinner To Go! Orders for dinner (8-10 ppl) must be received by December 21st, 2010 ~ Call now for details. Dec. 24 th , 25t h & 26 th w w w. h i o a k v i l l e . c o m w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , D ec em be r 1 7, 2 01 0 2 2 By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Province recently created a new health- care position to help reduce wait times in hos- pital emergency departments, and Oakville is lucky to get two of those new hires. Of the 21 physician assistants (PA) out of the first batch of graduates of 2010 from McMaster Universitys two-year program, two are now employed at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH). The University of Toronto has a similar program as well. Were really fortunate. Its a new role. So were one of the first emergency departments to have the benefit of hiring PAs. We have two of them and it allows us to provide better service to our patients, said Dr. Lorne Martin, Halton Healthcare Services chief of staff. Out of the 156 emerg departments in Ontario, theres only about 30 hospitals that have PAs so were very fortunate to have one, let alone two. Those two new hires at the local hospital are Nancy Aza and Genniene DiBerardo, who have been working in the emergency department since October. Both were classmates at the two-year pro- gram that started in 2008. Its part of the schools medicine department and requires par- ticipants to have at least two years of study in an undergrad program. A PA is a healthcare professional, whos trained to work with a physician, extend the services of physicians, Aza said. Often the term physician extender is used. We perform and conduct history and physical exams on patients and tests. The two new PAs are still in orientation at the hospital. Right now they do things such as seeing patients, taking histories, doing physical exams and with physician supervision order tests and work on interpreting the results of the tests and determine treatment plans. They also do minor procedures such as suturing and put- ting on casts. For Aza, becoming a PA was a natural pro- gression. She had been a paramedic for eight years before that. As a paramedic I was looking for more of a challenge, something else to do and not just advance my career as a paramedic. As I was thinking about what I wanted to do, this pro- gram was announced at McMaster and it just seemed like a perfect fit for me, she said. She said the two occupations of being a physician assistant and a paramedic are similar, but the PA has a larger, expanded role in provid- ing healthcare. Aza said both she and her fellow PA are enjoying their time in the Oakville hospital. The second year of the McMaster program requires a clerkship rotation throughout vari- ous hospitals. One of those locations for Aza was Oakville-Trafalgar, so she is familiar with the hospital. Martin said the creation of the PA position which already exists in the US is part of an overall strategy to reduce wait times in ERs around the province. It allows the physician staff that I have to go further. There are more resources to bring to a patient. They assist in making the physicians plan more efficient and one physician can see more patients, he said. Some of the things the PAs can assist in include spending more time with patients to give their complex discharge instructions, organizing follow-up visits, getting people used to using their new crutches and other tasks that doctors may not have the time to do. This, he said, helps to provide better care to a patient. There are currently more than 60 PA stu- dents enrolled in the U of T and McMaster pro- grams. Physician assistants help reduce ER wait times NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER ER HELP: Physician Assistant (PA) Nancy Aza has recently joined the staff at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) to help the emergency department to improve care and wait times. HERITAGE Lifestyle Home Furnishings SINCE 1977 4205 Fairview Street, Burlington 905-634-5298 www.heritagefurniture.ca Absolutely Incredible Prices, Limited Quantities! $699 FromUnique Accent Buffets (in stock) All Items In Stock for Immediate Delivery! $1999Solid Wood Lifestyle Diningroom Fromro $69969100% Leather Chair (in stock) From Incredible 100% Leather Sofa & Loveseat 2 pc. (in stock) $2599