Physician Assistants In Saudi Arabia Naveed Ahmed, MD, MPAS, PA-C - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Physician Assistants In Saudi Arabia Naveed Ahmed, MD, MPAS, PA-C Program Director The Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences Dhahran, KSA

Objectives  Healthcare Profession in KSA  Present Challenges  PA Profession Establishment  Future Direction

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab state in the Gulf Cooperation Council and makes up 80% of the Arabian peninsula.  Bahrain  Kuwait  Oman  Qatar  United Arab Emirates

KSA Population  Colliers International Estimated  Population of over 26 million people including more than 5 million non- nationals

Healthcare  Government through the Ministry of Health and its agencies is the primary healthcare provider  In 2005 Universal health insurance was introduced  Healthcare is FREE for all citizens and expatriates in Saudi Arabia.

Healthcare  Government provides massive health services to approximately two million pilgrims from all over the world who visit Saudi Arabia  MOH provides health services at 3 levels:  Primary  Secondary  Tertiary

Challenges for Healthcare Reform  Healthcare Workforce - Shortage of local health care professionals.  Majority of health personnel are expatriates - this leads to a high rate of turnover and instability in the workforce

Healthcare Professionals  World Health Organization - Saudi Arabian health services have relied heavily on expatriate healthcare professionals during the last 4 decades.  Huge efforts have been initiated to educate and train nationals.

Challenges  Severe health-related challenges due to shortage of Healthcare Providers –  Obesity  Hypertension  Diabetes  Other chronic diseases.

GWU-MFA Collaboration  In pursuit of providing the most advanced healthcare available to its people, the Medical Services Division (MSD) of the Ministry of Defense & Aviation, has adopted the Physician Assistant profession as an adjunct model.  Initiated in 2010 through collaboration with George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates (GWU-MFA), Dept. of Emergency Medicine.

Physician Assistant Education in KSA The Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences

Program Goals  Focus on preparing military health professionals who will extend and complement the capabilities of physicians in the delivery of health care in Saudi Arabia.

PA Program Standards  Guided by high standards set forth by the U.S. based Accreditation Review Commission on PA Education (ARC-PA)  Focuses on the core competencies of Physician Assistant medical practice established by the U.S. National Commission for the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

The PSMCHS PA Program Response – 155 Applicants 28 started the Transitional Semester 21 Students successfully started the core curriculum in February 2011. - First graduates (15 students in 2013) - Five are currently Clinical Instructors at PSMCHS

The PSMCHS PA Program Masters Degree • High academic standards • Very challenging • Requires dedication to learning and commitment to hard work Academic Program • 28 months long – year round • Transitional Semester • Didactic Year (3 Semesters) • Clinical Year (12 Months)

Transitional Semester Strengthen student’s academic and clinical knowledge and skills Prepare students for the didactic phase of the curriculum • Integrated Medical Sciences • English for the Healthcare Professional • The Physician Assistant Profession • Skills Building • Medical Terminology • Clinical Practice

Didactic Year Efficiently and effectively prepare students for medical practice during the clinical phase of the PA Program: 3 semesters (12 months)

Clinical year  Family Medicine  Internal Medicine  Surgery  Psychiatry  Emergency Medicine  Field and Combat Medicine  Primary Care (elective)

Certification Upon successful completion of the program, graduates qualify to sit for a Comprehensive Certifying Examination including:  Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)  Oral Examination  Written Examination

Challenges  Recognition by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS)  Accreditation by the Ministry of Higher Education  Affiliation with various hospitals and universities

Future Direction  Program demands and deserves recognition and accommodations in the main stream education system  In order to confront the unforeseen situation  Program to naturally grow up and yield fruitful results, it needs supports and patronizing gestures from the authorities as well as the beneficiaries.

We embrace the future with high hopes that the new PA Profession will take root in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it has done in many countries around the world.

References: Health care system in Saudi Arabia: an overview M. Almalki,1,2 G.  Fitzgerald 2 and M. Clark 2 Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants: August 2014 -  Volume 27 - Issue 8 - p 11 Physician assistants in Saudi Arabia Ahmed, Naveed MD, MPAS, PA-C