A message from CPSA Registrar Dr. Scott McLeod

2021 started with a sense of optimism as many of us expected the year to be a significant improvement over 2020—especially with COVID-19 vaccines rolling out. However, it turned out to be another challenging year. For physicians and healthcare teams navigating the third and fourth waves of the pandemic, the professional demands were complicated by a social narrative that made their work even more difficult.

Looking back at the year, I’m struck by how, through the challenges and struggles, the humanity of health care shone within the relationships between care providers and patients, and among healthcare teams. And while our regulated members have taken steps to protect their patients and themselves through physical separation and layers of PPE, we still find ways to connect with the people behind the masks. CPSA’s focus throughout the pandemic has been to support and guide physicians and physician assistants in providing safe, high-quality care, and I sincerely thank all healthcare workers who continually offer excellent, compassionate care to Albertans when they need it most.

CPSA continues to work toward putting our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion into action. As Alberta’s medical regulator, we play a key role in promoting anti-racism and anti-discrimination within our profession. As physicians, and as humans, our words and actions can hurt more than we realize, and we can only grow as healthcare providers if we are more intentional about how we approach our patients and our colleagues in every interaction. Our newly-established Anti-Racism Anti-Discrimination Action Advisory Committee and Indigenous Advisory Circle will work with us to help us support and educate our profession in ways that make a real difference to how patients experience care in Alberta.

Healthcare workers have faced many challenges in 2021, but their compassion and professionalism have been on full display, as has their commitment to patients. I invite you to read on to learn more about the resilience and dedication of healthcare teams and how CPSA supported their delivery of safe, high-quality care.

Dr. Scott McLeod