The Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program was established in 2011 as a made-in-Saskatchewan Practice Ready Assessment (PRA) program for International Medical Graduate (IMG) family physicians to meet the needs of rural and underserved areas of the province. SIPPA is a College of Medicine program housed within the Division of Continuing Medical Education.
SIPPA is also a founding member of the Medical Council of Canada’s National Assessment Collaboration on Practice Ready Assessment.
While the family physicians participating in SIPPA received their medical education and training overseas, overwhelmingly, the majority of physicians entering SIPPA are already living in Canada as permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
Approximately 75% of family physicians entering rural practice each year are via the SIPPA program and 44% of SIPPA graduates are still practicing in Saskatchewan five years after completing the SIPPA program.
SIPPA is composed of an Orientation and twelve-week Clinical Field Assessment (CFA). Since 2011, SIPPA has assessed 520 physicians in the CFA with 507 physicians successfully moving into practice in underserved communities across Saskatchewan. SIPPA currently assesses 45 physicians per year in three cohorts with 15 physicians in each cohort. Physicians are assessed in the full scope of family practice, with assessments occurring in the clinic, ER, hospital and long-term care settings. While other PRA programs shut down or were constrained during the Covid-19 pandemic, SIPPA continued assessment and increased program capacity in 2021.
As of January 2023, SIPPA assumed responsibility for the supervision of IMG family physicians who successfully complete the CFA. Physicians under supervision are actively engaged in a continuing education program with regular feedback, coaching and a facilitated pathway to full licensure. The three primary goals of SIPPA supervision are to improve quality of care, improve physician well-being and improve retention in rural Saskatchewan. Supervision will be fully operational in 2025-2026 at which point it is anticipated that SIPPA will have up to 150 physicians within the program, at various stages in the continuum.
The success of the SIPPA program is made possible by an exceptional team of 72 physician assessors, four part-time physician faculty members, a Program Manager, Coordinators, and Administrative Assistants, alongside dedicated support from College of Medicine and Continuing Medical Education, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the Saskatchewan Medical Association and many more community partners.