Under exceptional circumstances of clinical need as identified by Ministerial and/or Public Health Officials, many health care professionals may be redeployed to services in need such as hospital emergency rooms, ICUs, triage facilities, or to responsive facilities such as vaccination units and assessment clinics. The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary have endorsed the principle that all registered postgraduate (PG) learners including resident physicians and fellows are subject to these redeployment measures by virtue of their status in the hospitals.
Redeployment under circumstances that maintain the scope of education is the jurisdiction of Alberta Heath Services in collaboration with the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) offices and Program Directors, or in the event of a public health emergency as declared under the Public Health Act, may be more directive under the powers granted by the Act.
In keeping with CPSA directives PG learners, as licensed professionals, have a duty to the public and may engage in activities deemed to be in the public interest even if the activities normally fall outside of the expected core duties of the individual practitioner. PG trainees, however, should never be forced against their will to engage in activities that would not be considered a reasonable competency set for a doctor at their level in their specialty.
