President’s Message

Dear Alberta Resident Physicians,

To those who are just starting, welcome to practice in Alberta and membership with PARA! To our returning residents, welcome to a new year. I am very excited to serve as your PARA President. Our Executive Board’s cumulative experience with resident physician advocacy, along with the Assembly and PARA staff, are here to support you and your training.

PARA aims to support resident physicians throughout their residency journey, with orientation, social opportunities to meet and connect with fellow resident physicians, advocacy and community outreach opportunities, leadership workshops, Transition to Practice sessions, Agreement compliance and other wellness, advocacy and leadership initiatives. Make sure you follow PARA on Facebook and Instagram. As well, PARA publishes a monthly newsletter called PARAscope; please make sure you mark PARA as a "safe sender" in your email, so the newsletter reaches your inbox. It is one of the primary ways to source up-to-date, resident specific information that affects you and your training.

This year will be filled with opportunities to get involved, starting as early as July. We would love to meet you and work with you on the PARA Assembly or any of the Committees. This is a fantastic way to meet other like-minded and engaged resident physicians, as well as gain a more comprehensive understanding of medical practice in Alberta and where it’s headed. More information on how you can get involved will be released soon.

I am a PGY2 in the Family Medicine program in Calgary and have been involved with PARA as the Family Medicine Program Liaison since the beginning of my first year. I also served on the Leadership and Education Committee, the Negotiation Committee and externally as part of the Stabilizing Comprehensive Primary Care in AB Task Force.

Beginning in November 2023, PARA started the hard work preparing for the current negotiation season. We hope to have detailed updates to share with you very soon. In the meantime, our current Agreement will stand until the new one is ratified. All protections currently written into our Agreement remain active.

Congratulations on the start of your next academic year – whether as a new resident physician, in mid-training or moving towards transitioning to practice. I encourage you to visit PARA’s Residency Essentials page with resources, including contact information, financial tips and EDI resources.

I look forward to another outstanding year for PARA and serving as your 2024-2025 President. Please reach out to me, the Executive or an Assembly Delegate any time this year.

Welcome to Alberta, Doctors!

Dr. Pauwlina Cyca

2024-2025 PARA President