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<\/p>\nOntario\u2019s first graduate-level physician assistant program has begun at Western University, training 29 students for a profession that could help expand access to primary care across the province. <\/p>\n
The master of physician assistant studies is a two-year program that prepares students to work in physician-led teams in a range of health care settings, including hospitals, primary care, emergency medicine, and specialty services. <\/p>\n
Program director Josee Paradis said the program has already seen a \u201ctremendous\u201d amount of interest, with more than 1,000 applicants for its inaugural cohort. The program is backed by a Queen\u2019s Park push to connect everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029. In February, the province announced that $16 million would be invested to add as many as 150 new physician assistant education spots in Ontario universities between 2026 and 2027. <\/p>\n
\u201cPhysician assistants are known to improve access to care for patients, reduce wait times, improve times to discharge for admitted patients and they also help reduce physician burnout,\u201d Paradis said. \u201cThere are a lot of really good statistics to support the benefit of having a physician assistant within team-based care.\u201d <\/p>\n
The profession is relatively small in Canada, with about 1,000 certified physician assistants in the country and 600 in Ontario, according to the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants. Sophie Kelly, a student in the new program, said many people are still unfamiliar with the profession and its role in patient care. <\/p>\n
She was studying nursing when she first encountered a physician assistant during a clinical placement and had never considered the profession before. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust last week a classmate told me a med student asked us if we were a type of nurse,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI think what\u2019s most important is bringing awareness to physician assistants, what we do and how we can contribute to the health care system.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Physician assistant students also learn alongside medical students in select areas of Western\u2019s medical curriculum, giving the two groups an opportunity to become familiar with each other\u2019s roles. <\/p>\n
Jack Strong, another student in the Western program, said that building relationships between physician assistants and medical students early in their training will be important as the profession grows. <\/p>\n
\u201cStarting that relationship now is kind of vital,\u201d Strong said. \u201cInstead of having to start your career and you\u2019re doing your elevator pitch every day, it\u2019s going to get easier where we don\u2019t have to explain what we do.\u201d <\/p>\n
ayoung@postmedia.com<\/p>\n
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