As the Canadian population continues to grow, our Health Care system is struggling to keep up. Our doctors and nurses are overworked. Physician burnout rates are higher than ever before. Patients struggle to find a family physician, and often wait a year or more for specialist appointments to get the care they need. These patients are living below our intended standard of care in Canada.
Physician Assistants (PAs) are here to help.
PAs were introduced into Canada via the Canadian Armed Forces in the 1950s. However, the first Canadian Civilian PA programs didn’t start until 2008. Until recently, it was common to never come across the term “Physician Assistant” in Canada. Now, there are approximately 1000 PAs practicing in Canada, working to reduce wait times, physician burnout, and provide more direct care to patients.
PAs undergo rigorous training in a similar format to medical doctors (MDs), but more condensed. PAs in Canada do not have residency programs and instead graduate as generalists. We then receive on-the-job training by our Supervising Physician, who can then delegate tasks to the PA as they demonstrate competency.
PAs across Canada are seen working in a variety of specialties. This includes generalized practices like Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Urgent Care. It also includes specialized practices such as Orthopaedic Surgery, General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology (ENT), Dermatology, Psychiatry (Mental Health), and more. Regardless of specialty, PAs work to provide quality and timely patient care, and provide support to our Physician and Nursing colleagues.
Given the novelty of the PA profession in Canada, I have created this blog to serve as an educational resource for the general public, for students/prospective students, and other PAs.
Alicia Petrie, CCPA 