What is a Physician Assistant?

A Physician Assistant is a health care professional who provides a broad range of medical services while working under the supervision of a physician. Physician Assistants help to increase access to health care in a timely manner and reduce the workload of physicians to ensure excellence in health care.

Canadian Physician Assistant Programs

Every school has their own admissions process and requirements. Refer to each school’s website for more information.

How are Physician Assistants trained?

Physician Assistant programs consist of a unique combination between academics and clinical placements in a problem-based learning format. In this format, clinical problems require students to understand the underlying biological, physical and behavioral principles and integrate this knowledge with appropriate collection of data and appraisal of evidence in order to find a solution. In this way, students are able create lifelong working and learning habits that allow them to work within a team and learn from their peers.

Relevant websites

• Canadian Association of Physician Assistants
• Canadian Medical Association – Physician Assistants
• Health Force Ontario – Physician Assistants