Ontario’s first graduate-level physician assistant program has started at Western University, training 29 students for a career that could enhance access to primary care throughout the province.
The master of physician assistant studies is a two-year program designed to equip students to work in physician-led teams across various health care environments, including hospitals, primary care facilities, emergency departments, and specialty services.
Program director Josee Paradis mentioned that the program has already generated a “tremendous” amount of interest, receiving over 1,000 applications for its first cohort. This initiative is part of a push from Queen’s Park aimed at ensuring everyone in Ontario has access to primary care by 2029. In February, the province announced an investment of $16 million to create as many as 150 new physician assistant education slots at Ontario universities between 2026 and 2027.
“Physician 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,” Paradis said. “There are a lot of really good statistics to support the benefit of having a physician assistant within team-based care.”
The profession remains relatively small in Canada, with approximately 1,000 certified physician assistants nationwide and about 600 in Ontario, according to the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants. Sophie Kelly, one of the students enrolled in this new program, noted that many people are still not familiar with what this role entails in patient care.
She was studying nursing when she first met a physician assistant during her clinical placement and had never thought about this career before.
“Just last week a classmate told me a med student asked us if we were a type of nurse,” Kelly said. “I think what’s most important is bringing awareness to physician assistants, what we do and how we can contribute to the health care system.”
Physician assistant students also have classes alongside medical students in certain parts of Western’s medical curriculum, allowing both groups an opportunity to learn about each other’s roles.
Jack Strong, another student from Western’s program, expressed that building connections between physician assistants and medical students early on will be essential as the profession continues to grow.
“Starting that relationship now is kind of vital,” Strong said. “Instead of having to start your career and you’re doing your elevator pitch every day, it’s going to get easier where we don’t have to explain what we do.”
ayoung@postmedia. com
Allison Young grew up just outside London and joined The as a reporter in 2026. She is a graduate of Carleton University’s journalism and humanities program.
ayoung@postmedia. com
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