The first civilian physician assistants (PAs) trained in Canada have received their degrees from the University of Manitoba (U of M) and McMaster University. The U of M awarded master of physician assistant studies degrees to its first 10 graduates Oct. 20, 2010. McMaster followed suit Nov. 19 by awarding bachelor of health science (physician assistant) degrees to its first 21 PAs. The University of Toronto will produce its first PA graduates later this year. John Cannington, assistant dean of McMaster’s PA program, said that because of their commitment to collaborative care the new graduates “have positioned themselves as essential members of today’s interprofessional health care teams.” All PAs work under a physician’s supervision. More than 73,000 PAs currently practise in the US, where they have been part of the health care system since the 1960s.
