Consortium of PA Education welcomes first class of Physician Assistant students

- Program aims to improve Ontarians access to health care -

TORONTO, January 6, 2010 – The first class of Physician Assistants to be educated and trained in the Consortium of PA Education took their oath at a special ceremony today.

The two-year PA program is a combination of on-site and distance education with a comprehensive mix of simulation-based learning and interprofessional collaboration. Upon graduation, these Physician Assistants will help alleviate some the pressure on the current health care system as they will support physicians in a range of health care settings and work under the direction of a licensed physician to provide patient care.

The Consortium of PA Education is a unique collaboration between the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, the University of Toronto, and The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, created under the direction of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

“Physician Assistants will play a key role in ensuring quality health care is available for Ontarians,” said Paul Gamble. “Michener is proud to play a role in educating these health care professionals.”

The Health Force Ontario Year-End Report 2008/09 states that “new team-based roles, like the PA, mean better access to health care and improved outcomes for the people of Ontario. These roles also alleviate some of the pressure on our health force – from better use of clinical resources to lower rates of staff turnover.”

The PA profession is not new by any means; PAs have been used in the Canadian military for many years, in Manitoba since 2002, and in the US military since the 1960s. In Ontario, 60 PAs are currently working across the province in a variety of demonstration projects and are situated in hospitals, community health centres and other locations.

For more information on the Physician Assistant Professional Degree Program, see www.PAconsortium.ca

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For more information about Michener, interview requests or media tours please contact:

Katie Schrank, Communications Associate, Communications & Public Relations
416-596-3101 ext. 3482 / kschrank@michener.ca