Number of Students Accepted into Canadian PA Programs

class sizes for canadian pa programs number of students accepted

Unlike the United States, which has over 250+ Accredited PA programs (and growing!), Canada has 3 official Physician Assistant programs.

How many students does each Canadian PA program accept?

Ontario has two PA programs and Manitoba has one PA Program.

  • McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) – 24 students accepted each year

  • University of Toronto (Toronto, ON) – 30 students each year

  • University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB) – 15 students each year

Why aren’t there larger class sizes for the current PA Programs?

Class sizes are often determined by the Ministry of Training, Colleges of University, NOT by the programs themselves. So although it would be nice to grow the class sizes over the years as demand increases, this is often not up to PA program directors.

Why aren’t there more PA Programs in Canada?

The PA profession is still in the process of being integrated across Canada and is not currently implemented into all provinces.

There are several factors worth considering before adding a PA program, and that includes Having the right legislation in place so that PAs that graduate from a PA program in the province can practice at the top of their scope of practice. —> This requires advocacy of the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants and advocacy work by the PAs who are currently working in that province.

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