Episode #13: Saif, McMaster PAS1
Saif is a first-year McMaster PA student and Canadian Armed Forces reservist who initially followed a pre-med pathway. A casual mention of the PA profession prompted him to explore an alternative direction. Despite writing the MCAT and applying to medical school, he ultimately reassessed his goals and decision-making framework before committing to the PA route.
Saif outlines his thought process for career decision making, ensuring alignment with long-term lifestyle and professional goals rather than credential or title.
He also discusses an overview of the McMaster PA program, including the structure of PBL, commonly used resources among first-year students, and insights from longitudinal placements regarding exposure to different areas of practice. The content is relevant for individuals comparing training pathways or seeking an understanding of the first-year academic and clinical experience.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARNHow to evaluate PA vs. MD career pathway
How PBL is incorporated into McMaster’s PA Program
How to develop communication skills in preparation for the MMI
How 1st year PA school Longitudinal Placements are structured
GUEST BIOSaif completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University, where he was involved in the dance team, the Kinesiology Society, and volunteered with the Superhero Training Academy. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist in 2016 and is training as a medical assistant.
For most of his undergrad he was on the pre-med track, writing the MCAT and applying to medical schools. A friend's mention of the PA program in fourth year prompted a closer look, and an honest self-reflection process that helped him recognize that PA aligned better with his values and the life he actually wanted.
Saif is now in his first year of the McMaster Masters of Physician Assistant Studies program. He's eyeing emergency medicine and is considering both rural and international placements during clerkship, with a longer-term interest in serving as a medical officer in the Canadian military.
ON PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT“Growth in any sense is found in the discomfort zone. The more you push yourself into uncomfortable situations, the smaller that window of discomfort gets”
— Saif, 1st year McMaster PA Student
ON MOTIVATION FOR PURSUING PA“You have to live your life for yourself. When you're thirty, you'll look back and ask, ‘did I do this for me, or did I do it for my parents?’ If you're not happy and you did it for them, that's a tough thing to face.”
— Saif, 1st year McMaster PA Student
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Introduction
Saif [0:00] When you're trying to pick a career, are you picking it for the title or for the status or prestige, or are you picking it because of what it allows you to do? Being a physician allows you to provide healthcare to patients. Being a physician assistant also allows you to provide healthcare to patients. Being a nurse also allows you to do the same thing. There are obviously different degrees of healthcare that you're providing, but at the end of the day, if your reason is to help people, that's a reason to become a lot of things.
Anne [0:30] I speak with a first year PhD student at McMaster who shares his journey from pursuing med school to choosing PA. Welcome to the Canadian PA Podcast.
Choosing Kinesiology
Saif [0:39] I was drawn towards sciences coming out of high school. The story goes that I came to an orientation week before selecting which program I wanted to go into, and I was talking to students who were already in the program, and they painted a picture of each one. I applied to kinesiology and I applied to sciences.
Saif [0:56] With kinesiology, the content just seemed more practical. It's more about the body, anatomy, physiology, things you can actually see in front of you. The labs seemed really interesting — a biomechanics lab with a force plate where you could step on and see velocity in different vectors, and anatomy labs where you'd go and see actual specimens. With sciences it was more chemistry, physics, biology — more theoretical, more micro. I think learning on a gross, macro scale is what I was drawn towards, and I also felt like kinesiology would give me a solid understanding of the human body, which was mostly what I was interested in. So that made it an easy pick.
Campus Life and Volunteering
Saif [1:41] The first extracurricular I was part of was the McMaster dance team. There was a contemporary side and a hip hop side — the urban side — and I was on the hip hop team. I've always had a love for dance, it's been a passion of mine since I was young. So this was my first time actually being on a team, and I think that shaped me a lot. It put me around like-minded people who shared the same kind of passion, and you don't find that often. It reignited my love for dance but also gave me a second family within the team.
Saif [2:19] In second year I got a little more involved. I joined the McMaster Kinesiology Society as a second-year representative. My cousin and I were both in the second-year rep role, so we were in the society together, planning events. That was my introduction to overseeing things within the program and organizing for students. It put responsibility on me for the first time in university — having a real role and tasks to complete. That was an interesting experience in itself.
Saif [2:48] I also volunteered throughout university at the Superhero Training Academy at McMaster, which pairs McMaster students with children or teens who have special needs. Once a week for an hour, you're paired with a child or teen and you exercise with them, promote healthy living and an active lifestyle. If they're younger, you play games. If they're older, you lead them through an actual workout. It reaffirmed my passion for helping people and bringing joy to people. Some of those kids were really inspiring — how hard they worked, how great their outlook on life was. That experience reaffirmed my place in healthcare and in promoting health.
Saif [3:45] In third year I was back in the society, this time as VP Social, so I was planning semi-formals and clothing events — a little bit bigger in scope, not just second-year students but the entire program. I was on the dance team again in third year and also helped clean dances. In fourth year I wasn't on the team, but I came back to help clean dances, which is another aspect of dance I really enjoyed — the nitpicky detail work that makes something look really nice.
Joining the Reserves
Saif [4:24] Outside of university I was also part of the Canadian military, and I still am. It's a job, but also an extracurricular in the sense that it's outside of school and something I chose to do. I joined in 2016 as a reservist, so I work as a part-time military member — once a week or every other week for training, and more in the summers. I'm training to be a medical assistant. The reason I joined was because I really wanted to practice and improve my discipline and my drive to work through hard things. The army is really good at providing that — basic training, and the kind of training you won't get anywhere else.
Saif [5:27] I also have family in the military. A few of my cousins went through it. My cousin is actually a medical officer — a doctor in the military — and seeing him go through it motivated me. And part of it was also just the drive to serve. It's an admirable thing to be part of the army. People who actually deploy and defend the country, or help countries in need — I really want to do that as well. Having the ability to go somewhere where it's a war-torn country and provide care in that dangerous place is something I have a real interest in. I still do. I don't know if it'll happen one day, but it's something I'm still considering.
Saif [6:55] Being a reservist is a lot easier than being a regular force member. Regular force means you're full-time in the military. Reserves means part-time. During university it was every Wednesday night for three hours and one weekend a month. The military is really good at prioritizing your civilian life — if you have tests coming up or you're stressed, they're understanding of that, for the most part. It didn't really take away from my school work. It just added more structure to it and gave me a change of pace. It's a different environment, different hierarchies, more formal — and I enjoyed that.
Reserve Application Process
Anne [8:12] And how do you go about joining?
Saif [8:13] You go to the offices and express your interest. It's a long process where they do a full medical checkup to make sure you don't have anything that would hinder your capability of serving. They do a full background check. You write an aptitude test to see where you rank, which can determine which specialty you're allowed to go into. There's also a physical test to make sure you meet the standard of physical fitness, and then an interview with a military member who asks your motivations and sees where you fit best. The whole process for me took about eight months because there's a lot of paperwork and references that need to be contacted. At the end you're sworn in by the unit and you can begin training.
From Med Track to PA
Anne [9:08] How did you end up at PA? Did you know from the beginning, or were there other paths you were considering?
Saif [9:14] I went through a long journey to get to where I am today. In high school — maybe grade 10 — I was actually looking towards business. That was my initial interest, for some reason. Then there was a shift and I started gravitating towards sciences. I think that stemmed from wanting to help people. I had this idea of wanting to be that person who can drastically help someone in medical need. Sometimes in the hospital, people come to you at their worst — they're broken, they're tired, something's wrong — and I saw myself fitting into that role. I thought it takes a certain person: the right amount of empathy, but also the ability to handle the emotional toll of having someone rely on you in their worst moment. I thought I had that.
Saif [10:41] So my end goal became healthcare, and naturally, like most people, the first thought was medicine. From there I took the recommended courses — chemistry, biology — and just had this one-track mind of going to med school. First year, second year, ups and downs with grades and motivation, but at the end of the day I still thought, I'm going to make it. I got to third year and it was still happening. I wrote the MCAT after third year and it didn't go the greatest, and my marks in third year weren't great either. That was demotivating, but I was still pretty headstrong on trying again and rewriting the MCAT.
Saif [11:38] So I applied just to get used to the process, but I didn't expect to get in because of my MCAT score. In the meantime, I started looking into other programs — one-year master's programs at McMaster and other schools. Then a friend mentioned the PA program to me. She said the application was just your transcript, no references or anything. At the time I thought, OK, that doesn't sound like it requires too much. I'd heard of physician assistants before, so I'll just apply.
Saif [12:21] I applied, and then I got the email back with the supplementary application information. I thought, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it properly. So I started really looking into the program and the profession. That's where my PA journey began. To backtrack a bit — after second year, I'd shadowed a doctor in an emergency department just to get a view of what a doctor does there. While I was there, I also saw a physician assistant. I followed her around for a bit, she showed me some stitches she was doing, talked about the profession. I didn't fully grasp it at the time, but I thought back to it, and I remembered how cool her position was.
Saif [13:09] As I did my research, I started progressing on this journey of thinking, you know what, maybe this is a possibility for me. Maybe I should just pursue this. I created a mission to either prove myself wrong or prove myself right — to convince myself I'm going to med school or I'm going to become a PA. So I started talking to everyone I knew who was involved in the program, who was a PA, who got accepted, who declined offers. I was watching multiple YouTube videos. Eventually I got the MMI, I dived even deeper into it, and then I got in. That kind of rotated my entire world because now it became real.
Why PA Fits Best
Saif [14:03] What really was the turning point was the self-reflection, because I looked back at my initial motivation of why I wanted to do medicine. I wanted to go into healthcare to help people who were in medical need. And I automatically went to physician because that's what everyone goes to. But that doesn't necessarily mean that's the only way to do it. Many people help people in the medical field — nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, physician assistants. Physician assistants are doing a physician's job in a sense. They are helping, treating, and managing patients. So why not?
Saif [14:40] I was actually in a course in my second semester called Work, Self and Purpose, where you dive into your personality and what type of person you are and what career might be best for you. We had to do weekly reflections. Through those self-reflections, I could see my transition from maybe this might be the right thing to I think this is actually the right thing for me. I think PA is what I'm supposed to do. And it's still a journey and still a process of assuming this role and becoming this person, right up to today.
Saif [15:17] Over time I fell in love with the profession. I fell in love with the advocacy. I had a lot of reasons over time because I was learning so much. To sum it up: I chose PA because I wanted to help people who are in medical need, and this profession lets me do that. I'm also a fan of two years instead of seven-plus years. I made three different five-year plans — one for med school, one for PA, and one for becoming a dancer who travels the world. In the med school five-year plan, after five years I was still in residency. In the PA one, after five years I had a new car and a dog and it just looked like a nice life. I was working. I value working more than I value researching things on a computer.
Saif [16:23] The lateral mobility was obviously a big selling factor. I try to be a versatile person, and having the option of being able to move to a different specialty was pivotal in my decision. With medicine, you have to redo an entire residency if you want to switch specialties. And in the end, the work-life balance of being a PA — depending on your specialty of course — also fit well. I have a lot of different values in my life. Traveling, family time, dance, things I still want to make time for. I don't want my life to become my job. All of those things fit really well into the PA program and the job itself.
PA vs. MD Advice
Anne [17:12] What would you say to students who are struggling between the PA versus MD route?
Saif [17:15] Self-reflection and honesty — being honest with yourself — because it's really easy to trick yourself, to convince yourself of one thing even though you don't actually fully believe it. That's a really tough thing to do. It took me a long time to get there. Talking to people who have gone through it, people who are important to you, people who have similar experiences — getting their perspective. Because sometimes you get tunnel vision and you just focus on one thing and you don't consider other options. Expanding your horizons is definitely something I'd recommend. Research everything, watch tons of YouTube videos of people explaining their experience, and ask the questions you need to ask.
Saif [18:07] Maybe just write a journal every week. What is your actual thought process? What is important to you? Where are your actual values? Do you need the title of MD, or do you just want an avenue to help people? I think some people haven't really considered that, but it's worth thinking about. Also consider your role in the healthcare team. The physician has a different role than a physician assistant — the physician is the supervising member, and if something goes wrong, people generally look to the physician first. If you feel within yourself that you need to be the leader in every circumstance, that's something to be honest about. If you're not OK with limited scope under medical directives, or not being the one performing intensive surgeries, you have to be honest with yourself about that too. Different responsibilities, different tasks — write down what is actually important to you, reflect on it, and then talk to people who will throw questions at you to open up different perspectives.
GPA and Undergrad Balance
Saif [19:51] In undergrad, I rarely shared my GPA. I think that speaks to the difference between undergrad and PA school. In undergrad there was this unspoken competition — when you told someone your GPA, it could change their perspective on you. In PA school, that isn't there. Nobody even asks what you got on a test. It's more, are you happy with what you got? And I really appreciate that. My cumulative GPA over all four years of kinesiology was a 3.64. I was personally aiming higher — I would have liked a higher GPA — but it's reflective of who I am and I know why I got that GPA.
Saif [20:42] First year was my worst year, as most people find. I was more excited by the university experience than by grades. Second year, everything flipped — it was my best year academically. I was head-down, nose in books all the time. It worked out academically, but I felt like I was missing something. My excitement and happiness were stagnant. I realized I need balance. Even when I got great marks, I still needed that balance in my life. Third year I got super involved and spread myself thin across too many different responsibilities and roles, which brought the GPA back down. Another learning experience — you have to learn who you are and what you can handle. It's better to do two things really well than to do five things all below average. Fourth year I cut back a little, found a better balance, and it was also a very existential year of trying to figure out who I am as a person.
Study Methods That Worked
Anne [22:34] Were your study methods more rote memorization, or did you have a certain approach that helped improve your grades?
Saif [22:41] That's something you have to go through to learn about yourself, but also to learn that every class requires a different method. In first year we had anatomy and physiology — that requires a lot of rote memorization. What bone is this, what are the stages of embryology — just memorizing those and spitting them back out on a multiple choice exam. That's a lot of recognition. As you progress through kinesiology, the classes get smaller and the tests get more short-answer based. That requires a different type of studying. It's not recognition anymore, it's recall. You have to remember the information but also communicate it on paper. That requires understanding the material and also practicing it.
Saif [23:46] I think one of the best pieces of advice I can give for studying is practicing. You can read a textbook ten times, versus reading it twice and then trying to explain it to a friend or write it down on a blank piece of paper. That second approach is more effective because it actually tests whether you've made those neural connections or not. A couple of days before a test, just take an empty piece of paper and write everything you know about one topic. See what you're missing, see what you got wrong, and refine it from there. I used that for short-answer courses and saw a drastic improvement in my mark.
Time Management in PA School
Anne [25:04] It sounds like you went from one extreme to another when it came to time management — extracurriculars versus hardcore studying. What does the balance look like for you now in PA school?
Saif [25:15] Balance is something I think we will forever work on. I don't think anyone finds it perfectly and just maintains it. Even when you find it, you still have to work to maintain it. For me, I'm mostly studying a lot, but I've taken on some responsibilities and structured my week so that I have scheduled time to not study. What that means is, if I have a friend I haven't seen in a while, I'll schedule a time and go hang out with them for a few hours. Once that's in my schedule, I structure my studying around it. I know I'm going to be spending a few hours there, so I have to study a little more on another day to stay ahead. Planning ahead is the best idea in PA school.
Saif [26:18] A typical day might be — if I have tutorial on Monday, I'll wake up, do some work for tutorial, maybe go to the gym, come back, have lunch, finish tutorial prep, and then go to tutorial. Within that day there might also be email replies, working on a SOAP note due the next day. It depends on the week, depends on what else is in my to-do list. But there is a lot of studying.
Problem Based Learning Explained
Anne [26:49] McMaster is known for problem based learning, and I know the PA program uses a lot of it. What is PBL?
Saif [26:56] PBL is problem based learning, and honestly it's used a lot within McMaster broadly — nursing has it, the Health Science program, physical therapy students, speech language pathology. What PBL looks like in the PA program is that in tutorial, you're given a case. The case tells you that Mr. so-and-so presents to the clinic with these signs and symptoms, this is his past medical history, these are his medications, this is what he's been feeling, and on physical exam you find this. And so now you have this problem, this patient in front of you, and you use that problem to direct your learning.
Saif [27:53] Say the patient is having an asthma attack. What do you want to learn about asthma? You use that problem to drive it — what is asthma, let's learn about lung anatomy and the drive to breathe, let's learn about medications people with asthma take, let's learn about what investigations you can perform to confirm the diagnosis. You're using this one problem to base your learning off of. And then when you come together, it's not a lecture — it's a tutorial of seven to eight people in a room with a tutor who stays mostly quiet but will guide you when you drift from the path. Everyone comes together after doing their research, you discuss what you've learned, and if there are differences or gaps, someone who understands it better can explain it. You're using a group-based setting to learn about the problem and to solve the problem.
Best PBL Resources
Anne [29:05] What are some of your favourite resources when you're tackling PBL cases?
Saif [29:09] The program provides a couple of textbooks, and second year also has a drive of textbooks we can use. For anatomy and physiology there's a dedicated textbook for base knowledge. And then there's Toronto Notes, which provides the Canadian perspective and guidelines on a long list of diseases and complications — it condenses things really well. That's a great starting point to get a condensed picture of how to approach a certain disease. From there I've gone on a journey of exploring different resources. Right now I really like UpToDate because I've heard it's used frequently in clinics and hospitals, so I wanted to get used to it. The summary tab connects information pretty well.
Saif [30:05] I also like Amboss, which provides really good summaries and links to videos, which I definitely appreciate. And speaking of videos — Khan Academy or Osmosis for YouTube videos on diseases. Being taught something is definitely helpful, and those videos are usually around ten minutes, so you can watch a few times and add to your notes. Using a variety of resources and finding what works for you is the best idea. Amboss and UpToDate are really popular, and Khan Academy or Osmosis videos are popular too.
PA Program Courses Overview
Anne [31:03] Can you quickly run through the classes you take in first year at McMaster PA?
Saif [31:08] We have tutorial, which is where we learn our content — that group of eight people with a tutor. That's where we learn the disease, the epidemiology, the pathophysiology, what investigations you order, treatments, signs and symptoms, all of that. Then we have IER — Interviewing, Examining and Reasoning — which is basically our clinical skills class. That's where we learn how to take a history, take vitals, do physical exams — listening to the heart, lungs, abdominal exam, lymphoid exam, all of that.
Saif [31:43] On Wednesdays, which is our flex day, we have Communications class, which happens once a month. That's about learning how to talk to difficult patients or patients going through difficult scenarios — it's more about communicating than about bringing medical knowledge. How do you approach a patient who just found out they have cancer? Then we have Pro Comp — Professional Competencies — where usually a subject matter expert comes in and explains a topic. Those topics include health policies, the Canadian government and how it incorporates health, the history of the PA role, PA advocacy, how social media affects the profession, and interactions between PAs and different perspectives on them. So we become more rounded clinicians.
Saif [32:47] We also have Large Group Sessions — LGSs — which include learning about ECGs, spirometry, and other investigations, or sometimes a specific disease. We've had congestive heart failure LGSs, maternal complications during pregnancy, things like that. Tutorial happens twice a week, and everything else is once a week or every other week. And sometimes there are staff meetings where classmates meet with staff to talk about what's coming up — clerkship, the certification exam, that kind of thing. Maybe once every two months.
How Didactic Is the Program
Anne [33:34] How much of this is didactic, where you're being spoon-fed information in a traditional way?
Saif [33:39] The LGSs and Pro Comp sessions are somewhat didactic. LGSs are definitely didactic. Pro Comp encourages group participation — there's a lecturer at the front with PowerPoint slides, but we often break up into groups throughout the class to talk about a topic. It's more interactive. They don't really encourage taking notes during Pro Comp — it's more about listening, understanding, and talking to your peers about it. Other than that, the clinical skills class is somewhat didactic at the start — the preceptor, usually a working PA or a physician, will explain what the exam looks like and what's expected — but then it's mostly practice. And Communications is almost entirely practice.
Longitudinal Placements Explained
Anne [34:53] You also have longitudinal placements, or LPs. What is that and what do you enjoy about them?
Saif [34:58] The LPs — longitudinal placements — are placements that the students organize themselves. They're basically four half-days, so about four hours each, totaling sixteen hours. They can be in any specialty with any PA or doctor, and you find the contacts, put it together, and schedule a time. I really enjoy them because they let you explore anything you're interested in. If you're drawn to geriatrics, you can do an LP there. If you're interested in general surgery, go there. I personally have done LPs in family medicine, the cardiac ICU, and emergency.
Saif [35:55] All three were amazing. All three preceptors were PAs who had been working for a while. They all understood where I was in the program and have a lot of experience with students. They were really good at teaching me things, allowing me to do things, and giving me a window into their life. But they also took time to just talk to me — about what they go through day-to-day, things they encounter, their perspective on the profession and its future. We had really good conversations. They became my role models in a sense. One day I want to be like them in advocating for the profession. They were all very respected — nurses and physicians all just let them do what they needed to do because they trusted them. And I think that's a really big goal that everyone in the program should have: to integrate well into the healthcare team. By doing that, you're already advocating for PA.
Clerkship Year Rotations
Anne [37:07] What's involved in second year PA school and what are you looking forward to?
Saif [37:12] Second year is our clerkship year, which means we rotate through different specialties of varying lengths. There's always three months of family medicine to start. After that, depending on your stream, you might do emergency for a month, general surgery for a month, internal medicine for a month, an elective for a month. Then there's psych, paediatrics, two weeks of geriatrics, another elective. You're basically there to get a taste of working in that specialty. You're still a student but you're expected to see patients, take histories, make differential diagnoses, and work with a physician the way a PA would — getting the actual experience of what it's like to be one.
Saif [38:32] I'm excited for all of it, honestly. I came into the PA program very drawn towards emergency medicine, but after doing a few different placements, I've realized I could find passion or love in almost any specialty. Every specialty has a different vibe, a different atmosphere when you walk in. A family medicine clinic feels completely different from an emergency department or an ICU. The patients are drastically different in those three settings. But in all three settings I was still happy to see patients, still enjoyed being there. So I'm excited to just learn and see everything. But I'm also really looking forward to emergency. And I want to do a rural placement as an elective — to see what a rural hospital looks like and how they function. The McMaster PA program also allows international electives, and I want to keep that option open too.
Choosing Electives: Rural vs. International
Anne [40:04] Do you know where you're going to do your electives?
Saif [40:09] For one of them I've been talking to a physician I know — he's in family medicine — and I'm asking whether he has colleagues who would be willing to take me on. That would be in the Barrie or Alliston area. For the other elective, right now I'm thinking an international elective. There's PA for Global Health, which links you to different physician assistant schools in the US that are doing international electives and provide contact information so you can potentially set something up. But it is hard to decide, because some people say it's better to get more experience here where you'll actually be working — building connections, networking, maybe finding a potential employer or making references at a hospital you might work at one day. There's also the argument that going internationally improves your character and your perspective on healthcare, and that makes you a better PA overall. I still have some time to decide. Maybe eleven months of being in Ontario will give me enough connections and experience in the Ontario healthcare system, and then a month abroad would be a good way to round it all out.
Why McMaster PA
Anne [42:07] What do you enjoy about the McMaster PA program?
Saif [42:13] I really enjoy the people. I'm lucky enough to be with a lot of great people. We've bonded over hardships and stress, but also over just hanging out at each other's houses. No one knows what you're going through like another PA student who's in it with you. And compared to the U of T program, which is mostly distance learning and where you see your classmates mainly during residential blocks, Mac is face-to-face. I see my tutorial group twice a week for three hours each. I see my clinical skills group three hours a week. I see everyone in Pro Comp. You get to know each other really well, and I value that a lot.
Saif [43:22] I also really value the preceptors and tutors we've had. They've all been just really great. I think I've been especially lucky with who I've been paired with — they advocate for practical and clinical content, they advocate for our learning, they want us to be prepared for clerkship and the real world. They're not doing it just because it's something to do. They're genuinely invested in us. And McMaster is also just my home. I did my four years there, I'm from Hamilton, I know where to study, where to get food, where the dance studio is. I didn't have to adjust at all. It was probably the best decision I could have made.
Traits of Great PA Students
Anne [44:25] Based on your experience so far, what attributes or characteristics do you think would make a great PA student — someone who would excel in the Masters PA program?
Saif [44:35] There are a lot of different things I've noticed in different people — and in myself — that have helped, and things that haven't. Being OK with the structure, or lack of it. In undergrad, a lecture tells you exactly what you need to know. In PA school it's more: here is the topic, go and learn about it. I'm not giving you the content. You have to be OK with putting your learning entirely in your own hands, without lectures to rely on. That takes a certain type of person to accept that responsibility.
Saif [45:13] Handling stress is also huge. There's the stress of just knowing the content, but also knowing it well enough that you can actually use it — because we're not learning this just to do well on a test. We're learning it to help people one day. There's also the stress of being an advocate for PA, because a lot of people don't know what a PA is and you have to explain it constantly. After a couple of months your elevator pitch becomes really polished. You have to be OK with being that voice for something people don't know about. At times it can be draining, but I also genuinely enjoy advocating for it.
Saif [46:42] Versatility is definitely something that helps. We spend about a month to a month and a half on each unit. You're doing cardiology for a month and a half, then switching to respiratory, then hematology. You're going through content very quickly and you have to be OK with not spending a full week on one disease. At the end, you're amalgamating everything into a clinical understanding. Being able to critically think and problem-solve is also a good skill because the tests aren't just multiple-choice recognition. It's: here's a problem, solve it. You have to apply content you've learned to a completely novel patient situation. Having practiced that skill at any point in undergrad is definitely helpful.
Saif [47:43] Being naturally good at communicating is huge. You can work on it, but I've noticed that everyone in the program just has a certain way about them when they talk to patients. They know how to show genuine empathy to someone going through something hard, even when they know it's a standardized patient. Being able to assume that role and relate to someone you've never met — staying professional but also empathetic — that's a tough balance, but it's really important to the program.
Pre-PA Application and MMI Tips
Anne [48:54] What are some of the most common questions you get from pre-PAs?
Saif [48:58] A lot of the common questions, especially around this time, are about the application process. At the beginning you just send in your transcript — no references, no CV. If you make the GPA cutoff of 3.0, you get the email with the supplementary application. The supplementary application is a video and written interview done online at home. Two video questions and two written questions. For the video portion, someone asks you a question on screen, and then you record a video of yourself answering within a time limit. The written portion is the same format but typed. My advice for the sub app is practice. But before you practice, learn about the types of questions — MMI-style, situational questions — and learn about the four pillars of healthcare ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Understanding those is useful.
Saif [50:39] When it comes to practice, just speak out loud to a camera, because that's a very unnatural thing. As much as the supplementary application is looking at what you say, they're also looking at how you say it. If you're stammering or stammering or saying um or you're looking like a deer in headlights, that's not a good sign. Record yourself and watch for those things in your demeanor, your posture, your facial expression. Work on taking filler words out of your vocabulary. Practice, practice, practice.
Saif [51:57] The next step if you pass the supplementary application is the MMI — Multiple Mini Interview. That's twelve stations, two of which are rest stations, so effectively ten questions. You have about two minutes to read the question on the door and then six minutes to answer. You knock, walk in, the buzzer goes off, you get out, you move to the next door. My advice is similar — it's about communication, but the MMI is also more geared toward problem solving. Can you approach a situation and consider all perspectives, all positives and negatives of a choice? Finding a structure or a skeleton that works for multiple types of questions is definitely something I'd recommend. Look at YouTube videos of people answering MMI questions or giving advice. But don't just take one approach and copy it — take little tidbits from everywhere, practice, see what works, adjust what doesn't, and make your own unique structure.
Saif [53:29] Finding that unique voice is really important. You're interviewing against a lot of people and you don't want to blend in. Talk to a friend, have them give you a list of MMI questions from online, answer them out loud, and get feedback on the spot. People who've been through it are really helpful for feedback. But ultimately — be genuine. Be a human. Patients don't want a robot. They want someone who cares, someone who's advocating for them. Come across like it's a conversation. Be yourself.
Building Communication Skills
Anne [54:33] How did you develop such great communication skills?
Saif [54:35] Practice. And I think my trajectory in life has allowed me to practice a lot. From grade nine, I was a drama student. The part of drama I loved most was improv — improvisation. The teacher gives you a scenario, who you are, where you are, and you just start making up a scene on the spot. Someone else is with you, saying things, and you have to react to them. It's a "yes, and" game. It requires a part of your brain to come up with things on the spot, and it's hard, but I loved it. We had improv competitions, and I just enjoyed all of it.
Saif [55:44] I was also in plays that were performed in front of the school and had some significant roles. That took away some of the stage fright, because performance is everywhere — in an interview, you are performing. You're presenting yourself. Dance was part of that too. Dancing in front of people takes a certain type of confidence because you're being judged by everyone in the room. Being comfortable with being judged and confident in your own ability is something I had to work on, and you only do that by stepping outside your comfort zone and forcing yourself to do it. I was the valedictorian in high school, which meant giving a speech in front of the whole grad class. I had fun doing it. In university there was an improv club I'd visit occasionally. I was also the valedictorian for kinesiology, so another speech. Over time, the window of uncomfortableness shrinks, and your window of being comfortable in more situations increases. When that's big enough, you'll be comfortable in almost any situation — including interviews.
Anne [58:15] Any suggestions for people who are more introverted and maybe not involved in drama or the arts, who want to improve their communication skills?
Saif [58:23] Even just one-on-one, if you have a friend you're comfortable with — talk to them. Set aside time to have a conversation about a topic you're not very knowledgeable about, just to feel a little uncomfortable in having to discuss it. Record yourself and watch what you look like when you're thinking, when you're talking. You don't see yourself when you're speaking, so using that resource is huge. Watch YouTube, get advice from people who are comfortable with talking about what's worked for them. Growth in any sense is found in the discomfort zone. Whether you're extroverted or introverted, pushing yourself into uncomfortable communication situations is where the improvement happens.
PA Is Not a Med School Stepping Stone
Saif [59:39] A common question I got when I announced I was going into the PA program was, what are you going to do after? Are you going to go to med school after? At first, because I'd told my family and people around me that I was going to med school, I felt pressure to say, oh maybe I will do med school after. But I realized that the PA program and the position itself is its own thing. It is not a stepping stone into med school. It's not a stepping stone to become a physician. It's something that should be valued and has its own role in healthcare.
Saif [1:00:20] Physician assistants help patients. They also help physicians — they're one of the few people who directly help physicians by taking off some of their workload, and they are important to the Canadian health system. It shouldn't be seen as just a way to get experience until you're ready to apply to med school. Because if you apply to the PA program and you aren't actually interested in being a PA, you're taking that opportunity away from someone else who really wants it. Some people apply to this program many times and don't get in. It's really unfortunate when someone who doesn't truly want to be a PA takes that spot.
Saif [1:01:20] At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you and find what you love. We have the privilege now of following what we love. I'm trying to take full advantage of that. If one day I don't love being a PA, then I have to reevaluate and look at myself and say what am I missing and how can I fill that gap. But at the end of the day, it's all about being honest with yourself. What do you want from life? Where do you see yourself in the future? And is what you're doing now helping that happen?
Convincing Parents and Finding Support
Anne [1:02:07] This is one I got from a high school student: how do I convince my parents that PA is a worthwhile profession to pursue?
Saif [1:02:13] That's a great question, and I went through something similar. PA school wasn't a big conversation topic — med school was still the thing that was assumed would happen. So it was hard for me to first accept it myself and then get my parents on board in the same way. I think there's no one conversation that fixes it. It's many conversations over time, and you showing your passion for it. If it's a shorter time frame, explain to them what a physician assistant is. Show them a video, show them statistics, actual factual information. And instead of fishing for why they're against it, just ask them directly: what is stopping you from accepting this? When they tell you, it opens it up for you to address specifically. But at the end of the day — just apply. You don't need parental permission on the application.
Saif [1:03:39] I come from a family that really cares about me and wants the best for me. They came from a different country to give me a better opportunity and I want to use that to its full advantage. It's a tough conversation and it's a tough thing. I still value what my parents say to me to the highest degree. But at the end, you have to live your life for yourself. When you're thirty, you're going to look back at your decisions and ask: did I do this for me, or did I do it for my parents? If you're not happy and you did it for your parents, that's a tough thing to face. Might as well find what you love. If you end up not liking it, the only person you have to blame is yourself — and that's way better than blaming your parents. They want the best for you. But at this stage, when you've explored your options, you usually know what's best.
Parents Come Around
Anne [1:04:56] Did your parents' acceptance and understanding of the PA profession change from before you went to PA school to after?
Saif [1:05:00] Absolutely. At the beginning, because no one really knows what a physician assistant is, they weren't against it — but they weren't fully aware of what it was either. Because I'd told them I was going to med school, they just assumed this was a step toward that, which wasn't their fault in any way. But after me actually being in the program and telling them things like, I put stitches in someone today, or I saw patients on my own — they started realizing, oh OK, so you are providing healthcare. You are doing a lot of the things a doctor does.
Saif [1:05:49] The word "assistant" comes with a certain stereotype, especially when people don't know what a physician assistant is at all. The word assistant just stands out over the physician part. But over time, instead of seeing just the words, seeing it as the actual profession — that's a process. You can't blame anyone for going through that process. Now they fully support everything. They're happy for me, they motivate me, they're proud of me, and I feel that from them. It's really good to have that support. And I think it's because of who they are as understanding people, but also because of my communication with them over time. It's a process for everyone, including them.
Final Wrap Up
Anne [1:06:35] So that's it — thanks for watching or listening to this episode.
