Before you move any further in your PA journey, you must understand “What is a Physician Assistant?”

Being able to describe the role, education, scope of practice and how PAs are able to provide patient care is an important first step. I have a few Infographics about Canadian PAs which provide a good summary of where PAs can practice in Canada. PAs function as physician extenders within a health care team, within a unique PA/MD supervisory relationship.

PA Salaries in Canada differ from PAs make in the United States, because we work within different health care systems. PA salaries d between provinces, specialties, practice settings and with individual PA experience. I’ve also written about the benefits of being a Physician Assistant, including work/life balance, length of school, continuing education and more.

There are several steps to become a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant in Canada:

1. You must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada to Apply to a Canadian PA program. No exceptions.

2. Fulfill Admission Requirements: Review the requirements to apply to Canadian PA programs, which differ by school:

   1. You must have 2-4 years of undergraduate studies (university level, not college level)

   2. Meet minimum GPA requirements

   3. Have health care experience hours (UofT only)

   4. Letters of reference (Manitoba and UofT only) and more.

      ** Always check official PA programs websites for the most up-to-date information on PA schools.
      ** PA programs are competitive just like other healthcare programs, I list a few articles below on how to strengthen your PA application.

3. Apply to a PA program and get into PA school!

4. Complete a PA program at an accredited PA school

5. Write the Canadian PA certification exam administered by the Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC).

6. Apply for a PA Job, get the Job and then Practice!

7. Maintain your PA Certification with Continuing Professional Development/Continuing Medical Education Hours.

To get you started on how to learn more about admissions, I’ve outlined a few steps you can do to start your research:

Step 1: Read the official Canadian PA program websites FIRST, this contains ALL of the information you need to know. The websites also contain all o the most up-to-date and accurate information about what requirements are to apply. Any changes, or notices to the admissions process, and all dates and deadlines can be found here!

• Always verify requirements for admissions with the official PA program websites! These requirements can change year to year and information you find online (e.g. social media, infographics circulating on google, youtube videos) may not accurately reflect what the requirements are for the current admissions cycle.

• Any questions you have about admissions is best to be directed toward the PA programs (which list emails where you can direct your questions about admissions).

Step 2: Check out Admission Resources on this Blog! Use the Canadian PA Blog to get through some of the basics of admissions and requirements.

• You can check out How to Become a PA, our overview of PA Admission Requirements for Canadian PA programs.

• You can also download the Canadian PA Admissions Comparison Chart free PDF. These are updated annually by me.

Step 3: Check out resources on the Canadian PA Youtube Channel with interviews with current PA students who have recently gone through the admissions process SUCCESSFULLY, as well as panels and workshops which are all available and free to view online!

• The advice and tips from these videos are so valuable, especially when it comes to time management, getting documents ready, and approach to the supplemental application and interview.

• There are some details you want to double-check with the official PA program websites to ensure there haven’t been any significant changes to requirements for your current admissions cycle.

Step 4: Check out the Canadian Pre-PA Facebook Group. Here is where you can post questions about admissions and becoming a PA in Canada. You can also find free resources available to the group. Our philosophy in the group is to “Be a mentor.. be a mentee! Help each other grow and lift each other up!”.

• You can use the search function to see if your question has already been asked in the group

• Browse questions and posts through categories (e.g. GPA, undergrad courses to take, school-specific admission questions, health care experience hours, references, etc).

• View statistics students who got accepted into the Canadian PA programs

• You can now post questions anonymously in the group as well!

Step 5: Connect with PAs and PA students on Instagram. Follow the hashtag #CanadaNeedsPAs or #CanadianPA to see posts from PAs and PA students from Canada! Or you can follow accounts listed on PAs on Instagram. Some IG accounts post helpful tips around PA Admissions season (winter/early spring).

What is helpful sometimes is understanding the difference between a PA vs. MD, vs. NP, or other health care providers:

• Physician Assistants vs. Nurse Practitioners

• Physician Assistants vs. Physicians

• Physician Assistants vs. Physiotherapists

If you’re looking for more resources (apart from this blog) on where to learn about Physician Assistants in Canada, check out the Top 10 Resources to Learn about the PA Profession in Canada

If you are an American PA-C, you can practice in Canada: Right now, Canada only accepts American Certified Physician Assistants (PA-C’s) who have trained in the United States to work in Canada.

If you are a PA from another country (e.g. United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ghana, India), you would have to complete a PA education program in American or Canada to work as a PA in Canada. International PAs who are not American PA-Cs cannot currently practice in Canada.

Canadian PA programs DO NOT accept International students at this time. You must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada to apply.

Click here to learn more about options to learn at a PA program internationally.

You can consider applying to Canadian PA programs once you become a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada.