As a medical technician with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Officer Cadet Marissa Nociar has worked alongside a variety of health-care professionals to treat her fellow service members when they were sick and injured.
"I worked in both operational and domestic contexts, including during wildfires in British Columbia and on exercises around Canada. These experiences not only deepened my commitment to serving my fellow soldiers, but also inspired me to pursue a higher level of medical care," says Nociar.
In 2026, Nociar will graduate from McMaster University's Physician Assistant program, allowing her to return to duty with increased independence after completing the Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada's National Certification Exam. With her degree, she can extend physician services and provide medical care in any setting through delegation. Her training will also open doors for her to work in remote or isolated locations, including aboard a ship or overseas during an operational deployment.
"I look forward to making my dream a reality and, upon graduating in 2026, I aspire to be posted to a ship or field unit," says Nociar.
"I am eager to apply the skills I will gain over the next two years to provide essential care for those deployed and away from home on exercise."
Nociar is one of many CAF members who have pursued the Physician Assistant Education Program, which launched at McMaster in 2008 and was the first of its kind in Ontario. The program, a two-year course of study delivered over a 24-month period, is open to learners who have completed a minimum of two years of undergraduate university and prepares learners to practice medicine in collaboration with a supervising physician.
For that reason, physician assistants play a crucial role in the health-care system, says the assistant dean of McMaster's program, Kristen Burrows. Burrows, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, notes that the versatile training PAs receive allow them to fill health-care service delivery gaps.
"By extending physician services through direct patient care, relieving workload, and improving patient flow, PAs contribute to a more efficient and accessible health-care system across all settings," says Burrows.
McMaster's curriculum is delivered on campus through small-group problem-based learning, medical simulations, anatomy labs, professional competency curriculum, medical communications and clinical skills during the first year. There is a focus on the physician assistant's role in health care and the promotion of inter-professional education and team-based training.
In the second year of the program, all learners complete 48 weeks of supervised clinical placements. CAF learners have additional requirements in trauma, otolaryngology, urology, sports medicine and anaesthesia.
The collaborative learning environment is an element of the program valued by Officer Cadet Sarah MacGregor, a recent CAF graduate of the PA program. "We are undergoing a period of meaningful mentorship between experienced PAs and new McMaster graduates," says MacGregor.
"McMaster's focus on problem-based learning gives students a unique advantage to develop critical reasoning and clinical decision making," adds MacGregor.
Having CAF trainees in the program is exciting for learners and faculty alike, and Burrows welcomes the diversity of perspective the learners bring.
"CAF PA learners often bring unique life experience, specialized training, and rapid response or critical care expertise. This integration fosters valuable skill-sharing, particularly in trauma care, crisis response, and adaptability, enhancing the clinical capabilities of all PA learners. Training together builds mutual respect and prepares both military and civilian PAs to work effectively across all health-care sectors to extend physician services and enhance patient care," Burrows says.
As Nociar and MacGregor look forward to their futures as physician assistants, they carry with them the legacy of those who paved the way. The history of the PA profession, rooted in military service in the 1960s, serves as a reminder of the countless individuals who have dedicated their lives to advancing medical care in challenging environments.
"My own research revealed that the role of physician assistants has its roots in the military, dating back to the 1960s. As a military dependent my father has served in the Air Force for the past 35 years I was drawn to the idea of contributing to an organization larger than myself and in health care," says Nociar.
This sense of remembrance and respect for their predecessors is echoed by MacGregor.
"I am proud to be a part of a new generation of military PAs being trained at McMaster. We represent the future of the trade and will pass forward a long history from those who have come before us," says MacGregor.
