The Consortium of Physician Assistant Education a collaboration between the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (U of T) and NOSM University has received $123,000 from the Ontario Ministry of Health to establish a dedicated Northern Stream for Physician Assistant (PA) training in Northern Ontario.
Having welcomed its first class in 2010, the Bachelor of Science Physician Assistant (BScPA) program is a full-time undergraduate degree program at the University of Toronto. The program, delivered through this unique partnership, combines academic excellence with clinical experience to train the next generation of health-care providers where they are needed most.
This new investment will expand access to high-quality medical education while helping to address the critical need for access to health care across Northern Ontario. Over the next two years, the funding will drive the development and launch of this distributed, community-engaged program.
Work will begin this year to build the framework and regional infrastructure needed to support a Northern-based cohort. By the 2027-28 academic year, the program will be ready to welcome its first class of six students, with plans to grow to a class of 10 students as the program evolves.
While most students in the program are currently able to complete a small number of placements in the North, the Northern Stream will allow learners to complete most of their rotations across the region.
A significant portion of the province's investment will support the recruitment of Regional Liaisons practising PAs who will play a vital role in building and sustaining the Northern Stream.
These liaisons will focus on strengthening clinical education by engaging and supporting PAs across Northern Ontario to serve as preceptors, helping ensure high-quality, locally grounded training experiences. They will also lead targeted outreach to prospective students from Northern and rural communities who are more likely to remain in the region and contribute to its health-care workforce after graduation.
"Expanding training opportunities for physician assistants in Northern Ontario is essential to strengthening a health-care system that truly reflects and serves the unique needs of Northern communities,'" says Dr. Michael Green, President, Vice-Chancellor, Dean, and CEO.
"Physician assistants continue to be a cornerstone of team-based care. By educating learners in the communities where they are most needed, we are not only expanding access to care we are helping to build a workforce that is more likely to stay, serve, and advocate for health equity across Northern Ontario."
"This partnership will help more Canadians benefit from the excellent care that physician assistants can provide," says Dr. Jeff Golisky, Director of the Physician Assistant program at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Department of Family and Community Medicine. "This expansion is an investment in the health-care systems of Northern Ontario, and the skill and expertise that physician assistants bring to patients."
"Our government is continuing to take bold action to further protect Ontario's world-class health-care workforce, now and for years to come," said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. "By increasing the number of physician assistants trained in Northern Ontario, we are ensuring more people can connect to the care they need, where and when they need it."
