r/physicianassistantCAN

Hi everyone,

I am currently finishing year 1 of occupational therapy school. So far I have disliked the program and the profession but being from a low income immigrant family and taking OSAP debt its more of a cost-sunk fallacy situation so am unable to quit. Moreover, the job market is pretty bad for a Bsc life science degree alone.

So I read about the Western PA program and was wondering should I switch to PA school? I still am very concerned about the financial side but I do know PAs make good money.

I personally am hoping to avoid intense ADL tasks like toileting and body fluids/wound care but am aware that while these are a real situation in healthcare I have heard PA specialties like psychiatry and dermatology being very clean.

I would love any thoughts or guidance on if I should apply or make a switch.

I recently decided to take the chance and apply to Western’s MPAS program. Originally I was going to take a gap year to rack up PCE but Western doesn’t require an amount so I thought I’d try it. I haven’t officially submitted my application yet, as I am still working on it, but I’m starting to get hesitant.

I live in Windsor and acceptances won’t get released till end of August. If I even get accepted at all, I’d have to get up and move so quick and also how will I know when to apply to OSAP? It all seems so rushed and quick which is why I was surprised about Western starting their program this fall.

I’m not sure if my stats are even good enough to get in. My GPA was around 3.7-3.9. I’m part of a clinical neuropsych lab but I don’t really have any patient care experience. I assumed that maybe the school was going to be lenient about their first year acceptances but I don’t know if it is worth it to take that chance. Does anyone have suggestions on what I should do? Should I stick with the gap year and focus on my PCE to apply to Western next year and other schools as well?

Hi everyone! I’m considering making a career change from tech to becoming a PA. I have no desire to remain in the tech industry with how AI is evolving and have always had the desire to help others.

While I understand that becoming a PA is competitive, I think I would stand out as candidate due to flying overseas for healthcare and my experience living with a chronic illness. My goal is to give back to the community and work in OBGYN or women’s health.

I wanted to gain insights on how non-traditional candidates may be viewed as I don’t have a background in health sciences. I’m planning to apply to UofT, McMaster and Western next year and I’m currently working towards gaining the clinical experience for UofT. I have a published paper and did research in dementia which I think will make me stand out. I would love to contribute to medical research in endometriosis due to the lack thereof and why I’m thinking about OBGYN.

Should I take anatomy and physiology courses this year as programs (UofT/Western) indicated a preference for them?

What are some roadblocks in my application or in the program that I may face as a non-traditional candidate?

I feel like I only see US PAs talk about their experiences. How are Canadian PAs feeling about their current jobs? Are you satisfied with your salary and your work? Do you still agree that PAs have a good work-life balance? How was it finding a job initially?
Thanks, I’m just trying to understand the overall perspective for Canadian PAs.

Hi all I’m applying OOP for Westerns new PA program but I’m starting to have doubts about their turnaround time between the semester starting and admissions decisions. For context some info about me

Currently reside in Alberta

They said earliest admission date would be August 24th meaning at most I would have 8 days to move. My question is has anybody had any similar experiences, maybe getting off a waitlist really late?

Additionally I would have to apply for loans right now, if I was rejected from the program could I cancel any OSAP loans?

Would it be possible to get housing on campus in such a short time?

Thanks