Physician Assistance / Clinical Assistance

Terms / Definitions:

Clinical Assistant (CA) Vs Physician Assistant (PA)

The principal difference between a clinical assistant and a physician assistant (PA) is that a CA is not a graduate of a PA degree program.

Licensed Vs Unlicensed

Licensed PAs/CAs are regulated jobs, while unlicensed PAs/CAs are not regulated often with lower pay.

Licensed physician assistant /Clinical Assistant

2 years degree program, This video gives an excellent overview of the Physician Assistant profession in Canada:

There are 3 PA education programs in Canada:

McMaster University Physician Assistant Education Program
The Consortium of PA Education (University of Toronto, Northern Ontario School of Medicine and The Michener Institute for Education at UHN)
University of Manitoba Master of Physician Assistant Studies

Without obtaining a degree program, IEHPs can obtain a license from the provincial college and work as licensed CAs in certain provinces:

Helpful resources:

Canadianpa.ca

Have questions or need further assistance? Contact us. Our team is here to support you on your journey to certification in Canada.