Canadian PA

In this episode, I speak with Aurthi, a first year Physician Assistant student at the University of Toronto. She walks through her path from studying kinesiology and medical sciences at Western University to discovering the PA profession and deciding to pursue it instead of medical school. Aurthi explains how she built patient care experience through volunteering, working as a kinesiologist in phy...

Cole Colbourne, a University of Toronto PA graduate, shares his journey from Coast Guard search and rescue to becoming a PA in the multi-organ transplant program at University Health Network in Toronto. His work focuses on managing complex, immunosuppressed patients before and after liver transplantation, where he witnesses dramatic patient transformations while navigating the demanding realities...

Maureen Taylor is a former CBC journalist who spent 25 years covering health reporting before discovering the McMaster Physician Assistant program through a story assignment. At 48, she entered PA school, transitioned fully into clinical practice, and now works in infectious disease after an earlier role in emergency medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital. She describes the infectious disease PA role as...

In this episode, we explore the the PA role in Radiation Oncology with Maitry Patel, a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant at Princess Margaret Hospital. Our discussion details the clinical integration of PAs within academic oncology departments, the mastery of cross-sectional anatomy, and the administrative strategies used to secure permanent funding. Maitry provides an overview of how PAs ser...

Saira Rashid is a Physician Assistant in General Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she has expanded her role beyond clinical work to include teaching, research, and quality improvement projects. In this episode, she walks us through her path to surgery, how she manages a three-tiered PA career, and why keeping an open mind during rotations in PA school made all the difference. She talks to us...

Becky Mueller, is a certified PA, trained in Chicago and has spent her career in Ontario, holding roles in both curative-intent oncology and palliative care across Owen Sound and Brampton. This episode documents the clinical, operational, and emotional dimensions of palliative care PA practice, including evidence-based arguments for earlier palliative referral, scope delineation between PAs and NP...

Claire is a McMaster PA graduate who currently practices as an Inpatient Oncology Hospitalist PA at Sunnybrook. She discusses the clinical complexities of cancer care, ranging from managing acute febrile neutropenia to navigating deeply personal goals of care conversations with patients and their families. She also explains how she expanded her career into research and academia by pursuing a Maste...

In this episode, we sit down with Deniece O'Leary, a physician assistant with extensive experience in both Southern California and Ontario, Canada. Deniece shares her unique perspective on the evolution of the PA profession across borders, her role in clinical education at McMaster University, and the immense value of professional lateral mobility. Our conversation explores the practical diffe...

Natalie is a McMaster-trained CCPA with clinical experience across Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta. Her career has spanned General Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, and Geriatrics, leading to her current role in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) at a major academic center in Edmonton. In this high-volume surgical environment, she is often the sole PA managing a ward of 20 to 30 oncology patient...

GUEST BIO Kirsten is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant who built her career across two distinct worlds: a full military career that took her from British Columbia across the country, and a civilian PA practice she entered with deliberate intention. She came into the PA profession with a clear surgical interest, applied to multiple positions on graduation, and ultimately landed in neurosurge...

Canadian Certified Physician Assistant working in gynaecologic oncology, currently at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. In this episode, she walks through how a conversation with a single practicing PA in fourth year undergrad set her on a path to one of the most specialized surgical oncology roles a Canadian PA can hold.</p> Sandy explains what gynaecologic oncology actually is, why it...

Sahand is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant specializing in emergency medicine in downtown Toronto. He is a graduate of McMaster University’s PA program. While in his undergraduate study, Sahand transitioned from exploring pharmacy trajectory in favour of practicing medicine through the PA career route, seeking a direct patient-facing role with an efficient training-to-practice timeline. Hi...