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Pa Employment Outlook For Ontario


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Hoping some current PAs can chime in here and give their thoughts on what employment for future Ontario PAs is looking like.  

 

I volunteer at a family health team in a rural, underserviced area in Northern Ontario.  Despite this, the clinical director can not seem to get the funding to hire a PA, and she believes that the province is "getting cold feet" and backing off a little in terms of creating jobs for PAs in the province.

 

Can anyone provide some insight on this?

 

RR

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I believe the easiest way to get funding for PA hiring is through healthforceontario.ca http://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/M4/Ontario's_Physician_Assistant_Initiative  as it is a rural area this should give 2 years with 50% subsidized by the government. From a student stand point employment is at 100% after graduation and employment after the subsidy runs out is very high. Hopefully someone with more hands on experience of the process can give some more insight as to how your clinical director can guarantee funding.

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No specific comments on your post.  Just noticed your .sig and was very impressed.  Keep the faith!

 

 

Holy crap rural_roots, you signature is impressive. It seems like you are getting closer and closer to getting into NOSM, maybe this is the one. Good luck!

 

Thanks guys - the encouragement means a lot  :)

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I believe the easiest way to get funding for PA hiring is through healthforceontario.ca <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" data-cke-saved-href="http://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/M4/Ontario" href="http://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/M4/Ontario" s_physician_assistant_initiative"="">http://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/M4/Ontario's_Physician_Assistant_Initiative  as it is a rural area this should give 2 years with 50% subsidized by the government. From a student stand point employment is at 100% after graduation and employment after the subsidy runs out is very high. Hopefully someone with more hands on experience of the process can give some more insight as to how your clinical director can guarantee funding.

 

 How big is your class size?  Based on the HFO list of current PA opportunities, there were only 5 positions advertised province wide.

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My current class size at UofT is 27 (2017), at time of 2015 class graduation 58 jobs where posted on the HFO website i believe that was more than UofT and mac put together for that year. The posted jobs jumps up when the classes are graduating and then drops down to 1-2 new jobs rotating in each month, there are also jobs posted in the private members section of the http://capa-acam.ca/ website.

 

The funding situation and continued employment are still a matter that is important and was heavily discussed at the CAPA conference in October, so there is no long term guarantees but hopefully as recognition and awareness increases it will change.

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  • 4 months later...

Some anynymous guy really wanted to post this (this is not from me just to be clear) :

 

"Listen, this is total BS what you are saying about the class 2015 and 58 jobs etc. I don't know who you are but I am a graduate of the class 2015 and it is just a matter of time until the true about the scam of PA programs in Ontario with their funded jobs will be exposed. The true is that 4+ graduates from my class still remain unemployed because the ministry didn't provide the funding to all graduates. Out of 58 posted jobs only 52 jobs actually were hiring with only 6 positions in Toronto. All of the jobs were 1 or 2 years contract.So nobody told us that in order to get a job we will have to leave behind our families and kids. But instead, the director of the program kept telling to us that by January 31, 2016 everybody will get a job guaranteed and everybody was entitled to funding. I personally asked the ministry to shut down the PA programs until such a time when they have jobs for the graduates. Another funny thing is that there is a large number of American PAs competing with Canadian PAs for jobs in Canada. Though Canadian PAs are not illegible to work in USA. This is BAZAR, on one job per month there are hundreds of applicants.....first hands experience, and salary goes down because ppl are willing to negotiate their salary in order to have any job. Ask more me ..."

 

P.S. for that person, report is to report innapropriate content. Posting = to post a comment. To post, you need to make an account.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The anonymous statement seems to echo something I read in the non-trad forum. Is the outlook really that bad? I was looking at it for a back-up in 3-4 years but I'm fairly hesitant right now hearing these things but a lot can change in that time. The US seems to have gone through a boom of PAs and now there's so many schools and grads that people are actually struggling to find work. I'd really like the US to start recognizing canadian grads to open up the options.

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From what I can see, I've read at least 5 active blogs of practicing, Canadian PAs in Canada, and zero of them are talking about or are having issues like these. I believe a lot of people enter the health care field expecting a job no matter what, but the truth is, the health care job market is just like any job market. If you're good, and show valuable skills to employers (or physicians) you'll get hired. It's a competition and there are never any guarantees. Shutting down the PA programs just because the government isn't holding the hands of every graduate and leading them to their career is absurd. If you want a job, you have to work for it, even after graduating. Nurses, pharmacists, cardio profusionists and so many other health care professionals all deal with the same issues in job searching, and PAs are no different: that's just how the real world works. I do think the only point this anonymous person has is that it's BS that American PAs can practice here and not vice versa. And whether or not Canada's current PAs want to take a stand and change this policy is completely in their hands - nobody ever got policy changes by complaining on the Internet! So take action Mr. annonymous and don't try to advocate shutting down a program that will prevent those 52 people from getting jobs, just because 4 people didn't lol. (That's selfish)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Everyone, I don't know who initially started this forum but just for the sake of new members please don't misinform them about the gloom reality of the PA profession in Canada.  It has nothing to do with common difficulties  to obtain a job in healthcare. In itself the PA's  professional competencies are limited by the need of having a supervising physician who has to pay out of his pocket regardless whether or not its fee for service or a salary arrangement. I personally approached 50+ physicians in regard to employment opportunities and each of them said that they didn't have money to hire a PA.  When it comes to the hospitals, the hospital actually needs to have funding resources to hire a PA. And since we are not allowed to work independently and unless someone wants to hire us  then our choices are pretty slim.  Also getting a job as PA has nothing to do with your skills because after finishing the program which btw is very difficult and demanding , we all were at the same  level and any of us could do the job. So the advantage of many people was that they could speak a second language such as Mandarin etc. The last job I have applied for had 286 applicants so my chances as a  new grad were virtually zero. So what happens to every graduate after their contract is over? Well,  they back on the job market in addition to all of the new grads. Its grotesque, as today HFO has only one job posted and for those of you who is interested I can copy and paste all  jobs that available today from CAPA members website.  All of them in small towns, for the most part part- time contract positions in some little towns up north and they asking for 5+ years of experience as a PA.  Shutting down the PAs program is a humane thing to do until such time when there are jobs or some kind of contingency plan in place. When it comes to other jobs in health care such as ultrasound tech, nursing etc. there are plenty of job postings on hospitals' website.  All I can say if you want to invest thousands of dollars and two years of your life into getting a profession with a most uncertain future and move to some little town to get paid for two years then become a PA. My colleagues and I were looking for jobs since October 2015 with no lack unfortunately. Some of the people who took funded position are keep complaining about how unhappy they are and a number of them left their jobs for the following reasons: overworked, underappreciated, separation from families and overall job dissatisfaction. My honest advise to you would be steer clear of PA profession until you see a lot of job postings on hospitals websites. Working in a physician office sounds tempting and not as stressful but you are totally at the mercy of an individual physician and he knows that, so you will be doing anything to keep your job.   

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Hi Truman sorry to hear you are having difficulty in finding work, it is a new profession and the teething issues are widely known.

 

I have the CAPA page open currently there are 14 (1 is mis-advertised from the states where we can't practice) jobs posted almost all are full time positions. and the cities are Winnipeg, London, kitchener, Milton sure they aren't Toronto but they also aren't exactly northern and rural! You have a point that people shouldn't post misinformation and you are speaking from your own personal experience, closing down the programs is not the solution fixing the funding model, getting regulated and increasing the public awareness is the solution.

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The job in London already hired  a PA  they just didn't take their add down, for the position in Milton so many people had applied that if you are a new grad then  your chances are pretty dismal. It is not the difficulty in finding work but actually a lack of work across Ontario. I spoke to the ministry  a number of times and the Ministry made it clear via email that they don't have any contingency plan in place to support the profession and they hope that "in time"  Canadian physicians will recognize the  value of having a PA in their practice. And how much time would it take? Two, three or five more years. Its just another bureaucratic BS  while the administration of the PA program collecting their tuition and CAPA does their lip service, I have to make a living.  The reality  kicks in after being unemployed for 2 years while during the program and almost one year after I finished the program. The same sad story goes for the rest of my unemployed colleagues. So " increasing the public awareness" is great BUT you can't serve it for dinner right? 

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In all honesty, I'm sorry to hear about your situation trueman. I obviously don't know you but based on your many posts you seem to have a very negative attitude towards the pa program and the career itself. If it is something you want to truly do then perhaps a more positive approach along side some reflection may benefit you. Perhaps there is something you can do to improve your resume or cover letter or interviewing skills that may aid your job search.  If it is not something you want to do anymore (as it seems), it is never too late in life to try something new. I myself have seen a few job postings for PA jobs at UHN this year alone. Yes, they went fast, however, it indicates that there are jobs available and you have to be on top of them once they do pop up. Again, im sorry to hear what youre going through, sounds like you have a lot of challenges going on..

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Thanks for the insight TrueMan. Your story has been told and everyone will take with it what they believe about it. As I've said, just because not every single graduate is guaranteed employment in their desired location is no reason to shut down the program. Sure there are some kinks majority of PAs are satisfied. Good luck!

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  • 1 month later...

I graduated from the PA program in 2014. Since graduation I have been extremely dissatisfied with the lack of PA positions not only in Canada but more specifically in northern Ontario. Although I have been fortunate enough to have worked as a PA since graduation, many of my colleagues are not as fortunate. I agree with many of the previous ideas that have been discussed. There are jobs out there for PAs however because a sustainable funding model does not exist The ability for the PA profession to thrive is limited. A lot of the positions that have been advertised are contract government funded positions either through the new grad funding, FHT funding or IHP funding. The new grad funding is limited to 1 to 2 years and once the funding is up many employers are not continuing to fund the PA. This is unfortunate because those same employers will then apply for another round of new grad funding in which they will hire a new grad for the next 1 to 2 years.

 

Unless you are lucky enough to land a permanently funded PA position The possibility of your job ending at any point in time is quite real. I am currently working in northern Ontario through government funding however should this funding cease I will be out of a job. I have been looking to see if there are any other potential jobs in my area, should my current position cease, however have been unsuccessful thus far. I am also applying to NOSM for the 2017 intake, not solely based on this reason however it was a factor in my decision to apply.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I graduated from the PA program in 2014. Since graduation I have been extremely dissatisfied with the lack of PA positions not only in Canada but more specifically in northern Ontario. Although I have been fortunate enough to have worked as a PA since graduation, many of my colleagues are not as fortunate. I agree with many of the previous ideas that have been discussed. There are jobs out there for PAs however because a sustainable funding model does not exist The ability for the PA profession to thrive is limited. A lot of the positions that have been advertised are contract government funded positions either through the new grad funding, FHT funding or IHP funding. The new grad funding is limited to 1 to 2 years and once the funding is up many employers are not continuing to fund the PA. This is unfortunate because those same employers will then apply for another round of new grad funding in which they will hire a new grad for the next 1 to 2 years.

 

Unless you are lucky enough to land a permanently funded PA position The possibility of your job ending at any point in time is quite real. I am currently working in northern Ontario through government funding however should this funding cease I will be out of a job. I have been looking to see if there are any other potential jobs in my area, should my current position cease, however have been unsuccessful thus far. I am also applying to NOSM for the 2017 intake, not solely based on this reason however it was a factor in my decision to apply.

 

 

I know over a handful of PA's and they all have been employed for years without issue. I can certainly appreciate that you have concerns about the job outlook but as others have mentioned there are always job postings. You also have to remember that jobs are not just limited to Ontario as PA's work in Manitoba, and now are working in Alberta, and will soon be working in BC within the next few years. I've also not come across the employers not continuing funding of the PA since the many number of PA's that I know have been signed on after their new grad funding because of their value. You have to remember that it all comes down to how valuable you are, regardless of your position. If you aren't an active learner and aren't putting your best foot forward then you will never land a job regardless of where it is.

 

I think it's also important to look at the context of the situation. There are many healthcare professions within Canada that are either over-saturated or no longer needed. Paramedic grads arguably have the most difficult job securing a position because the province pumps out way more grads than there are jobs available. PA's on the other hand at least have the luxury of having job postings regularly. Resp therapy, x-ray tech, radiation therapy, cardio perfusionists are ALL either oversaturated or have too little openings for too many grads. I know a resp therapist who had to relocate to North Bay to work PTO just because nothing else was available. Even physicians have trouble finding jobs. There was an article out not too long ago highlighting an ENT being broke and in debt $200k without a single job offer for over a year or something. So yes while I understand your concerns, I think it needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt especially considering that you only have 1 post, and it's a complaint....

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  • 2 years later...
On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 10:36 PM, rural_roots said:

Greetings from Marathon, ON. Our award winning health team is seeking PA Mat Leave Coverage- September 1, 2019- September 1, 2020. If anyone may be seeking a change or some additional experience please let me know. I have attached our employment opportunity to this post.  Thank you for taking the time to spread the word. MARATHON FAMILY HEALTH TEAM(bredden@mfht.org). Make it a great day!

 

Physician Assistant Employment Opportunity 2019.doc

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