Currently A 2Nd Year Uni Student Determined To Apply For The Pa Program.

[Mashpotato]

Hi guys, I just have a few questions because I'm researching more into the PA program.

 

I am a currently a UofT 2nd year (going into 3rd year in Sept. 2016) and I already got a placement as a Unit Support Role volunteer at Toronto Rehab and hopefully another volunteering placement at St. Mikes in the school year to complete my minium of 910 volunteering hours for the PA program at UofT. That's what I thought, but now, I'm not so sure.

 

Now, like I said before, I'm a student and just a volunteer so I don't think the Unit Support Role (which is just a socialization role for the patients. I would be interacting with patients for sure, but I won't have any influence in determining the treatment etc) counts as direct patient care (HC) experience. So I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to proceed in getting those hours that would count as direct patient care that would allow me to apply for the PA program after my 4th year or is that an impossible dream?

 

Thank you!

 

[GermanZeus]

I don't think there's any requirement that the experiences require you to actually determine treatment because then the PA program would basically say you have to be a paramedic/nurse/PT/OT. If you are coming into contact with patients, even if it's just reading to them or playing board games with kids on a pediatric ward I'm sure that fulfills the requirements.

[danijaq]

I don't think there's any requirement that the experiences require you to actually determine treatment because then the PA program would basically say you have to be a paramedic/nurse/PT/OT. If you are coming into contact with patients, even if it's just reading to them or playing board games with kids on a pediatric ward I'm sure that fulfills the requirements.

I'm not so sure. Since HC experience requirements are sooooo vague in Canada, what I've gathered from researching US PA schools is that a lot of the people who are accepted are people who have already begun a career in healthcare and want to either switch paths or upgrade. Since the PA program is very short, a lot of patient care exposure and experience before acceptance would be necessary to be a functional PA at the end of the 2 year program. In the states at least, there definitely are jobs that require patient care although not extreme (such as a primary paramedic). Do a lot of research about the health care field to find out what sort of jobs there are that doesn't require a specific program or any degree (there are a lot more than you'd think). Hope that helps!

Also keep in mind that I am not speaking from experience, just intuition I have not been accepted to PA and I think it was due to my lack of health care experience which I am vigorously working on this summer (I just finished 2nd year too!). Good luck!

[GermanZeus]

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/Occupations.aspx?val=3

 

That is the occupation list that is attached to the prospective students on the U of T website. At the bottom it includes assisting services. Now they may prioritize a similar candidate who was previously a nurse/paramedic above someone who did unit support services.