Advancing Physician Assistant Education: Is a Graduate Degree the Answer?

Authors

  • P.A. Steven Hall WRHA, Winnipeg MB

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5203/jcanpa.v1i3.706

Keywords:

Physican Assistant Education

Abstract

  The question of entry to practice degree requirements for professions has long been a controversial issue, and the Physician Assistant (PA) profession is no exception. With the US PA programs now requiring a graduate degree for entry to practice by 2020, Canadian PA programs may soon be under pressure to adopt enhanced educational standards and adopt the graduate degree as the national standard. This paper will discuss the historical educational advancements since our beginnings as a profession, factors and trends in education, and include arguments against adopting the graduate degree. Given the struggle to establish the profession in Canada, advanced educational requirements of comparable competing professions, rapid changes in health system delivery, and challenges in achieving regulation in some provinces, it appears the graduate degree is best suited to meet these challenges. 

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Published

2019-10-21

How to Cite

Hall, P. S. (2019). Advancing Physician Assistant Education: Is a Graduate Degree the Answer?. The Journal of Canada’s Physician Assistants, 1(3), ii-vii. https://doi.org/10.5203/jcanpa.v1i3.706

Issue

No. 3 (2019): The Journal of Canada's Physician Assistants (JCANPA)

Section

Perspective, opinion, and commentary:

License

Copyright (c) 2019 P.A. Steven Hall

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