Initial employment patterns for the University of Manitoba’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS); 2010-2016
Initial Employment of Manitoba's MPAS Graduates
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5203/jcanpa.v1i5.860Keywords:
Physician Assistant, Employment Status, Employment Location, Employment Setting, Health Care, Health Workforce, PA Employment, ManitobaAbstract
This study examines the initial employment patterns for graduates from the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program in Manitoba, Canada. We conducted interviews with graduates of the MPAS program from 2010-2016 to provide insight into the number of graduates who found successful employment as Physician Assistants (PAs), the length of time to find employment as a PA, location of employment, and clinical setting of employment. Our results indicate high rates of employment for graduates from the MPAS program within three months of graduating, a concentration of employed graduates in urban areas, and graduate employment in a variety of clinical settings. Successful employment for MPAS graduates is argued to be linked to four key factors: the need for PAs in Manitoba, the importance of PA contributions to the practice setting, the employability of graduates from the MPAS program, and support for the PA role from the Manitoba Government. This study emphasizes and advocates for more research focused on PAs within the Canadian health care contexts.
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