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http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/815019--physician-assistants-graduate-to-unemployment-line
Physician assistants graduate to unemployment line
First crop of 21 PA's graduate this summer but none have been offered a job in Ontario
Published On Wed May 26 2010
By Tanya Talaga Queen's Park Bureau
Ontario’s first crop of physician assistants are graduating this summer but some fear they could be heading straight to the unemployment lines or leaving the province to find a job.
PAs, as they are known in the health field, are stalwarts in military medicine and popular in most U.S. hospitals. Nearly four years ago, the Ontario government decided to begin a program to introduce PAs here as one way to handle the doctor shortage. McMaster University started the first provincial PA program in 2008.
Now, the first of 21 graduates leave McMaster this August armed with a BSc in PA and nothing but faint promises from the provincial health ministry that jobs will be found for them in the health system.
The provincial health ministry invested $10.3 million in the PA program for 2009-2010.
Michael Peirone is a trained molecular geneticist who gave up a career in pharmaceutical sales to join the McMaster program. Now the Barrie area father of two worries he may not be able to find work and he’ll have to return to sales.
“It isn’t fair for anyone, except for a physician in most cases, to train and expect a job waiting for them,” Peirone said. “But we all expected an opportunity for us to pursue jobs.”
The problem is, in order for the PAs to work in the publicly funded hospital system, the government needs to financially support the positions. While the hospitals are enthusiastic about the prospects of PAs, none of them have had a solid job offer, the students say.
Full story on link.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/815019--physician-assistants-graduate-to-unemployment-line
Physician assistants graduate to unemployment line
First crop of 21 PA's graduate this summer but none have been offered a job in Ontario
Published On Wed May 26 2010
By Tanya Talaga Queen's Park Bureau
Ontario’s first crop of physician assistants are graduating this summer but some fear they could be heading straight to the unemployment lines or leaving the province to find a job.
PAs, as they are known in the health field, are stalwarts in military medicine and popular in most U.S. hospitals. Nearly four years ago, the Ontario government decided to begin a program to introduce PAs here as one way to handle the doctor shortage. McMaster University started the first provincial PA program in 2008.
Now, the first of 21 graduates leave McMaster this August armed with a BSc in PA and nothing but faint promises from the provincial health ministry that jobs will be found for them in the health system.
The provincial health ministry invested $10.3 million in the PA program for 2009-2010.
Michael Peirone is a trained molecular geneticist who gave up a career in pharmaceutical sales to join the McMaster program. Now the Barrie area father of two worries he may not be able to find work and he’ll have to return to sales.
“It isn’t fair for anyone, except for a physician in most cases, to train and expect a job waiting for them,” Peirone said. “But we all expected an opportunity for us to pursue jobs.”
The problem is, in order for the PAs to work in the publicly funded hospital system, the government needs to financially support the positions. While the hospitals are enthusiastic about the prospects of PAs, none of them have had a solid job offer, the students say.
Full story on link.