Meet the PAs Podcast

Kristen is the Assistant Dean of the McMaster Physician Assistant Education Program. Kristen started out her career as an epidemiologist in public health and continued on to be part of the inaugural McMaster PA class in 2010. In addition to managing the McMaster program, practicing clinically, and advancing the PA progression in Ontario and across Canada, she is also pursuing her PhD.

Kristen discusses her experiences as a PA and as the program assistant dean and the progress that has been made over the last years. Hear the unique attributes to Canadian PA education and the what future goals are underway. Kristen gives tips for students applying to PA programs and her thoughts on becoming a successful PA in Canada. She also touches on the subject of job security and the progress being made in Ontario. Join us in the discussion with an outstanding leader in the PA and medical community in Canada.

You can contact Kristen through her email: [email protected]

For information about the McMaster PA program email: [email protected]

Janna Malone, CCPA

Neurosurgery

Janna Malone is a graduate of the MacMaster PA program in Ontario and is currently working at the Ottawa Hospital in Nuerosurgery and working with an team doing several active research projects. Her most recent project involves brain tumor resections on awake comorbid patients. The beauty of these early results is that is is less stress on the patient and an easier recovery. Hear how she became involved in this groundbreaking research and the leadership Janna is demonstrating in Ottawa.

Janna also gives a brief update on the union controversy at the Ottawa hospital involving OSPEU and physician assistants and her advice to other Ontario PAs looking to avoid the same fate.

You can reach out to Janna via LinkedIn at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janna-malone-ccpa-40421797/

Mr. Deboison is a physician assistant practicing family medicine in Ghana, in this episode, he gives an overview of the PA profession in Ghana and his personal experience as a member of a very busy practice. Ghana has had PAs since 1969 and has the fastest growing PA profession outside of the US and includes PA-medical, PA-dental and PA-anesthesia. Isaac and others in Ghana are able to practice to their full and independent scope, including prescriptive authority.

Isaac details a typical day in his family practice setting involving a very full patient load (much higher than the typical Canadian or American practice) and many acute presentations, both outpatient and inpatient, in a standard 8 hour shift. He works weekends too, sharing responsibility with physicians and PA colleagues.

Ghana is much further along in the advancement of the PA profession than Canada both in terms of scope of practice and government regulation, but it is not without its challenges. It is still a relatively unknown profession among the general public and low pay scale can inhibit further career advancement. It can be very challenging as there is little organizational support to garner increased salary.

Isaac depicts a future utopian medical system involving PAs across the globe supporting each other throughout different countries and offering reciprocity, allowing the PA certification to be valid in all countries that have practicing PAs. Here in Canada, we can relate to those wishes as many hope for reciprocity in the US as well.

Here is to the global future of a thriving PA community!

To contact Deniece

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Deniece is a member of all of the Canadian FB PA groups and you may contact her through these groups as well.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CAPAACAM/, https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadaprepa/, https://www.facebook.com/groups/ontariopa/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniece-o-leary-a187364a/

Anne Dang, CCPA, CAPA vice president was mentioned in the episode and her blog. Find her profile of Deniece at http://canadianpa.ca/familypa/

oin us this month as we engage in a candid discussion about the politics of health care in Ontario with MPP Bill Walker and how to bring the issues concerning the PA profession to the floor at Queen's Park.

Bill is a member of provincial government for the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound riding in Ontario and he is currently campaigning for re-election. He is the progressive conservative health care critic for seniors, long term care, and access. He was first elected to legislature in 2011, prior to that he was the Operations Manager at Bruce Power, and was Executive Director at the Bruce Peninsula Health Services Foundation.

We first met Bill one year ago after requesting to meet with him to discuss the PA profession in his riding with the help of the CAPA (Canadian Association of Physician Assistants) presentation. He was very welcoming at the time and gave his undivided attention to learning about the PA profession and us as individuals. We met again at Queen's Park during the PA day at Queen's Park in the fall of 2017 where Bill continued his support. He has devoted much of his time and career to represent and fulfill the needs of his community, including healthcare.

If you would like to contact MPP Bill Walker, please use the information below.

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/billwalkermpp

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-walker-mpp-01959454/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillWalkerMPP

Josh and his supervising physician, Ash Lamba, have a working relationship built on trust and experience that allows for fluid extended hours of care for patients at the primary care clinic and the long term care facility. Through this, Josh is able to utilize his skills as a PA to the fullest extent benefiting both the patients and Dr. Lamba. Here the details of his story in this interview and the political activism of Dr. Lamba in Ontario with Concerned Ontario Doctors.

Andrea is an active member of the PA community in Ontario, Canada. She works full time at a family health team in Brampton, Ontario since she graduated in 2011. She also is involved with the McMaster PA program teaching first year students in the classroom and second year students in clinic.  Additionally, she leads CAPA (Canadian Association of PAs) networking groups in the Brampton and Mississauga regions of Ontario helping to provide on the ground support and bridge any gap between front line PAs and CAPA administration.

Andrea gives some good advice to PA students about using the second year placement experience to solidify employment as well as some other suggestions to financial support the PA role in a family practice setting in Ontario. 

Andrea, Rachael, and Becky have an in depth discussion on the current political and career climate of PAs in Ontario.  Ontario is the most populated province in Canada for PAs and regulation and sustainable funding models are lacking. Will this change? If regulation happens, will it directly impact day to day practice? Is regulation necessary in order for politicians to develop a funding model?  Our opinions on these topics are strong, either way, the PA profession will continue to be a prominent feature of the Ontario health care system. 

Andrea is available to be contacted via email [email protected]

She is an active member of the Ontario PAs facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/groups/ontariopa/

And on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapansoy/

Kristopher Maday, PA-C is featured on this month's episode. He is the program director for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center PA program in the Memphis and his background is ER medicine. He has a strong philosophy on education believing access and discussion around educational topics is critical to continued development and success.  this is demonstrated by his dedication to detail in his PAIN podcast (physician assistants in education) and his JAAPA podcast (Journal of the American Association of Physician Assistants).  Kristopher touches on the topic of PA education, running his podcasts, and challenges in the US medical system specifically related to the PA profession.  Enjoy this intriguing conversation from a PA leader south of the Canadian boarder. 

Subscribe to his podcasts. Kristopher is also open to comments and is happy to connect with other PAs. 

https://painepodcast.com/

JAAPA podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jaapa-podcast/id1235826100

Kristopher is also open to comments and is happy to connect with other PAs. Find him on Twitter or LinkedIn

KristopherMaday PA-C (@PA_Maday) 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-maday-ms-pa-c-16710535/

Interview with Ian Jones, former CAPA president, current director of the University of Manitoba Physician Assistant Program, President of the Canadian Physician Assistant Educators Association, and pioneer of Canada's first journal for Canadian Physician Assistants

Interview with Sahand Ensafi at the 2017 CAPA confrence.

Sahand is the new Vice President of the Ontario Chapter of CAPA

What it's like to be the first ER PA at a hospital and have over 70 surprising Physicians