Getting accepted into PA school is so exciting and definitely a reason to celebrate! However, as your start date nears, so does the financial burden of tuition. It is certainly not cheap, and being such a fast-paced and intense program, it doesn’t leave much time to maintain a job and support yourself throughout its course. Figuring out how you are going to pay for everything can be stressful, but with a little research and negotiating with banks, thankfully it can be done. Everyone’s financial situation is unique going into the program, so the needs of each individual differ. This post is tai ..read more

I remember getting my program’s textbook list in early august and being overwhelmed with the number of books that were on it. Not to mention that majority of them had the little *required* beside the name. In undergrad I was definitely the student who went to the bookstore in my first year and bought all the textbooks on my list as well as all the fancy study guides and basically anything related to my courses. I cringe now thinking of how much money I wasted on textbooks that I probably didn’t even open. Well it took me a few years to catch on, but eventually l learnt to wait until the classe ..read more

Our class decided to put on a Mock MMI interview for incoming physician assistant applicants to the University of Manitoba PA program. Preparing for an interview can bring about a lot of nerves when you are unsure of what to expect. So we hoped by simulating the real day we could relieve some stress for interviewees as well as provide constructive feedback on areas of improvement. Overall, I think the day went great and we got positive feedback that participants found it helpful and enjoyable. Putting on an event like this allows us to recognize some common mistakes or weak areas that intervie ..read more

Semester one flew by with a whirl wind of exams, presentations and assignments. It’s crazy to think we are already 1/3 of the way through didactic year. Exam week was rough with 5 exams in 5 days, but somehow, we survived. Over the much need break for the holidays, I got the question “How’s school going?” countless times and it was always the same answer “intense” as I somewhat tried to smile hiding the PTSD from finals. But in the big picture I am loving all of it and am so excited to be learning medicine and on my way to becoming a PA! Semester one of our program covered the basic science co ..read more

This list will continue to grow as I get to and check more off my ‘To Be Read’ list. I love recommendations so feel free to share your favourites! Complications, Atul Gawande I’ve come across numerous recommendations for various books by Atul Gawande so I figured I should probably check some out. Complications was the first one I read and it sure did not disappoint. This book takes you through what it’s like to work in medicine but more specifically, surgery and does so in a way that you really grasp the emotions and struggles involved. Gawande provides true cases of his own which leave you fe ..read more

We are officially in October now which is potentially my favourite month of the year! However, that also means the first month of PA school is behind us and we are 1/3 of the way through our first semester. In that short time, we’ve had a midterm, final, finished a whole course, learned how to take a history, a blood pressure and do a HEENT physical exam (just to name a few). Supposedly first semester is the “easier semester” which is kind of scary considering how much material is already coming at us. During orientation I was worried about getting back into the groove of school and studying a ..read more

You’ve just clicked submit on the application you’ve been working so hard on to perfect and checked a hundred times over, thinking you can finally relax now that its completed. But then comes the waiting game, and this period is almost more stressful because it seems completely out of your control. Whether you’ve received an invite for an interview or not, it can’t hurt to start preparing either way. Depending on your program you might not have much time between the invitation and the interview day. For U of M I received an interview invitation in early march and had the interview in early Apr ..read more

In Summer 2014 I was somewhere in the process of studying for my MCAT when I first learned about physician assistants, through a friend of a friend or something along those lines. I remember briefly looking into the profession and the program we had here in Manitoba and it was very intriguing to me. Although med school was all I had ever considered for myself it didn’t take long before the idea of becoming a PA won me over. I have always loved school and learning, so the length of schooling involved wasn’t what made me hesitant to pursue the MD career choice. It was the lifestyle I would have ..read more

Hi! My name is Carmen and I am a first year Physician Assistant (PA) student in Canada! My main purpose with this blog is to share my journey through PA school over the next 2 years and beyond, to advocate for the profession and more specifically advocate for Canadian PA’s. I hope to inspire, guide and answer any questions for pre-PA students as well as showcase what PA school is like and what this profession is all about to those who want to learn more! Prior to being accepted to the University of Manitoba’s PA program, I completed a 4 year honours B.Sc majoring in Biology at the University o ..read more