The birth of physician assistants in Canada.

By now, most Canadian physicians will have some familiarity with physician assistants (PAs). Physician assistants are physician extenders who are trained under a medical model. They are not independent practitioners, but instead complement physicians by practising within the supervising physicians’ scope of practice. This occupation is being actively piloted in Ontario, and Manitoba has regulations in place for clinical assistants and PAs.1 Additionally, both provinces have initiated PA training programs within their faculties of medicine; the first class was scheduled to graduate in 2010. It is well known that the PA role originated in the US and Canadian militaries; although the genesis of civilian PAs in the United States is well documented, this is not the case in Canada. This article will summarize the origin of the civilian PA movement in Canada.