The BScPA Program was accorded a Canadian Medical Association 6 year accreditation status in December 2017. The maintenance of this 6 year status is recognized by the Physician Certification Council of Canada (PACCC). For inquiries please consult the Student section on the CAPA website
The BScPA Program is a distance and distributed education program with the majority of the program delivered on-line. It is expected that students will carry out the on-line learning at home in the first year. This requires the use of high-speed internet access. Students will be required to attend classes in person in Toronto (‘campus blocks’) for specific time periods to integrate interprofessional education and simulation-based learning for skills development and for hands-on assessments.
The second year of the program is centered on clinical education, with experiences in both Northern and Southern Ontario. Campus blocks, with the requirement of students attending classes in person in Toronto, will also occur.
Program Overview
The program runs continuously for six semesters (24 months). Short periods of time are spent in Toronto, but otherwise the student may be in their home location during the first year.
Year 1 (pre-clerkship 3 semesters) is academically focused:
Completion of 15 courses in total online with synchronous and asynchronous learning and online proctoring of assessments
2 Mandatory In-Person Campus Blocks will occur: a 3 week block in September, and a 7 day block in June.
Year 2 (clerkship - 3 semesters) is clinically focused:
44 weeks of supervised direct clinical contact in rural and urban settings:
12 weeks of Primary Care, plus 4 week core rotations in General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Hospitalist/Internal Medicine, Mental Health and Paediatrics. The remaining weeks are spent in electives.
Half of the clinical practicum will be assigned in Southern Ontario, half in Northern Ontario.
Mandatory In-Person Campus Block in Toronto will also occur - 1 week in March.
Clinical Experiences in Ontario
The BScPA Program is designed so that students may experience diverse clinical training in environments they may not have been previously exposed to as health care providers. (Please note that although clinical placements occur during Year 2 of the program, students are also expected to participate in clinical experiences throughout Year 1.) Map of Clinical Sites used in the BScPA Program
A driver's licence and access to a car is strongly recommended.
Northern and Southern Hubs
Rotations are set in pre-determined Northern and Southern hubs, with Parry Sound being the dividing line. PA learners are required to complete clinical training in both hubs, however, they choose their preferred main hub based on the locations provided within the two regions that are known to consistently provide placements.
N-S Swap Training Location
Students are required to complete a minimum of three rotations in the north. Should a learner show a strong interest in this region, our Clinical Placement Coordinators will strive to get additional placements located within the Northern Hub.
The structure of the program requires that all students be registered in the program on a full-time basis. Attendance at all Campus Blocks and Evaluation components of the program and participation in all Distance components are mandatory. Employment while enrolled in the full-time professional degree program is strongly discouraged.
Advanced Standing/Transfer
The structure of the program requires that all students complete the entire 24 month curriculum from the beginning. There is no provision for advanced standing or transfer into the program. Prior Learning Assessments will not be considered to grant credits.
