PA Memes of Insta is featured in this episode of Meet the PAs podcast. They have created many memes bringing laughter to our work day.

Isil (pronounced Michelle without the 'M') is a physician associate in cardiology from Manchester, England. She is a regional representative for the North West Physician Associate Forum, an alliance to support and progress PAs across northern England, and she runs the Not a Doctor blog where she discusses PA life in the UK. Isil is also in the process of launching tailored interview services for aspiring PAs and PA job seekers. Isil is immersed in the progress of the PA profession and England. In this podcast episode, she discusses what lead her to this career path, the PA education process in the UK and how its different from Canada, her day to day experiences, the work of the North West Physician Associate Forum and how to get involved.

Lyndsey Milcarek is a leader for global health and the advancement of the PA profession. Lyndsey Milcarek is a leader for global health and the advancement of the PA profession. as demonstrated by her experience in the US, India, Brazil, and Africa. In this episode, Lyndsey explains her unique experience as a PA and public health leader, she will have you desperate to hear more. She is currently the president of PA’s for Global Health (PAGH), a volunteer run organization in the US. She is working to expand the reach of PAGH and develop leadership and advocacy in other countries, including Canada. After hearing her speak, you will be moved to reach out to her.

Contact Lyndsey

Email: pasforglobalhealth@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsey-milcarek-pa-c-mph-88197a89/

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

Website: https://www.pasforglobalhealth.com/

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.

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! 

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.