The Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) at Dalhousie University stands out as the only program of its kind on Canada’s East Coast and one of just four nationwide. Open exclusively to maritime residents, Dalhousie MPAS is focused on tackling crucial gaps in regional healthcare by educating home-grown healthcare professionals.
"We’re filling a real gap in healthcare by training physician assistants who can directly support primary care in our region,” explained Olivia Bachmann, Manager of Administration and Operations for the MPAS program. “Students who graduate from our program and pass their board exams have a guaranteed job placement in Nova Scotia.”
Yet, Dalhousie MPAS recognized that their in-person interview process was creating obstacles for many applicants they aimed to attract.
“We looked around to see how other programs were solving this issue, and discovered that Dalhousie’s Medicine and Family Medicine programs were using Kira Talent, and seeing great success,” explained Bachmann. “So we decided to make the switch ourselves.”
A healthy dose of innovation in admissions
“In post-graduate medical education, applicants are typically expected to spend weeks travelling to various institutions for interviews that are imperative to their progression within the field,” she continued.
“Kira saves applicants a large portion of the costs associated with applying to medical programs.”
“Conducting interviews online with Kira makes our program accessible to a more diverse group of applicants who may not have the ability to take time off of work or away from other responsibilities to travel to campus for an interview day,” Bachmann added. “While we have a regional residency requirement, applicants aren’t necessarily living nearby at the time of application. For instance, this year we had an applicant who was completing a rural pharmacy residency in British Columbia, yet they were able to participate in the interview from their location.”
A collaborative cure for complexity
“Our admissions process consists of two main components,” Bachmann explained. “The first is the written application, where we collect transcripts, proof of maritime residency, and confirmation of prerequisites, as well as a supplemental application highlighting volunteer work, academic achievements, and research experience. Based on those materials, the top 48 candidates are invited to a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) in Kira.”
“Building the MMI in Kira was seamless,” Bachmann shared. “We worked hand-in-hand with our Client Success Manager and successfully set everything up in just under four months.”
“The support provided by Kira was instrumental to our success.”
“They provided us with clear objectives and deadlines that kept us on track,” she continued. “As the interview days approached, we had bi-weekly meetings to touch base and finalize any last-minute details.”
“On the interview days, the Kira team was online to assist our applicants and reviewers and ensure that everything went smoothly,” shared Bachmann. “That active communication is a critical part of what made the interviews work as well as they did.”
“We had nothing but positive experiences across the board, from both applicants and reviewers,” she added.
Charting a simple path for faculty
“Kira’s easy-to-use platform was a game-changer for us,” Bachmann continued. “The platform is clear and intuitive, and helpful features such as the ability to hover over the rubric during an interview and see what you should be scoring was very helpful for our interviewers.”
Discover the four ways that Kira's intuitive Reviewer Platform makes the reviewing process better
“But above all else, it was the accessibility that really made the difference,” she shared. “We’re working with physicians, clinicians, active PA’s, people working in our community — they might not have the time to attend a full day of on-campus interviews, let alone training and prep sessions.”
“Kira makes it easier for reviewers to participate in our interviews without it being a burden on their time.”
Learn how more PA programs are leveraging Kira's flexible format admissions assessments
