Faces of U of T Medicine: Sunil Bacharanianda
Medical school is nothing new for Sunil Bacharanianda, a foreign-trained doctor who is in the second year of the Physician Assistant (PA) program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine (delivered by the Consortium of PA Education, in collaboration with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences). He spoke to us from Northern Ontario, where he is on clinical placements as part of his north/south clinical education.
Name: Sunil Bacharanianda
Program/year: PA program, Second Year.
Role/position: Currently at clinical placements in Northern Ontario
Tell us about what made you interested in becoming a physician assistant.
The PA program provides an alternate career path for someone with a background in medical sciences. As an internationally trained doctor working in a specialized field for many years, I found it refreshing to have an opportunity to expand my knowledge base to include other areas of medicine. My interest was piqued by the multiple roles of a Physician Assistant, in a variety of disciplines.
What do you find most exciting about this work?
A Physician Assistant is trained to work in various areas of healthcare such as Family and Long-term care teams, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Maternal Health, as well as other surgical and medical specialities. Although I have a surgical background, I will have the flexibility to work in other areas as well. I find the clinical rotations in second year the most exciting part of the program, as we have hands- on high quality training in the various fields of medicine.
What do you hope to accomplish?
I envision myself working in a fast paced environment such as the emergency department or in a surgical speciality, where I can make a difference in cutting short patient wait times by providing high quality care.
How might your experiences beyond the classroom contribute to your career as a PA?
I am confident that my past experiences as a medical doctor working in two other countries with multicultural communities will contribute to fulfilling my role as a proficient PA.
What's your favourite thing about the Faculty of Medicine?
I thoroughly enjoyed the high quality online and classroom teaching programs as well as the research resources provided by the Faculty of Medicine. I was very impressed with the professional expertise of the instructors. The connection with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine for our second year clinical rotations provided me the opportunity to work in some very interesting places and train in a variety of challenging environments.
Faces of U of T Medicine introduces you to some of the interesting men and women studying in the Faculty of Medicine. From advising political leaders to providing care to Toronto’s most vulnerable populations, our students are making an impact on communities at home and around the world. Do you have an interesting story to share? Send us an email at medicine.communications@utoronto.ca.
