High School Student

As a high school student, you can start thinking ahead to enrolling in a college, combined college-university, or university program to become an allied health care professional. There are more than 20 regulated allied health professions in Ontario. Learn more about them.

Getting Your Ontario Secondary School Diploma

The first step to enrolling in an allied health sciences program is working towards your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), which is necessary for admission to college or university. Learn about the difference between a college and university. Many health sciences programs also require applicants to take biological and physical sciences as part of their high school diploma. As each program has its own requirements, refer to the program calendars and speak with your high school academic counsellor to make sure you meet the criteria.

It’s worth noting the Ministry of Education provides high school students with the opportunity to customize their education through the Specialist High Skills Major. Students in this program can focus their learning on a career path (such as health and wellness) and still meet the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Evolving Role: Physician Assistant

The physician assistant (PA) is a new role that has been introduced into Ontario’s health care system. The PA works within a patient care team and assists a supervising physician in delivering medical services, such as conducting patient interviews, performing selected tests, and counselling patients on preventative health care. Learn how you can become a PA.

Applying to Colleges and Universities
     
During your final year of high school, you can apply to colleges, universities or The Michener Institute. Allied health care professions have different educational requirements, so be sure to research whether a college, university or Michener Institute program would be the appropriate educational path. 

Apply online through Ontario Colleges.ca for college programs, Ontario Universities’ Application Centre for The Michener’s joint degree-diploma programs and university programs, and The Michener’s site for its diploma programs.

Also, there are more than 500 private career colleges across Ontario that are registered by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and many of them offer programs in the allied health fields. Apply directly to these colleges.

International Students

If you are an international student, read about international admission criteria to a college or university in Ontario.

Resources 

Read about allied health education resources.