PAM 2021 Stories: Jesse Ropat

For the past year, I have seen the 2020 graduating class struggle with the continued cancellations of their OSCE licensing exam due to COVID-19 restrictions. The OSCE exam was classified similar to conferences and other congregate events rather than a post-secondary institutional event, prohibiting them from completing the exam. Many students had their careers in limbo as a result of these cancellations and were unable to practice to their full scope. Not only did these cancellations affect their future job prospects, but also produced significant financial burdens. With the 2021 licensing exams on the horizon, I noticed that there had still been a lack of movement from the Ontario Ministry of Health regarding this issue. Along with a few motivated classmates, I developed the #LicenseToPill campaign, aimed at garnering the attention of Christine Elliott and her office to prevent future delays to the 2021 graduation class. We developed a petition, which gathered nearly 4000 signatures in a few short days, and communicated with local MPPs to bring this issue to light. We are thrilled to announce that as of Feb 22, the exam has been approved, and will go forward as planned.