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Physician associate

Nurse with elderly woman

What is a physician associate?

Physician Associates are medically trained, generalist healthcare professionals, who work alongside doctors and provide medical care as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team. Physician Associates are practitioners working with a dedicated medical supervisor but are able to work autonomously with appropriate support. They work across a range of specialties in general practice, community, and hospital settings.

Is physician associate the right career for me?

Physician associates have an undergraduate degree and may have undertaken further training in the medical model, once qualified they will work under the supervision of a doctor.

As a physician associate you will need to be:

  • Caring
  • Good with people
  • Able to work as part of multidisciplinary team as well as having the ability to use your initiative
  • Be able to cope with distressing situations
  • Be able to analyse situations and make decisions based on the evidence presented

What do physician associates do?

Physician Associates are trained to perform a number of day-to-day tasks. They include:

  • taking medical histories from patients
  • carrying out physical examinations
  • seeing patients with undifferentiated diagnoses
  • seeing patients with long-term chronic conditions
  • formulating differential diagnoses and management plans
  • performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
  • developing and deliver appropriate treatment and management plans
  • requesting and interpret diagnostic studies
  • providing health promotion and disease prevention advice for patients.

 

This video demonstrates the role of Physician Associates The Role of Physician Associates - YouTube

Where do physician associates work?

Training and working as a Physician Associate will give you the opportunity to work in both a primary care and secondary care setting.

Working in primary care involves working with GPs and the wider practice team to provide continuity of care for patients, particularly those with long-term conditions. From referrals to home visits, a role in general practice for a PA varies every single day.

In secondary care Physician Associates can work across a number of areas and specialities including but not limited to emergency medicine, oncology, palliative care, general surgery, and microbiology.

How do you become a Physician Associate?

A Physician Associate is a clinical graduate trained in the medical model. They must pass an intensive two year university course at diploma or masters level to learn clinical knowledge and skills after completing a biomedical or healthcare related degree. They train in both primary and secondary care to gain a rounded patient centred clinical experience. In addition to their first degree the prior experience of physician associates is diverse ranging from cardiac physiology and psychologists to pharmacists and health educators.

How much do physician associates earn?

The newly qualified physician associate post has been evaluated under Agenda for Change at Band 7.                                                                 

What career progression opportunities are available for physician associates?

As you become more experienced there may be opportunities to progress to a more senior role. There is also the opportunity for a limited number to extend their role to take on management of other staff or lecturing opportunities.

Where can I train in Wales?

There are Physician Associate courses available at Swansea and Bangor Universities. Details of how to apply can be found on the university website links.

Physician Associate Studies, MSc - Swansea University

Physician Associate Studies | Bangor University

 

Is there funding available? 

Yes, HEIW offers bursaries for students studying in Wales. For further information please visit the HEIW Bursary page NHS Bursary - HEIW.

 

Will I be supported to apply for a job post qualification?

The NHS Wales Shared Service Partnership (NWSSP), in agreement with NHS Wales Health Boards and Universities across Wales have developed a matching process under the Student Streamlining Scheme. This means that Physician Associates training in Wales will be given the opportunity of applying for ring-fenced vacancies across Wales upon completion of their qualification.

 

Where can I find further information on the role of the Physician Associate?