Physician associate

Physician associates are trained health professionals who provide crucial support to doctors and have regular direct contact with patients

You'll carry out tasks such as the examination, diagnosis, management and care of patients consistently under the direct supervision of a named senior doctor, who is either a consultant or general practitioner (GP).

While you can work autonomously with appropriate support, you will need to stay within the limits of your scope of practice and know when to refer to doctors and other healthcare professionals.

You'll be part of a medical team and will typically work in GP surgeries or hospitals as part of a medical team.

This a relatively new role in the UK, which is growing and developing over time. It should not be confused with the role of physician assistant.

This is not a route to becoming a doctor. For information on how to train to be a doctor, see hospital doctor or general practice doctor.

Responsibilities

As a physician associate, you'll need to work within a defined scope of practice. In general, you will:

• take patient medical histories during face-to-face and/or telephone consultations
• carry out physical examinations
• order diagnostic tests and analyse results
• make diagnoses and clinical assessments
• carry out a range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures within the scope of your role
• develop and deliver appropriate treatment and care management plans in consultation with patients, their relatives and carers
• organise further investigations, treatment and referral to a doctor/other healthcare professional where appropriate
• evaluate the effectiveness of care management plans
• make home visits to patients who are unable to visit the surgery/hospital due to their condition
• provide patients with advice and counselling on health promotion and disease prevention
• maintain accurate clinical records
• complete paperwork and other administration duties, including writing reports, letters and other correspondence.

Physician associates must not provide care or treatment without supervision. In addition, they are not currently allowed to prescribe or request ionising radiation, such as CT scans or x-rays.

Salary

• Jobs in the NHS are usually covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) Pay Rates consisting of nine pay bands. Preceptorship posts that support newly qualified physician associates with the transition to the workplace typically start at around £37,338 (Band 6).
• Following your preceptorship year, you will usually be employed on Band 7, starting at £46,148 and rising to £52,809 based on your skills and experience.
• Experienced (higher-level) physician associates may earn between £53,755 and £60,504 (Band 8a). You will usually need at least five years' experience and a relevant Masters degrees for these roles.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

You can expect to work 37.5 hours per week. Working hours can vary and you'll be expected to be flexible across a seven-day period as you may be required to work shifts, which can include out of hours, nights and weekends.

Part-time work and job shares are sometimes available.

What to expect

• You'll work as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team alongside consultants, GPs, physicians and surgeons. Most of your time will be spent working in hospitals or GP surgeries. Home visits may also be required.
• Jobs are available in hospitals and GP surgeries throughout the UK. Job security is relatively high.
• The General Medical Council (GMC) is now the statutory regulatory body for physician associates (PAs). There is a two-year transition period for current physician associates who are registered with the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register (PAMVR). From December 2026 it will become illegal to practise as a PA if you aren't registered with the GMC.
• Being a physician associate is a rewarding career as you're able to make a significant contribution to patients' health. Patient caseloads and a lack of public knowledge about the role can be challenging.
• You'll be expected to adhere to a professional, ethical code of conduct at work.

Qualifications

To practise as a physician associate you must be registered with the GMC.

In order to register you'll need to:

• complete a GMC-approved Postgraduate Masters or Diploma (PGDip) in Physician Associate Studies or an Integrated undergraduate Masters in Physician Associate Studies (MPAS)
• pass both parts of the Physician Associate National Exam (PANE) run by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). From September 2025, PANE will become the Physician Associate Registration Assessment (PARA) and will continue to be run by the RCP on behalf of the GMC.

The Postgraduate Masters or Diploma (PGDip) in Physician Associate Studies is the most common route to qualification. You'll usually need an undergraduate degree in life sciences to get a place on a course. You may also be accepted if you have a Masters degree in a life or health science and a solid foundation of the basic sciences.

Degree subjects that may be considered for entry onto the postgraduate courses include:

• allied health degree (e.g. occupational therapy, diagnostic/therapeutic radiography, physiotherapy or paramedic science)
• anatomy
• biochemistry/medical biochemistry
• biology/human biology
• biomedical sciences
• biochemistry
• medical engineering
• medical sciences
• operating department practice
• nursing
• pharmacy
• physiology.

Course providers often require a minimum 2:1 first degree, although some universities will accept a 2:2 in a relevant subject if you also have relevant healthcare experience. Alternative qualifications and relevant healthcare experience may be accepted at some institutions.

Training is full time, intensive and takes two years. You'll typically spend 45 to 48 weeks a year studying, with the main focus being on general adult medicine rather than a speciality.

The Integrated undergraduate Masters in Physician Associate Studies (MPAS) is a full-time course, lasting four years, which is currently available at the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Reading. You'll typically need three A-levels (or equivalent), usually at AAB or above, including chemistry and a further science to be eligible for a place.

Entry requirements and course content varies between courses, so contact providers directly for information. Search UCAS for physician associate studies courses.

For all courses, you'll need to pass a criminal records and occupational health check.

The Level 7 physician associate degree apprenticeship is currently in revision.

On completion of your physician associate studies, you will need to pass both parts of the PANE/PARA, which consists of:

• a 200-question, single best answer, online knowledge-based assessment
• a 14-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) held at the RCP's base in Liverpool.

You can have up to four attempts to pass the assessment. For more information, see the RCP website.

You will then be eligible to register as a physician associate with the GMC.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• interpersonal and verbal communication skills for dealing with both patients and colleagues
• written communication skills for writing letters and reports
• a caring attitude towards patients and the ability to show empathy and tact
• effective time management, planning and organisation skills
• the ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team as well as on your own
• problem solving and analytical skills with the ability to process and interpret information accurately
• a flexible approach to work to handle a varied and busy caseload
• the ability to work well under pressure and to understand the pressures that face doctors
• general IT skills
• self-motivation, resilience and patience
• a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Work experience

You'll usually need some prior health experience in a clinical setting to get a place on a course. You can contact NHS Trusts directly to find out about work experience and voluntary opportunities - see the list of NHS Authorities and Trusts for contact details. It may be possible to work shadow a physician associate to provide an insight into the responsibilities of the role.

Experience of working with the public and anything that shows you have strong communication skills will also be helpful.

Physician associates come from a range of backgrounds and experience in pharmacy, nursing, psychology, the allied health professions and cardiac physiology can all be helpful.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

The majority of physician associates work in general practice, acute (internal) medicine or emergency medicine.

You could be employed in:

• GP surgeries
• hospitals (both NHS and private) - in, for example, A&E departments, inpatient wards, outpatient departments, surgery and paediatrics.
• health centres
• psychiatry services
• rehabilitation facilities.

Physician associates who have trained in the UK are not currently able to practise outside the UK, although this may change in the future.

Look for job vacancies at:

• BMJ Careers
• HealthJobs UK
• NHS Jobs
• NHSScotland Jobs

Professional development

During your first year post-qualification, you will complete a preceptorship, consisting of structured support and on-the-job training to help you transition from being a student. You'll have a dedicated supervisor and will be able to work autonomously with their support. You will also have a mentor who will help you further develop your clinical and professional skills and encourage you to undertake a specialism.

You'll need to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) throughout your career. Activities may include:

• participating in seminars and workshops
• attending courses
• undertaking research projects
• undertaking relevant post-registration study at Masters level
• making presentations at conferences
• reading journals
• participating in committees and working parties.

The GMC will use a revalidation process to ensure that you remain up to date and fit to practise once you've registered. Revalidation is based on the collection of six pieces of supporting evidence relating to:

• CPD
• complaints and compliments
• feedback from colleagues
• feedback from patients
• quality improvement activity
• significant events.

This information is discussed at your annual appraisal and then once every five years the GMC will ask your employer to confirm that you're fit to practise.

Career prospects

Your progression and development as a physician associate will depend on your increasing knowledge of specialties and general medical knowledge.

With experience and further training, you may become established in one particular health field but must retain a broad medical knowledge. This ensures that you are up to date and can contribute generalist knowledge to highly-specialised teams. Your broad medical knowledge also gives better career flexibility through the ability to switch between specialties. Areas of specialty may include mental health or paediatric care.

This is a relatively new role but there are some opportunities for progression to management, teaching or research as you gain more experience.