Physician Associate

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have GCSE (or equivalent) in Maths and English at grade C/4 or above, plus one of the following:

• 2:1 honours degree or above in a relevant health or life science, and 150 hours of health or care experience.
• 2:1 honours degree or above in social work, or a physical science with completed degree level biology modules, and 150 hours of health or care experience.
• 2:2 honours degree or above in a relevant life sciences subject (to include a transcript with no more than 4 modules graded at less than 50%) with 300 hours of health or care experience.

Please see the University website for full details.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Physician associates work under the supervision of a doctor to perform routine physical examinations, take medical histories, assist in procedures, order tests, diagnose and treat many illnesses and counsel patients about managing medical problems.

Our curriculum ensures students learn the appropriate clinical and communications skills in preparation for meeting patients. With excellent access to clinical resources and working professionals both in the community and hospitals, as well as in our brand-new medical building. Our course will equip you with all the skills, knowledge and practical experience required to pass the licensing examinations and for a rewarding career.

Accreditation

This course is designed to meet General Medical Council (GMC) educational standards and according to the requirements of the Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA). This ensures that our graduates are prepared for the GMC Physician Associate Registration Assessment examination which demonstrates that they are competent and safe to practise.

Overview

The course is a well-established two-year postgraduate education programme, which equips you with the relevant knowledge, develops your clinical capabilities, competencies, and reasoning to work across 20 specialty areas in the UK, such as internal medicine, general practice, surgery and emergency medicine.

You will develop key skills to be able to work within multiprofessional healthcare teams supporting clinical specialists. You will be trained according to the medical model, and learn how to diagnose common conditions, formulate patient healthcare management plans, and understand when to refer patients and ask for help.

Your learning will include a mixture of campus-based activity such as lectures, seminars, face-to-face tutorials, skills lab training and communication skills, as well as clinical placements.

During placements you will be carefully supervised, develop key interpersonal skills with patients and colleagues, and work collaboratively with your clinical supervisor and other healthcare professionals to manage patient care.

On successful completion of the course, you’ll be able to take the national Physician Associate Registration Assessment (PARA), which allows you to register with the General Medical Council and work as a physician associate in the NHS.

Placements

Practice learning experiences are in primary, secondary care and voluntary environments, including GP practices, hospitals, hospices, community hospitals and other out-patient and community settings. In the first year of the course, you will undertake one-day-a-week placements in primary care, A&E and out-patient departments from January to August. These are based predominantly in Three Counties of Worcestershire and Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

The second year is mostly placement based with four weeks of academic in-days, some on a Friday. You will be assigned to acute hospital Trusts or primary care and rotate through a rich variety of different specialties. Your second year will therefore involve travel and experiencing longer periods of placement attachments.

Careers

Physician associates are part of the ‘medical associate professions’ grouping in the health and care workforce and were established in the UK since 2003. The University of Worcester’s MSc Physician Associate course was introduced in 2016 and so we have had many years’ experience of graduating students. Our graduates work within the NHS in multidisciplinary healthcare teams always under the supervision of a doctor.

Physician associates are highly skilled, well-paid professionals with many employment opportunities. Following licensing and registration with the General Medical Council your generalist skills allow you to work in a GP surgery, or be based in a hospital, but wherever you work, you will have direct contact with patients.

There is a significant demand for physician associates within the healthcare workforce.

• Once qualified, you could work in a hospital, or a GP surgery.
• You might move from general or emergency care into a specialism like paediatric care or mental health.
• As an experienced physician associate you might be able to move into management, medical teaching, or research.
• You may also choose to apply for Graduate Entry Medicine and train as a doctor.