United Kingdom

Overviewedit

The position of physician associate was established in the United Kingdom in 2005. It evolved from that of physician assistant, developed in the US in the 1960s. In 2012, the profession voted to change the name to physician associate to distinguish it from another with the same name within the NHS. Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was asked to manage the recruitment of 200 physician associates who are expected to come from the US for 40 NHS trusts in September 2015.

Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians of Londonedit

The Faculty of Physician Associates is the professional body for Physician Associates working in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between the Royal College of Physicians of London and the previous professional body, the United Kingdom Associate of Physician Associates, the Faculty officially launched in July 2015, taking over all professional body rights from then on. The Faculty oversee the managed voluntary register, to which all practising associates are encouraged to become a member of, as well as setting and running the National Assessment Examination and National Recertification Examination.

Scope of practiceedit

Physician Associates/Assistants are trained under the medical model, similarly to physicians, to deliver high-quality medical care in both primary and secondary care settings. Upon graduation, they can specialize in many different areas of medicine, including acute medicine, primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, and psychiatry. The role has developed to provide medical services similar to those provided by house officers or senior house officers. They are trained to perform a variety of tasks including diagnosis, treatment, complex medical procedures and taking medical histories.

Voluntary registeredit

The title of physician associate is not a protected medical profession. Hence, even if a PA has been trained in pharmacology and IRMER (ability to request radiology imaging – X-rays), they are not able to prescribe or request imaging. At present, there is no regulatory body for PAs, such as the General Medical Council for doctors. Since June 2010, physician associates have been able to obtain membership of the Managed Voluntary Register for physician associates. This database, run by PAs for PAs, aims to identify all qualified PAs who are able to practise in the United Kingdom. It is intended to maintain high standards in the UK. To remain on the register, physician associates in the United Kingdom are required to re-certify every 5–6 years and maintain up-to-date practice through attendance of training accumulating CPD hours (continuous professional development), which need to be completed on an annual basis.

In 2018 Matt Hancock announced the plan for the regulation of associates, details of which are currently being discussed by the government, the relevant options for the regulatory body, Health Education England and the Faculty of Physician Associates.

Trainingedit

Training in the UK is through a two-year accelerated medical training (MSc or Postgraduate Diploma) in Physician Associate Studies. As of 2017update there are at least 32 universities offering these programs:

Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London requires candidates to hold a minimum of 2:2 or above in a Life Science, Biomedical Science, or Healthcare subject. Due to the competitive nature of this course, a ranking system will be used to shortlist for interview.

Aberdeen requires a science-based degree with a minimum 2:1 grade achieved and St George's requires a science-based degree with a minimum 2:2 grade achieved. This includes sport science, biology, psychology and biomedical degrees. Applicants should preferably have experience in the healthcare industry. Applications from other professionals such as nurses, radiographers and paramedics will also be considered.

University of Bradford requires a 2:1 (or above) undergraduate degree in a Life Science, Biomedical Science, or Healthcare subject. Under exceptional circumstances, extensive experience in healthcare practice may contribute and compensate if the above requirements have not been fully met.

Compensationedit

The average starting salary of a Physician Associate (PA-R) in the United Kingdom is Band 7 (£37,000), and can vary based on locations. In London, the average salary is around £43,000 and goes up to 50k with experience, particularly with lead PAs. PAs are also able to do locum shifts on top of their full-time job. Compensation of physician associates in the United Kingdom remains lower in comparison to the United States and Canada. However, compensation of physician associates in the United Kingdom is on the same pay band as other advanced care providers such as nurse practitioners.