Physician Associate

Overview

Scope of Practice

Physician Associates (PAs) 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 one of the Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) and can be found working throughout primary and secondary care. Physician Associates are overseen by a dedicated medical supervisor but they can work autonomously with appropriate support. 

(NHSE, 2024)

Role Responsibilities

Physician associates work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence.

They can:

• Take medical histories from patients
• Carry out physical examinations
• See patients with undifferentiated diagnoses
• See patients with long-term chronic conditions
• Formulate differential diagnoses and management plans
• Perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• Develop and deliver appropriate treatment and management plans
• Request and interpret diagnostic studies
• Provide health promotion and disease prevention advice for patients

Currently, Physician Associates are not able to:

• Prescribe
• Request ionising radiation (e.g. chest x-ray or CT scan)
• Administer and/or supply medicines under a patient group direction

(NHS Employers, 2024)

For more information please see: Physician associates | NHS Employers page

Entry Requirements

• Completion of post-graduate Physician Associate Studies programme (MSc)
• GP practices must ensure that those applying to work as a PA appear on the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register or, once GMC-regulated, on the GMC’s Register of PAs.

Regulation

Please see the General Medical Council for more information about the regulation of Physician Associates and Anesthesia Associates.

Supervision Requirements

Supervision is a process of professional learning and development that enables individuals to reflect on and develop their knowledge, skills and competence, through regular support from another professional.

Supervision can have different forms and functions and a number of terms are used to describe these. For this guidance we use the below terms and define them as follows:

• Clinic/practice supervision: day-to-day support provided by a named/duty senior/more experienced clinician for issues arising in the practice.
• Clinical/professional supervision: regular support from a named senior/experienced clinician/practitioner to promote high clinical standards and develop professional expertise.
• Educational supervision: supports learning and enables learners to achieve proficiency.

Physician Associate Supervision

It is recommended that PA’s have access to appropriate clinical supervision and an appropriate named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support on a day-to-day basis. This would typically be a GP.  Recommended minimum frequency of a supervision meeting is daily  A physician associate must work under their GP clinical supervisor during their day-to-day clinical practice. (NHSE Supervision guidance, 2023 – link below)

Supervision Guidance for primary care network multidisciplinary teams (NHSE, 2023): NHS England » Supervision guidance for primary care network multidisciplinary teams

High Level principles concerning physician associates (PA’s) Academy consensus Statement

Funding

AFC Band 7

100% of actual salary plus defined on costs covered via ARRS Scheme.