physician associates
TRANSCRIPT
Physician Associates
Outline
• History of profession – USA and UK
• Education across country
• Competence and curriculum framework
• Assessment
• Regulation / Registration
• RCP (London) & PA Faculty
• What do PAs do?
• A day in the life (HE WestMidlands): https://youtu.be/KnMyYRJrdCE
A Physician ‘Assistant’ is……
“a new healthcare professional who, while not a
doctor, works to the medical model, with the
attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver
holistic care and treatment within the general
medical and /or general practice team under
defined levels of supervision.”
(The Competence and Curriculum Framework for the Physician
Assistant, Dept. of Health, 2006; revised 2012)
Or more inclusive…
• Physician associates (PAs) are healthcare professionals with a generalist medical education, who work alongside doctors, physicians, GPs and surgeons providing medical care as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team. Physician associates are dependent practitioners working with a dedicated supervisor, but are able to work autonomously with appropriate support.
• (Faculty of PAs at RCP)
USA 50 years
>120, 000 PAs certified
1PA:9 MDs qualifying
Australia
Taiwan
Canada
South Africa Netherlands
Scotland & NI
England & Wales
NZ &&&
DH specification for PA
education
Competence and
Curriculum Framework
2006 revised 2012
Competencies
Procedural Skills
Matrix of Conditions
Programme Specification
~ 3200 hours over 2 yrs
~ 50% clinical
(incl. 200 simulation hours)
~ 50% theory
http://www.ukapa.co.uk/files/CCF-27-
03-12-for-PAMVR.pdf
Funding
• PGDip, F/T, 50+ hours per week
• No student loans (yet)
• From Jan 2018: 2.5k per student per
year
• Some local support:
– Bursaries (local HE support)
– Trusts e.g Plymouth
– ’CCGs’ e.g. Powys
How did we get to here?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2008 2014 2016 present
UK PA Programmes
Series 1
Projected number of PA graduates in UK as at 28/9/15
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
UK Graduates
Physician Associate (UK)
Faculty of Physician Associates Royal College of Physicians
• UKAPA professional organisation
• FPA@RCP established 1/7/15
• Combining ‘college’ & profession &
‘regulation’ & assessment &
accreditation
• Other royal colleges (RCPRCS,
RCGP, RCEM, RCPaeds) involved
http://www.fparcp.co.uk/
Assessment
• National (MCQ & OSCE)
• Currently run by Faculty of PAs at
RCP (London)
• RECERTIFICATION 6-YEARLY
(MCQ only)
Regulation & Registration
• Not statutory
• ~85% of PAs ARE on Managed Voluntary Register (at FPARCP) = approx. 580
• HCPC willing to regulate
• GMC:
– ‘we do believe that physician associates should be subject to statutory regulation’
– ‘We would give the matter serious consideration if the four governments of the UK and the profession felt we should take on this role’
Public consultation on regulation of MAPs
• Closed December 22nd
• MAJOR progress
• High response rate
• Results next month
What do PAs do?
• Acute Medicine
• Cardiology
• Care of the Elderly / Geriatrics
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology
• General Internal Medicine
• Genitourinary Medicine / Sexual Health
• Haematology
• Infectious Diseases
• Lymphoedema
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine
• Breast surgery
• Maxillofacial Surgery
• Colorectal Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Otolaryngology
• Paediatric Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Spinal Surgery
• Trauma and Orthopaedics
• Urology
• Vascular Surgery
• Paediatric Critical Care
• General Paediatrics
http://www.fparcp.co.uk/about-fpa/fpa-census
Drennan et al. Primary and secondary care publications
Recent reports/publicity
• RCEM
• RCP Future Hospital Commission
• GP Forward view
• Etc.
• Jeremy Hunt
– Times
– Guardian
– TorygraphBBC/ITV/radio ++
– Sky news
Conclusion
• Significant growth of PA courses
• Newly qualified PAs will still be beginners
• BUT
• Can make a substantial contribution to continuity for - patients & - health care teams
• A very realistic option FOR BIOSCIENCE AND HEALTH SCIENCE GRADS AND THOSE WITH HEALTH CARE/LIFE EXPERIENCE
