Can UK Physician associate graduates work in Canada

I really want to live in Canada for a few years when I'm older so as a Physician associate in the UK will I be able to get a job in Canada?

Thanks for your help.

Reply 1

SCBbio

Original post by leo_147

I really want to live in Canada for a few years when I'm older so as a Physician associate in the UK will I be able to get a job in Canada?

Thanks for your help.

Hi Leo,

At the moment UK Physician Associate are only able to work within the UK because the profession is on a managed voluntary register. It means that you don't have to be register there in order to work (that's why it's voluntary), and is managed by UKAPA.

UK PA'S will be able to work in the EU and abroad when the profession will have a statuatory register. It would require an act of parliament to do so, but would be highly advantageous, as a that point PA's will also be able to prescribe, order scans and refer patients. PA's on the managed voluntary register will be automatically transferred onto the statuatory register as soon it become available.

At the moment both doctors from the BMA and PA'S from the Royal Fculty of Physicians are pushing for this, to ensure both patients and PA professional safety. This because the lack of a statuatory register means that someone who's been thrown out of the current PA register can still practice as a PA. Doctors, who are thrown out of their statuatory register, can work as doctors no more.

P.S. I understand your pain, I want to move to New Zeland, but at one point PA's will be able to do so, we only have to be patient! :smile:

Reply 2

tree123

Hi! I am the same. I would love to move to Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Do you know roughly how long it would take for UK PA's to work abroad?

Reply 3

Post0306

So, that’s a hard question to answer. First, parliament will have to have a second reading do the legislation (oct2018). Then it will need to be signed. Once this is done they will have to set a date for the statutory regulation and sponsorship. After that’s done, UkPAs will still be a mercy of other country’s regulating bodies to either accept UKPAs as peers and allow them to apply for registration, take their national exams or reject them as capacitious PA providers all together. I would tend to think for the next decade other countries will not look at UkPAs with any credulity. This is multifaceted as they will be protecting their own financial interests. It cost 80-100k for a PA degree in the USA. The PANCE is made up of alumni from these Universities. They will not want to jeopardize their bottom line by allowing someone from the UK who has 20k invested come into a career making 100k a year starting. It will be hard to get a foothold into the USA. That being said, Canada, NZ and Australia is a different story. They may be more keen as they are in need of PAs. All that to say it’s going to be a minimum of 5 years after statutory regulation it probably more like 10 years