Is a Physician Associate course worth it?
Is anyone still thinking of applying for 2025 considering the
1) recent announcement by the RCGP saying that they oppose PAs in general practice
2) upcoming scope of practice from the RCP and other Royal colleges
3) court case against the GMC by AnaesthetistsUnited and the family of Emily Chesterton
1) recent announcement by the RCGP saying that they oppose PAs in general practice
2) upcoming scope of practice from the RCP and other Royal colleges
3) court case against the GMC by AnaesthetistsUnited and the family of Emily Chesterton
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Reply 1
Original post by Blueberrypop
Is anyone still thinking of applying for 2025 considering the
1) recent announcement by the RCGP saying that they oppose PAs in general practice
2) upcoming scope of practice from the RCP and other Royal colleges
3) court case against the GMC by AnaesthetistsUnited and the family of Emily Chesterton
1) recent announcement by the RCGP saying that they oppose PAs in general practice
2) upcoming scope of practice from the RCP and other Royal colleges
3) court case against the GMC by AnaesthetistsUnited and the family of Emily Chesterton
Its a dead end. I'm a jobless PA with thousands of pounds debt. We were conned massively. Wish I never did it.
Original post by PA screwed
Its a dead end. I'm a jobless PA with thousands of pounds debt. We were conned massively. Wish I never did it.
When gmc regulation will come into place in 2024, there will be jobs available
Reply 3
Original post by PA screwed
Its a dead end. I'm a jobless PA with thousands of pounds debt. We were conned massively. Wish I never did it.
Reply 4
Original post by selinaxo
When gmc regulation will come into place in 2024, there will be jobs available
How do you know that ? PAs don’t even have to be on the GMC register until 2026 .
The RCGP and BMA GP both oppose PAs in GP because they think that it’s unsafe . The RCP and other royal colleges are all writing scope which will limit what PAs can do. If employers go against this and write job descriptions asking them to do these things then they don’t have a leg to stand on when things go wrong .
Reply 5
GMC are refusing to provide scope, leaving it to Royal Colleges. Literally all the Royal Colleges - RCP, RCGP, RCPCH etc are all saying PA either have no place in their speciality or need to be phased out.
If you seriously think simply being added to a register will make things better...WOW.
Documentaries, coroner rulings, news articles on top of above. Seriously PAs are COOKED.
If you seriously think simply being added to a register will make things better...WOW.
Documentaries, coroner rulings, news articles on top of above. Seriously PAs are COOKED.
Reply 6
The GMC has said that the scope of practice should be left to the Royal colleges.
The Royal Colleges (being populated by doctors of course) have largely said no thanks: the scope should be set by the GMC.
There is now a long list of groups who broadly oppose the use of PAs in practice. I do not in the main take much notice of the media or news but by my count at least, this appears to include the Royal college of General practitioners, Royal college of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal college of Psychiatry and the Royal college of Radiologists. There may well be others, I am sure someone else knows more than me.
The Physician Assistant role in the United States is a very different role in which people are highly trained, highly skilled and very well remunerated.
Like it or not, it seems the government want around 10,000 of these roles in the NHS. I believe the money should instead be used to train up and pay experienced nurses more for being nurses and also open perhaps a band 4/5 position for the most senior healthcare assistants. The NHS perpetually struggles with retaining it's most skilled and experienced nurses and HCAs and the whole system would run far smoother if these were retained and individually invested in in my view.
The Royal Colleges (being populated by doctors of course) have largely said no thanks: the scope should be set by the GMC.
There is now a long list of groups who broadly oppose the use of PAs in practice. I do not in the main take much notice of the media or news but by my count at least, this appears to include the Royal college of General practitioners, Royal college of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal college of Psychiatry and the Royal college of Radiologists. There may well be others, I am sure someone else knows more than me.
The Physician Assistant role in the United States is a very different role in which people are highly trained, highly skilled and very well remunerated.
Like it or not, it seems the government want around 10,000 of these roles in the NHS. I believe the money should instead be used to train up and pay experienced nurses more for being nurses and also open perhaps a band 4/5 position for the most senior healthcare assistants. The NHS perpetually struggles with retaining it's most skilled and experienced nurses and HCAs and the whole system would run far smoother if these were retained and individually invested in in my view.
Reply 7
Yes and now the Leng review .
Reply 8
Just an update for those of you thinking about doing this course . My advice is to defer 2025/6 entry or get out altogether. There are no jobs . 1000 PAs graduating with no jobs to add to the 1000 last year who still haven’t got jobs It’s the Leng review https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-physician-and-anaesthesia-associates-terms-of-reference/leng-review-independent-review-of-physician-associate-and-anaesthesia-associate-professions-terms-of-reference
Also AnaesthetistsUnited and Emily Chesterton’s family are taking GMC to the high court https://anaesthetistsunited.com/court-gives-us-the-go-ahead/
RCGP opposes the role in General Practice https://www.healthprofessionalacademy.co.uk/news/rcgp-votes-to-oppose-physician-associates-in-general-practice
RCPCH called for a halt in recruitment into paediatrics
https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/rcpch-calls-pause-recruitment-pas-paediatrics
RCOA has limited the AA role https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/training-careers/working-anaesthesia/anaesthesia-associates/interim-anaesthesia-associate-scope
UMAPs led by Stephen Nash is trying to sue people left right and centre instead of working with the royal colleges https://umaps.org.uk/umaps-legal-action-update/
It’s a mess . I’d stay far away from it all if you can .
Also AnaesthetistsUnited and Emily Chesterton’s family are taking GMC to the high court https://anaesthetistsunited.com/court-gives-us-the-go-ahead/
RCGP opposes the role in General Practice https://www.healthprofessionalacademy.co.uk/news/rcgp-votes-to-oppose-physician-associates-in-general-practice
RCPCH called for a halt in recruitment into paediatrics
https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/rcpch-calls-pause-recruitment-pas-paediatrics
RCOA has limited the AA role https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/training-careers/working-anaesthesia/anaesthesia-associates/interim-anaesthesia-associate-scope
UMAPs led by Stephen Nash is trying to sue people left right and centre instead of working with the royal colleges https://umaps.org.uk/umaps-legal-action-update/
It’s a mess . I’d stay far away from it all if you can .
Reply 9
I can't quite understand the entire situation if I am honest. It all seems completely mad to me. We seem to have GP's going unemployed, doctors struggling to find employment post F2 and now newly graduated nurses and physician associates are having difficulty finding unemployment. A physician associate I know who has a lot of experience in healthcare graduated last year and is back working as a HCA.
None of it makes any sense to me and I know a lot of people are very worried about the future too.
None of it makes any sense to me and I know a lot of people are very worried about the future too.
Reply 10
Original post by makuyk_
Has anyone applied at uni of Sheffield for PA postgrad? I’m still in process of completing my UCAS application and I’m extremely anxious about it… 
Don’t do it . Honestly save yourself the stress. There is no future in the PA role
Reply 11
No . I’m not , but I’m up to date with what is happening
Reply 12
U.K. PA course is currently unaccredited and U.K. PAs can’t use this degree abroad. Many changes will be coming in after the court case against the GMC by AnaesthetistsUnited/Emily Chestertons family and the Leng Review .
Thousands of PAs who qualified in 2024 are now jobless. You’ll just be adding yourself to that number .
PAs are not supported in Primary care , Paediatrics , These specialities have called for a halt to recruitment . RCP have issued restrictive interim guidance to keep patients safe pending the Leng Review .
PAs are replacing doctors , running clinics unsupervised, performing surgery , illegally requesting ionising radiation and illegally prescribing medication. This can’t continue . They don’t practice or study medicine despite what the course leaders say . 2 years is just not enough .
If you want to apply ? Go ahead but just be aware that what you’re signing up for at uni ‘ diagnosing , formulating or management plans , etc ‘ won’t be what happens in real life . The National scope of practice WILL be restrictive - as it should be .
Thousands of PAs who qualified in 2024 are now jobless. You’ll just be adding yourself to that number .
PAs are not supported in Primary care , Paediatrics , These specialities have called for a halt to recruitment . RCP have issued restrictive interim guidance to keep patients safe pending the Leng Review .
PAs are replacing doctors , running clinics unsupervised, performing surgery , illegally requesting ionising radiation and illegally prescribing medication. This can’t continue . They don’t practice or study medicine despite what the course leaders say . 2 years is just not enough .
If you want to apply ? Go ahead but just be aware that what you’re signing up for at uni ‘ diagnosing , formulating or management plans , etc ‘ won’t be what happens in real life . The National scope of practice WILL be restrictive - as it should be .
Original post by Blueberrypop
U.K. PA course is currently unaccredited and U.K. PAs can’t use this degree abroad. Many changes will be coming in after the court case against the GMC by AnaesthetistsUnited/Emily Chestertons family and the Leng Review .
Thousands of PAs who qualified in 2024 are now jobless. You’ll just be adding yourself to that number .
PAs are not supported in Primary care , Paediatrics , These specialities have called for a halt to recruitment . RCP have issued restrictive interim guidance to keep patients safe pending the Leng Review .
PAs are replacing doctors , running clinics unsupervised, performing surgery , illegally requesting ionising radiation and illegally prescribing medication. This can’t continue . They don’t practice or study medicine despite what the course leaders say . 2 years is just not enough .
If you want to apply ? Go ahead but just be aware that what you’re signing up for at uni ‘ diagnosing , formulating or management plans , etc ‘ won’t be what happens in real life . The National scope of practice WILL be restrictive - as it should be .
Thousands of PAs who qualified in 2024 are now jobless. You’ll just be adding yourself to that number .
PAs are not supported in Primary care , Paediatrics , These specialities have called for a halt to recruitment . RCP have issued restrictive interim guidance to keep patients safe pending the Leng Review .
PAs are replacing doctors , running clinics unsupervised, performing surgery , illegally requesting ionising radiation and illegally prescribing medication. This can’t continue . They don’t practice or study medicine despite what the course leaders say . 2 years is just not enough .
If you want to apply ? Go ahead but just be aware that what you’re signing up for at uni ‘ diagnosing , formulating or management plans , etc ‘ won’t be what happens in real life . The National scope of practice WILL be restrictive - as it should be .
I totally understand what you are saying, and agree to some parts. 2 years is not a lot. However it depends on the person, personally i want to do it for experience, if i get a job as a PA then great but if not then its okay because i have somewhat experience. And for abroad, again its the experience that counts they cannot fully just ignore all the experience you get from the degree even if they don't 'acknowledge/accept' the degree. I guess it depends on the person
Reply 14
Experience of what ? I don’t understand. Why would you want to waste money on a degree that leads nowhere . The U.K. PA course isn’t recognised abroad so you’d still have to start from scratch if you went to America or anywhere else . Why waste your time learning ab occupation that you won’t be able to do in real life ? It doesn’t make any sense . If you want to be a doctor then go and do that instead or choose a proper Allied health Profession
Reply 15
Reply 16
The role of physician assistants in the USA is very very different. In fact, how doctors are trained in the USA is also very very different to the process in the UK. No UK qualification holds any weight there either- you have to complete their national exams (££££s). I know people who have done it or working toward doing this. Around 55% of UK applicants to the USA however, do match to a residency but that alone is just the start of a very intense process. USA resident doctors work 80 hours a week in some cases and are expected to like it or lump it.
I would heavily research the career prospects in store following the completion of ANY course. I do not believe UK qualifications grant you a blank cheque to practice just anywhere in the world. It doesn't work that way.
I would heavily research the career prospects in store following the completion of ANY course. I do not believe UK qualifications grant you a blank cheque to practice just anywhere in the world. It doesn't work that way.
Reply 17
https://x.com/gacopa_official/status/1883457644989645187?s=46
Things have gotten even worse .
Don’t do this to yourselves . If your dream is to practise medicine ? Go to Med school and do it properly .
Things have gotten even worse .
Don’t do this to yourselves . If your dream is to practise medicine ? Go to Med school and do it properly .
Reply 18
Original post by Blueberrypop
https://x.com/gacopa_official/status/1883457644989645187?s=46
Things have gotten even worse .
Don’t do this to yourselves . If your dream is to practise medicine ? Go to Med school and do it properly .
Things have gotten even worse .
Don’t do this to yourselves . If your dream is to practise medicine ? Go to Med school and do it properly .
So, you're saying that virtually anyone from the listed countries can pay £500, pass the required UK exam as set by the RCP and practice as a PA in the UK?
Oooof. We're all goosed.
Reply 19
Looks like it yes .
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