Course summary
Physician associates are healthcare professionals who support doctors, alongside other members of the multi-disciplinary team, in the diagnosis and management of patients. Qualified physician associates work in a patient facing role under the supervision of a named senior doctor in primary, secondary and community care settings. Their generalist medical training and defined scope of practice allows physician associates to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to provide high quality and compassionate care to patients, meaning they have a key and valuable role to play in the future of the NHS workforce. The MSc in Physician Associate Studies is an intensive and challenging but highly rewarding two-year course that requires commitment, discipline and organisation to manage the demands of academic studies alongside clinical placements. Students are supported in developing their learning style to meet the demands of the course and to prepare them to become a lifelong learner. Our course has been carefully developed to meet the requirements of the General Medical Council (GMC) pre-qualification education framework. Over the course of the two years, you’ll be taught the clinical skills and knowledge, and supported to develop the professional values and behaviours, expected of a qualified physician associate. On qualification you’ll be required to pass the Physician Associate Registration Assessment to register with the GMC and work as a qualified physician associate. Assessment A range of formative and summative assessments are used to test your knowledge, understanding and clinical competence. These include written assignments, presentations, end of year exams, and a portfolio for personal and professional development. Assessments have been designed to ensure that they are fair, inclusive, authentic and can determine that student have met the capabilities required of a newly qualified physician associate. Methods of assessment are selected which are appropriate for the capability being assessed and which develop key transferrable skills that are relevant to the role of a physician associate, such as teamworking, communication and critical thinking. End of year exams are designed to reflect the Physician Association Registration Assessment and include written exams and OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations). The written exams assess core knowledge and understanding of the material taught in that year (and previously) through multiple choice questions. OSCEs assess core clinical skills and their application in the clinical specialties relevant to that examination and are held in both years of study. They typically involve 14 or more clinical stations that require you to demonstrate a specific skill or consult with a patient. These patients are trained actors and their views on your behaviour also feed into the assessment. To pass, candidates are required to achieve the overall pass mark and pass a minimum number of stations. Both the OSCE and written exams have criterion-based pass marks set by examiners.
Assessment method
A range of assessments are used to test your knowledge, understanding and clinical competence, these include: project presentations, group work, written assignments, and topic area passports or portfolios that describe placement performance, attendance and professionalism. Reflective accounts of early placement experiences and discussions on topics such as ethics and patient safety issues are entered online to a personal Progress File. This accumulates over your years of study both in the accounts of your work and experiences and in the feedback from tutors. Anatomy is assessed by regular MCQs (multiple choice questions) End of year exams include written exams and OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations). The written exams assess core knowledge and understanding of the material taught in that year (and previously) and include multiple choice questions (MCQs), extended matching questions (EMQs). These methods of assessment are used throughout the UK in undergraduate and post-graduate medicine. They follow a single best answer (SBA) rather than true-false approach, recognising this better reflects real-life medical decisions. OSCEs assess core clinical skills and their application in the clinical specialties relevant to that examination and are held both years of study. They typically involve 16 or more clinical stations that require you to demonstrate a specific skill or consult with a patient. These patients are trained actors and their views on your behaviour also feed into the assessment. To pass, candidates are required to achieve the overall pass mark, pass a minimum number of stations. Both the OSCE and written exams have criterion-based pass marks, set by examiners.
How to apply
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- A300
- Institution code:
- L23
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
Our standard entry requirement is a Bachelor degree with a minimum 2:1 (hons) in a biomedical science, health-related science or equivalent qualification. For example - but not limited to - Anatomical Science, Applied Medical Science, Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, Medical Genetics, Anatomy and Human Biology, Healthcare Science (E.g. Cardiac Physiology), Nursing, and Allied Health Professions such as Radiography, and Paramedic Studies. If you hold a 2.2 (hons) in a biomedical science or health related science you may still be able to apply if you have a substantial amount of clinical healthcare experience and/or relevant continuing professional development (CPD). We encourage applications from candidates already working in healthcare and can demonstrate/evidence (usually through CPD activities) the ability to study at Masters Level. This should be within the last 5 years. To help us determine whether you meet these requirements you should ensure it is included in your UCAS supporting statement. Human anatomy and physiology is key to providing a foundation of learning for this course. Degrees such as Public Health, Speech and Language Therapy and Psychology will be reviewed for suitable levels of human anatomy and physiology content. We will consider alternative academic qualifications on a case-by-case basis and - where necessary - ask for additional details of course and module content to review for suitable physiology content. If in doubt, please email the Admissions Team to discuss the suitability of your degree and alternative options of study. Ideally, you should have recent experience of volunteering or employment in a healthcare setting/environment. However, we are also looking for transferable skills from other similar activities, such as voluntary work or paid employment. Candidates should have completed any prior study and be able to meet conditions of offer by 31st August.
Additional entry requirements
Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)
Heath and Disclosure and Barring Service Screening Before starting the Physician Associate Studies course all successful applicants will also need to pass health and criminal record screening. The University has a policy statement on students with criminal records. Read the current Criminal Records policy and Guidance for Applicants with Criminal Convictions here. For the vast majority of students who are resident in the UK the record will be checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service. For students who do not have a 5 year UK address history: The DBS check can only include background checks on your time in the UK. If you have been resident in the UK for less than 3 years, then a criminal record check from your home country is required in addition to the UK DBS check. This may be referred to as a "Certificate of Good Conduct" (CoGC), but the name varies.
Health checks
Any offer of a place to study Physician Associate Studies is conditional upon a satisfactory confidential occupational health assessment, which will include a health questionnaire, and if necessary further telephone consultation and/or an appointment with an occupational health clinician. Screening for serious communicable disease, (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and a review of immunisation status and needs, which includes COVID-19, will also be arranged before beginning your studies.
Interview
Offers are made on the basis of the ranked interview score and performance and the merit and ability of each candidate to meet the academic and non- academic criteria for the course. The decision is not made on achieved or predicted grades or work experience. Applications for 2025 entry should be made via UCAS by their January deadline date. If you are a recent graduate (less than one year) an academic reference must be supplied at the point of application. This should confirm your academic performance. If you are entering with a 2.2 the reference MUST include information about your relevant healthcare related work experience and support your experience in a health related field. If you graduated with a 2.1 but more than one year ago, the reference may be from an employer or other appropriate professional Your reference should be provided on a headed document with either a stamp from the institution or an electronic signature. Please note we are unable to accept references from a personal email address (e.g. @gmail, @hotmail etc). The reference must be dated within the last 6 months and in a pdf format (not on a Word document).
English language requirements
Test | Grade | Additional details |
---|---|---|
IELTS (Academic) | 7.5 | with no less than 7.5 in spoken English. |
Please click here for further details of our English requirements
https://www.leeds.ac.uk/international-admissions/doc/entry-requirements
Student Outcomes
There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Provider information
University of Leeds
Woodhouse Lane
Leeds
LS2 9JT