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.