Education / Training / Qualifications
Essential criteria
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Job Overview
As a qualified Physician Associate (PA), post holders will provide expert assistance to the medical team and the wider multidisciplinary team, and will participate in all aspects of the team’s activities. This will include assessing patients in medical same‑day emergency care, on the emergency medical take, and on the acute medical ward.
PAs will be expected to perform delegated duties with a high degree of clinical skill and knowledge and to assist in clinical teaching and supervision of colleagues and students.
The current UK regulatory environment prohibits PAs working in the UK from delivering ionising radiation and prescribing medications, although much has been done to minimise the impact of this on the PA scope of practice. It is envisioned that this role will be developed flexibly over time in accordance with the Physician Associates’ clinical interests and in line with the needs of the service.
There will be a focus on acquiring further skills and expert knowledge in the relevant specialty field. As such, Physician Associates will be supervised by a designated physician who will support both career development and clinical interests, with the aim of expanding clinical proficiency and building leadership skills.
Main duties of the job
- Assessing and examining patients, taking patient histories, ordering appropriate investigations, interpreting investigation findings, forming a list of differential diagnoses and recommending management/treatment accordingly.
- Delivering care in a range of settings, which will include the acute medical unit, same‑day emergency care unit and the emergency department.
- Taking responsibility for a dedicated patient caseload, as required, under the supervision of the lead clinician.
- Maintaining timely and appropriate documentation.
- Performing delegated diagnostic/therapeutic procedures, where required and subject to appropriate training and experience.
Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award‑winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.
North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti‑discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all under‑represented groups.
Person specification
Education / Training / Qualifications – Essential criteria
- If trained in the UK: BA/BS Degree prior to undertaking PA programme; PG Dip in Physician Associate studies from a UK training programme and current and valid certification or re‑certification by the Physician Associate National Examination.
- OR, if trained outside the UK: Current and valid certification with the US National Commission on Certification for Physician Associates (NCCPA).
- All PAs must be registered with the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Registration Commission (PAMVRC) and show evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) / Continuing Medical Education (CME), including regular attendance on internal and external study programmes.
Work Experience – Essential criteria
- Clinical experience as a Physician Associate.
- Knowledge and experience of a wide range of clinical skills and practice in the speciality.
- Evidence of clinical audit (quality assessment / process improvement) experience.
- Experience of influencing / persuading others to adapt / change, resulting in improvements to clinical practice / patient care.
Additional information
Contact telephone: 0117 414 1151. North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance. If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us.
North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.
At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We encourage applications from candidates who are currently under‑represented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above, including people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.
Please note that stringent pre‑employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.
