Physician Associates from across Norfolk and Suffolk visited our hospital yesterday for a regional study day covering topics including emergency metabolic medicine, Parkinsons disease and ECGs.
Physician Associates work under the supervision of a doctor or surgeon but can undertake a number of tasks, including diagnostic and therapeutic treatment, taking medical histories, performing physical examinations, and helping patients with long-term chronic conditions.
Since 2016, our hospital has seen regular intakes of Physician Associates and we’re proud that we have the largest number of PAs of any Trust in the East of England – 16 – working across general medicine, A&E, cardiology and breast surgery.
Laura Smith is a Physician Associate who works in Breast Surgery. She heard about the role at a careers session during her undergraduate degree.
“My grandma and aunt were both nurses and originally I wanted to do nursing at university, as I always wanted to work in a caring role.
“After visiting universities I decided to do a broader first degree in Medical Physiology and Therapeutics to give more options later on. In the final year of the degree I found out about Physician Associate profession and I looked into the career in depth and decided it was something I would like to do.”
The UEA offered the course close to home and Laura successfully applied.
“I started at the James Paget in January 2021 in the Breast team. My national exams were delayed due to Covid so I was employed as an associate practitioner for the first few months so I could start working and settle in.
“My experience has been fantastic. I work in a small team who have been really supportive of my role. I spent a lot of time observing my colleagues in clinics, and learning about breast disease and management with online resources, prior to undertaking more independent clinical roles.
“As the only Physician Associate in surgery currently I have been able to adapt my role to my interests and develop new skills.”
Laura regularly assists in theatres, carries out minor operations under local anaesthetic, assesses and manages new patient referrals and assesses patients post operation, helping to manage any complications. She also works to triage new patient referrals into appropriate clinics and takes part in audit and quality improvement projects.
Laura says; “The practical hands-on work via surgical procedures and getting to know patients and supporting them throughout their treatment is really rewarding. You are involved in a patient’s journey and meeting them on multiple occasions means you can provide continuity of care.
“I’m grateful that there are forward thinking consultants who are keen to maximise my role and develop it. They have recognised the need for my ongoing development and the importance of keeping my role interesting. I think this is really crucial as Physician Associates do not have the same planned progression as other roles do.”
And Laura is keen to keep expanding her skills and to develop the role of PAs in surgery and cancer services. She has already developed new wound check clinics and is currently undertaking a medical micropigmentation course which will support breast surgery patients in the future.
“The breast service at James Paget does not currently have a resident clinician trained in medical micropigmentation for areola restoration after surgery, so I was keen to learn this new skill. Physician Associate is a versatile role and I’m looking forward to being able to provide this service to patients.”
Associate Professor Sue Down,Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Breast Surgery at the James Paget, said Laura and her fellow Physician Associates were proving invaluable.
“We decided to employ a Physician Associate as a new member of the Breast team in 2020 as we had been impressed by the enthusiasm of the PA students attending our theatre lists and clinics during their university course.
“Laura joined our team in early 2021. We designed a full induction, so that she was able to gain experience across all specialities delivering the Breast service.
“Laura has been instrumental in supporting theatre lists, clinics, service improvement projects and electronic reporting. She continues to grow her skill set with regular job reviews and appraisals and has become an essential member of our team, with positive feedback from both colleagues and patients.
“We hope to employ further PAs in the breast service in the future to develop roles in both education and research.”
Laura and Sue have both also participated in a podcast about Physician Associates in Breast surgery. You can listen to this here; https://uk-podcasts.co.uk/podcast/the-physician-associate-podcast/physician-associates-working-in-breast-surgery
If you’re interested in finding out more about becoming a Physician Associate please visit https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/medical-associate-professions/roles-medical-associate-professions/physician-associate/physician-associate or to find out more about applying please go to the UEA website; www.uea.ac.uk/pa
Dr Hilary Wyllie, left, with some of our James Paget Physician Associates who attended the study day, including Laura Smith.
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Thursday 14 July
The James Paget is hosting a regional study day for Physician Associates (PAs) today, with visitors from health organisations across Norfolk and Suffolk attending to hear from speakers on subjects including ECGs and how to have difficult conversations.
Physician Associates work under the supervision of a doctor or surgeon but can undertake a number of tasks, including diagnostic and therapeutic treatment, taking medical histories, perform physical examinations, and helping patients with long-term chronic conditions.
Consultant Dr Hilary Wyllie, who was appointed as Physician Associate Tutor at the James Paget last year said the hospital was pleased to be hosting the event.
“We have been at the forefront of recruiting and developing Physician Associates since the UEA Masters course came into being and we now have PAs in various teams and departments around the hospital.
“The role provides important support to doctors and a crucial service for patients.
“Having already secured a good degree in a science subject, PAs approach learning with logical, scientific, independent and broad thinking minds and support the whole team in a number of ways, providing continuity as junior doctors rotate through the department and carrying out a range of tasks to assist both medical and nursing staff.
“They are very skilled and we couldn’t do what we do without them.
“The first Physician Associates to qualify took the next team of students under their wing, and this has continued. We want to expand their skills and many of our PAs have jumped at the chance to learn and take on new responsibilities that match their interests.”
Physician Associates from the James Paget, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn, the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and from primary care in Thetford and Norwich are pictured above with Consultant Dr Hilary Wyllie (far left).
If you’re interested in finding out more about becoming a Physician Associate please visit; https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/medical-associate-professions/roles-medical-associate-professions/physician-associate/physician-associate or to find out more about applying please go to the UEA website; www.uea.ac.uk/pa .
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Wednesday 13 July
The James Paget is hosting a regional study day for Physician Associates (PAs) tomorrow, Thursday 14 July, with professionals from across Norfolk and Suffolk attending to learn more about topics including emergency metabolic medicine and Parkinsons disease.
Physician Associate is a relatively new role in the NHS, but PAs at the Paget have already made their mark.
PAs work under the supervision of a doctor or surgeon but can undertake a number of tasks, such as diagnostic and therapeutic treatment, and help develop care management strategies.
The James Paget has been at the forefront of recruiting and developing Physicians Associates, working closely with the University of East Anglia (UEA) who offer the Physician Associate (PA) Masters course which gives graduates with an honours degree in a life science or health-related discipline a different route into healthcare.
Those on the Masters complete an initial six-weeks at the UEA before embarking on hospital and healthcare placements. At the James Paget, the trainees learn from colleagues in various departments as part of the two-year course which trains them to take medical histories, to perform physical examinations, to diagnose illnesses and to help patients with long-term chronic conditions.
Since 2016, our hospital has seen regular intakes of Physician Associates and we’re proud that we have the largest number of PAs of any Trust in the East of England – 16 – working across general medicine, A&E, cardiology and breast surgery.
This figure is, in part, thanks to many of those completing the Masters programme choosing to stay with us. Our team includes several of those on the first intake, including Matthew Whelband, who won our 2021 James Paget ‘Employee of the Year’ award for his outstanding work to care for patients and to promote the benefits of research during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Matthew received ten nominations from his colleagues – including doctors, nurses, clinical support and healthcare assistants – who all praised his dedication, compassion and courage during highly stressful working conditions.
One said; “He always puts the needs of patients first, giving up his own time to facilitate telephone and Facetime calls between patients and families.
“As well as carrying out his role as a Physician Associate he has championed research - recruiting an exceptional number of patients to the Covid-19 Recovery trial, with his extraordinary efforts being acknowledged nationally.”
Another of the success stories from our first cohort of Physician Associates is Raleigh Jenner-Hillard, who is now our Associate PA Tutor. Raleigh works alongside Consultant Dr Hilary Wyllie who was appointed as Physician Associate Tutor last year.
Over the next few days we’ll be highlighting some of their work.
If you’re interested in finding out more about becoming a Physician Associate please visit https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/medical-associate-professions/roles-medical-associate-professions/physician-associate/physician-associate or to find out more about applying please go to the UEA website; www.uea.ac.uk/pa .