Physician Associate

Job responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities

Clinical

Participate in all treatment and preventative healthcare services in the practice as delegated and agreed by the supervising GP.

Provide direct clinical care to patients using established clinical guidelines.

Consult and refer patients to physicians, medical specialists and other health professionals as indicated.

Interview patients, take medical histories, perform physical examinations, analyse, diagnose and explain medical problems during surgery consultations and home visits.

Recommend and explain appropriate diagnostic tests and treatment.

Request and interpret results of laboratory investigations when necessary.

Perform specialised diagnostic physical exams and treatment procedures.

Instruct and educate patients in preventative health care.

Conduct telephone consultations which may involve discussing the result and implications of laboratory investigations with patients as well as dealing appropriately with routine and emergency complaints

Order laboratory tests as required and agreed under supervising doctor(s).

Fully document all aspects of patient care and complete all required paperwork for legal and administrative purposes.

Contribute to the clinical development of the practice by developing a special interest and to help establish appropriate systems to manage common chronic medical conditions, ensuring compliance with NSF guidelines.

Participate fully in the clinicians duty rota including the provision of home visits when appropriate.

Formulate diagnoses and treatment plans, in consultation with or referring to Supervising doctor(s) as appropriate.

Give clinical instructions to nursing staff and primary care team as required.

Communicate when necessary with colleagues in primary care and hospital specialists in order to discuss or refer specific patients, plan and co-ordinate activities or exchange information in order to improve the quality of patient care.

Deal regularly with community hospitals, consultants and other health care providers, insurance companies and other community organisations to refer/consult on specific cases, participate in community service and education projects and activities and the like.

Training/educational development

Ensure continuing education, training and development is undertaken to meet clinical governance guidelines for continuing professional development and a Personal Development Plan.

Keep up to date with relevant medical research, technology and evidence-based medical practice by attending continuing education courses and professional meetings, reading journals etc.

Undertake 50 hours of continuing medical education (CPD) every year. A minimum of 25 hours must be in accredited direct learning programmes.

Take and pass the national re-certification exam every six years in accordance with the requirements of the PA Managed Voluntary Register and as recommended by the National Examination Sub Committee of the UKUBPAE (UK Universities Board of Physician Associate Education) and subsequently as required by the statutory regulating body when in place.

Perform a variety of research and analysis tasks associated with improvement of clinical care, medical diagnosis and treatment where appropriate using the following means:

o Audit of clinical practice.

o Review of relevant literature.

o Research unusual symptoms and treatment options, through consultation with physicians and other medical specialists.

Provide literature reviews and the like; review, analyse and determine the significance of a variety of diagnostic test results

Assist in clinical instruction and supervision of medical and nursing students as well other learners that may periodically be attached to the practice, including the educational development and mentoring of physician associate students.

Attend regular multi-disciplinary meetings organised by the practice in order to discuss and learn from recent significant events relating to clinical practice occurring within the Practice.

Attend regular educational meetings organised by the practice in order to update clinical knowledge, practice policy and guidelines and disseminate other useful information relevant to the provision of adequate healthcare for patients.

Regularly reflect on own practice (and keep a record of learning encounters) in order to identify learning needs and encourage self-directed lifelong learning and continued professional development.

Administration

Send and receive written information on behalf of the practice regarding matters of insurance, housing and other issues relating to the physical and social welfare of patients.

Work to deliver with other members of the practice and primary healthcare team, the objectives of the GMS/APMS/PMS contract, including the terms of the QOF and other services.

Attend regular multi-disciplinary meetings organised by the practice in order to discuss the health and social needs of particular patients.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience in triage
• Experience of dealing with a range of clinical conditions

Desirable

• Minimum two years experience of working as a physician associate

Qualifications

Essential

• Physician Associate degree, postgraduate diploma, or masters from an accredited UK university Registration with the UK Managed Voluntary Registry for Physician Associates Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Professional Registration - Mandatory registration with relevant regulatory agency

Desirable

• Appropriate qualification for the role
• Experience in using SystmOne clinical system
• Work effectively independently and as a team member
• Self-Motivation and adaptable
• Excellent IT skills
• Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs as appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Produce timely and informative reports

Personal Qualities and Skills

Essential

• Polite and confident.
• Flexible and co-operative.
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required.
• High levels of integrity and loyalty.
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations.
• Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations.
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Strong IT skills.
• Clear, polite telephone manner.
• Effective time management (planning and organising).
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously.
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure.

Desirable

• SystmOne knowledge and experience.
• Understanding of the audit process.
• Understanding of clinical risk management.

Clinical Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Ability to effectively triage, assess and diagnose.
• ECG Interpretation.
• Chaperone procedure.
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly.
• Diabetes.
• Hypertension.
• Asthma.
• CHD.
• Frailty.
• Understand the importance of evidence-based practice.
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance.
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes.
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding when to refer to GPs.

Desirable

• Wound care.
• Spirometry.
• Immunisations.
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area.
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena.
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).