Physician Associate in Emergency Medicine

Job summary

At St George's Hospital Emergency Department we have rapidly expanded our Physician Associate (PA) workforce over the last five years and they are an integral part of our team. We now have a successfully established group of ten PA's including a lead PA. They are highly valued as a healthcare professional group and work in close collaboration with medical, nursing and management colleagues. They will also see, assess and manage patients when on clinical duties and will be provided opportunities to work in all areas of the ED, including the Children's ED and the resuscitation room. There is Consultant support and supervision at all times, day and night. PA's work within a defined scope of competence, and will have an e-portfolio and regular meetings with their assigned Educational Supervisor. They will also have a chance to arrange sessions with our Consultant Clinical Educators. The Consultant PA lead will have overall oversight. The PA will also have regular meetings with the lead PA for further support.

Physician Associates are highly valued as a healthcare professional group, and hence we are looking to appoint a PA to join the ED Team. Successful candidates will join the other PA's on a rota which includes twilight shifts, night shifts and weekends. They will have allocated management days, be encouraged to take part in audits and research, and attend monthly departmental teaching for PA's.

Main duties of the job

They will be supporting the team of ED doctors and a wider multidisciplinary team. The post will suit enthusiastic, innovative practitioners who share a vision in delivering excellent emergency care as part of a committed multidisciplinary team. Post holders must

• Hold a Physicians Associate/ Physicians Assistants qualification from an accredited programme (UK or US)
• Have at least one year experience working as a qualified PA
• Have current and valid certification or re-certification by the Physician Associate UK National Examination or NCCPA certification or re-certification if US trained
• Be a member of the Faculty of Physician Associates at the RCP which includes registration on the PA Managed Voluntary Register

He/she will work under the direction of a consultant, working collaboratively with other members of the clinical team within the Trust's policies and clinical guidelines.

About us

St George's Healthcare NHS Trust serves a resident population of about 300,000, is located within the South West London Strategic Health Authority and serves six local Primary Care Groups. The Trust is one of the largest healthcare units in the UK, accommodating 1070 beds and annually treating around 61,500 inpatients as well as over 420,000 outpatients. In 2006, more than 98,000 patients presented to the Accident and Emergency Department and 12,100 medical patients were admitted. The Trust employs over 5000 staff incorporating over 700 Medical & Dental Staff. It provides general acute services together with specialty services including neurosciences, cardiothoracic, and specialist children's services.

St George's Hospital is the main teaching hospital in the western sector of the South Thames region and has developed links with most of the regional district general hospitals. It supports a significant training programme for junior doctors that rotate through the Trust.