Working as a physician associate (PA): 5 Pros and 5 Cons
5 Pros
1. Collaborative multi-disciplinary professional environment
PA’s enjoy working in multidisciplinary teams (with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, AHPs etc), promoting shared knowledge and expertise.
2. Wide range of clinical responsibilities
PAs have a wide range of healthcare tasks, from taking medical histories, examining patients to performing procedures and giving treatment.
3. Crucial role in patient care
PAs have a significant impact patient on patient outcomes by diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions, teaching health promotion, prevention and providing valuable education.
The role is especially useful to the senior doctors (consultants, GPs and registrars) as PAs provide consistency, experience and leadership – as they do not come and go like junior doctors.
4. Growing demand in the NHS, with diverse working environments
PAs benefit from a rapidly expanding career with increasing popularity, creating more job opportunities. They can work in diverse environments in the NHS: GP, hospital, community – gaining exposure to different medical disciplines.
5. Good working conditions
- Well paid position. PAs begin their careers with a very good NHS Band 6 salary, ranging from £37,339 to £44,962 per year. As it is quite a short training (2 years), it doesn’t take long to get to a good salary
- Enjoy a good work/life balance. PAs usually work regular hours – mainly Mon 9am-Fri 5pm (no nights). But some do weekends, and ‘lates’ (finishing at 12am). This promotes overall well-being
- Career flexibility. PAs benefit from the other good NHS working conditions, e.g. maternity leave, part-time working, good pension etc.
5 Cons
1. Unable to prescribe medication or request ionising radiation (x-rays)
Due to the lack of a regulatory body (pending GMC regulation), PAs are currently unable to prescribe or order ionising radiation. This is irritating for the doctors they work with.
2. Supervision and limited autonomy
While PAs work closely with doctors, they operate under the supervision of a senior doctor. A consultant (or GP) has to be present when they work. This can mean less autonomy in decision-making and patient management compared to doctors.
3. Public awareness and recognition
As a relatively new role, the position of a PA is less familiar to the general public and other healthcare professionals compared to that of a doctor. Often mistaken as a doctor (Physician Associates are not doctors), this can result in a lack of recognition for the skills and contributions of PAs.
4. Unable to work outside the UK
Due to a lack of regulation, PAs are unable to work in other countries, unlike other health professionals.
5. Lack of career structure, with appropriate pay rises
Even though at the start of their careers, PAs’ pay is generous, the career structure after that is quite flat, without good pay rises linked to promotion etc.
There is also a lack of post-graduate educational development, because of the flat career structure. Therefore PAs are less able to specialise, by getting extra training.
