Physician Associate Postgraduate Diploma: Newcastle University, UK, introduces new courses for science graduates

Newcastle University, UK, a major research-intensive university, located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England, has introduced new post graduate programmes, which is the first in the north-east, UK a course to train science graduates to become a new type of healthcare professional.

The Physician Associate Postgraduate Diploma provides training for an additional medical role which will work closely alongside doctors in delivering patient care. The two year course is designed for graduates of a Bioscience discipline. In addition to basic clinical theory, trainees will spend time in clinical placements in hospitals and primary care settings

A Physician Associate is a healthcare professional who, while not a doctor, works to the medical model, with the attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment. Professor Philip Bradley, Head of Newcastle University’s School of Medical Education, said: “This is a new, different kind of healthcare professional who will work closely with doctors. We are excited to be the first in the North East to offer this course as we see this profession as complimentary to the role of the doctors we already train and this allows us to make a further contribution to the health economy of our region. Physician Associates will be at the forefront of patient care with the potential to alleviate a number of workforce challenges that the NHS is facing.”

This programme will draw on the University’s established excellence in medical training which is demonstrated by both high rankings in the National Student Survey and the outstanding levels of performance of its graduates in national postgraduate exams. The course is being developed by the University in conjunction with Health Education England (HEE) in the North East.

Professor Namita Kumar, Postgraduate Dean Health Education England, working across the North East and north Cumbria, said: “The Physicians Associates programme provides an opportunity for the development of staff who can work at a more complex level and enact a range of skills and interventions across healthcare, including mental health, secondary and primary care. They will become important members of the wider healthcare team, working with medical and non-medical colleagues when trained. They will be trained and supervised by doctors and will work under the supervision of a consultant/GP.”

For further information about the course visit www.go.ncl.ac.uk/pg.pas; email pgpas@ncl.ac.uk. The students can also send their queries to india@ncl.ac.uk.

About Newcastle University, UK:Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university, located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England.  It strives for world-class academic excellence- but excellence with a purpose.

Newcastle University was ranked 88th out of 800 universities from all over the world for ‘international outlook’ by The Times Higher Education Survey, which measures the ability of a university to attract undergraduates, postgraduates and faculty from all over the world.

The same publication also placed Newcastle University 10th in the UK in its 2015 Student Experience Survey and third in the country for the quality of staff and lecturers.

The International Student Barometer (ISB) Survey 2015, conducted by i-graduate, gave Newcastle University an overall satisfaction rating of 93% amongst its international students with strong scores for teaching, student support, living experience and campus facilities.

96% of international students say they were satisfied with the physical and digital library resources. Support from IT services received a 97% satisfaction score.

Newcastle University also achieved an overall satisfaction score of 91% in the latest National Student Survey. The result means that nine out of 10 students are happy with their time in Newcastle – placing it joint 6th in the UK against our comparator institutions.