Physician Associate

A Physician Associate is a clinical graduate who, while not a doctor, possesses the attitude, skills and knowledge base to help diagnose and manage the treatment and care of patients, alongside the practice team, under the supervision of an experienced GP.

About Physician Associates

In their role, Physician Associates can provide extra capacity to help with the continuity of patient care and can help free up consultants to enable them to concentrate on ore complex cases.

It is still a fairly new role in primary care but one that is evolving over time and with increasing opportunities. Typical work may include taking medical histories, performing examinations, minor surgical procedures, diagnosing physical and mental health conditions, running clinics and analysing test results.

The role suits people with good communication skills, a flexible and adaptable approach and who are organised. They should be confident and able to work on their own initiative and have the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

On the Island there is a peer network to support those working in Physician Associate roles, co-ordinated by Professor Mark Pugh, Consultant Rheumatologist for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust.

Profile

Name: Katy Stebbins

Job title: Physician Associate

Location: Newport Health Centre

“The health system here is really open to new roles which I think is pretty unique. And at Newport Health Centre that enables us to create a truly multi-dimensional team with a wide scope of expertise and specialities and that can only be good for patient care.

“It puts us at the cutting edge of how primary care is moving forward in this country and I am really proud and excited to be part of that. Our centre is the second largest on the Island in terms of patient numbers and that gives us a wide variety of patients and medical issues to deal with.”