Physician Associate Studies

Physician Associate Studies - MSc

The position of a Physician Associate is a pioneering and rapidly growing clinical career. This course will enable you to develop the skills and knowledge to be part of a clinical workforce delivering excellent patient care. A tailored combination of clinical placements and innovative teaching will be delivered by PAs, doctors, advanced nurse/clinical practioners, scientists and researchers.

Month of entry

January

Mode of study

Full time

Location

Keele University campus

Subject area

Medicine

Fees for 2023/24 academic year

UK - Full time £9,250 per year

Duration of study

2 years

Apply now

This course is open for January 2024 entry for UK students only

Why study Physician Associate Studies at Keele University?

Learn from a wide range of teaching faculty including physician associates, clinicians, scientists and researchers

Benefit from clinical teaching with integrated placements in primary and secondary care

Engage with a range of teaching methodologies linked to clinical cases and associated skills

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Course structure

Indicative timetable

In year 1 you will attend taught sessions for 29 weeks of the year with 16 weeks of clinical placements. The taught weeks will usually include 1 day in a GP surgery, when not in secondary care placements. These GP days start within the first few weeks of the programme. In year 2 you will attend taught sessions for 21 weeks of the year with 22 weeks of full-time clinical placements. Placements usually fall between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. However in some clinical areas there may be a need to work at weekends and in the evenings

Core Taught Modules

The list of module topics below are indiciative. While we expect to offer these modules, this may change due to staff availability. If the modules change we will inform you during the admissions process.

Year one

Areas taught in this first year include cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, endocrinology, GU and renal, neurology, eyes and ENT and MSK.

These theoretical blocks of study commence with the anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology relevant to that clinical area. The clinical examination, assessment and procedural skills are taught, alongside a range of clinical conditions relevant to that block of study, with their presentation, investigation, diagnosis and management.

Entwined in all of this, the concepts of professionalism, communication, and ethical concepts of clinical practice are taught, alongside academic writing and development skills.

For clinical experience, you will be placed with a GP surgery at the start of the course and remain in this surgery for the whole two years. You will begin your clinical experience from week three of the course with one day per week in the GP surgeries. Four months into the course you will have a 10-week placement in secondary care in the general medical areas. You will then return to the one day per week in the GP surgeries. Towards the end of the first year you will have a 3-week placement in which you will experience a range of surgical areas.

Year two

This year continues to develop professional, ethical and interprofessional working skills and knowledge. Focus is given to specialist areas during this year with theory blocks on mental health, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, emergency medicine and haematology, as well as infectious diseases and dermatology.

The clinical placement in Year 2 includes a 12-week rotation between mental health, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and emergency medicine. You will have a 4 week GP block and then a 4 week elective placement block at the end of the course. During this elective block you will have skills revision every Friday to aid your preparation for the National exams which will follow shortly after the completion of the course.

Dissertation

You will complete a 15,000-word literature-based dissertation which focuses on a topic area of your choice. You will undertake a thorough literature review of this area, analyse and debate how the role of the PA would fit into a clinical area to aid service development, help to improve patient outcomes and suggest recommendations for future practice.

The dissertation commences two months into the course and runs over the two years, with the final submission three months before the end of the course so as not to interfere with revision for the final examination of the course. Supervisors will guide you through the dissertation process, read draft work and provide ideas for the you to develop. The dissertation is staged to allow sufficient time for the completion in a timely manner.

Placements

Students are placed in a range of health care trusts and surgeries across north and south Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and into some areas of the west midlands. There is no student choice in where these placements will be, however we do try to allocate on geographical location to where the student lives as closely as we can.

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Funding

Some travel costs may be incurred whilst on placements; any such costs will be discussed with you before the placement is confirmed. There may be additional costs for textbooks and inter-library loans.

LIVING COSTS

Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost-effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.

Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2023 start date falls in the 2022/23 academic year. Please see the 2022/23 academic year fees for the relevant fees for starting this course in January 2023.

Planning your funding

It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.

Scholarships

We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries webpage for more information.

It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in this case, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.

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Teaching, learning and assessment

The course is a full-time, two-year programme of experiential learning, where you will engage with a range of teaching methodologies linked to clinical cases and associated skills. Both years follow a programme of clinical teaching with integrated placements in primary and secondary care with hospitals and GP practices. You will be taught by a range of specialist academics and clinicians to gain comprehensive input and guidance about the topic areas required to fulfil the programme requirements. You will also have joint teaching with the UG medical programme to develop interpersonal awareness and knowledge.

In your programme you will sometimes be expected to role play and engage in simulated clinical scenarios with other students, such as the practice and observation of practical skills in physical contact with other students. For some specific practices, this may necessitate modification of dress - e.g., to shorts and t-shirt. These activities will be conducted in a professional, safe, respectful and culturally sensitive way, under the supervision of academic staff, according to a defined protocol.

Our aim is to prepare you for your national exam and future careers with a structured programme of speciality teaching. You will gain a broad understanding of clinical environments including: General Medical; Emergency Medicine; General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Mental Health.

You will complete your MSc over two years before sitting your National Exam.

ASSESSMENT

Throughout each year there are a range of formative examinations and tests to help you to develop your awareness of the standard required to pass the course. This is supported with regular group and individual feedback to aid individual progress. At the end of each year there are summative assessments which consist of an SBA examination and OSCE examination. All of these are set at national standards to ensure you are aware of the standard that has to be achieved.

Alongside this, you will have a clinical journal to log your clinical hours in each of the placements and also a skills handbook which is signed off by clinical tutors, to ensure you have ample practice at set skills and procedures to ensure proficiency. There are also two reflective assignments based on cases from the clinical area which emphasises the role of the PA in the clinical area and a communications assessment, which is conducted by the GP tutor in the surgery in which you are placed.

There is also peer teaching and assessment to help you to embed your knowledge further by teaching your colleagues. This works well in developing a support community within the student groups. It also encourages learning and reduces the risk of isolation in students, which impacts on their development and achievement. This is achievable as at Keele we keep class sizes small enough for this important concept of student experience and development to be effective.

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Keele Postgraduate Association

Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

KPA interior

Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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Our expertise

This course is led by Dr Alison Pooler, an advanced nurse practitioner by background and an experienced academic having joined Keele University in 2008. Her PhD and research focuses around respiratory medicine and non-medical prescribing. She has overall leadership and management of the programme and ensures excellent teaching and support for the students is maintained.

THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Lecture sessions are led by a variety of experienced authorities in their field. Therefore, you will receive a wide knowledge base from academics and practising experts. Theory is embedded when you are taught within the clinical areas by a range of clinical tutors, who are also supported by the academic team for the programme to develop networks and channels of effective communication to enhance your development and experience.

To foster interprofessional learning and development you will be taight alongside Keele's undergraduate medical students.

The Keele University School of Medicine is ranked third in the UK (The Guardian, 2020), and the PA course is firmly embedded within this school alongside the undergraduate medical students using the same resources, teaching facilities, and staff expertise.

ACADEMIC EXPERTISE

Dr Alison Pooler: An ANP by background from acute medicine with a specialist in respiratory medicine. Has a wealth of educational and curriculum expertise and leadership skills to lead the programme to enable effective and efficient delivery to ensure a quality experience for the students and their outcomes.
Dr Alwyn Ralphs: A practicing GP, experienced academic and leader who teaches on the course.
Dr Catherine Allen: A GP by background, and also a qualified primary school teacher. She brings a wide array of both clinical and knowledge-based skills to the team to aid student development and learning success.
Joy Bagguley: An experienced clinical skills tutor within the School of Medicine, whose expertise is invaluable to the students in developing excellent clinical skills within the School's simulation laboratories.
Tom Asprey: An experienced PA who works at Royal Wolverhampton Trust in ED. Tom brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the role and is an excellent role model for the PA profession.
Ahmad Abu Kharmeh: An experienced PA who works in the north west region in acute and emergency medicine. He brings knowledge and skills of the PA role to the team alongside Tom.
Alex Nisbeck: An experienced and highly organised administrator who keeps the underlying organisation and process of the programme going. She supports the course director. Alex can be contacted by email at physicianassociate@keele.ac.uk

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Facilities

Keele University School of Medicine is spread across several sites in Staffordshire and Shropshire. The three principal buildings are located at the University main campus and at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) three miles away. There are also facilities at our associate teaching hospital at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust in Shropshire, Leighton hospital in Crewe and Royal Wolverhampton Trust, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, at County Hospital, and at Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at both Stafford and Shrewsbury.

The David Weatherall building at Keele campus contains everything that one would expect in a modern purpose-built facility, including a large lecture theatre, seminar rooms, IT laboratory, a first class anatomy suite, multi-user laboratories, student common room and refreshment area. The University provides library and information services in the nearby Information Services building.
At the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) campus you will find the Clinical Education Centre. As well as the usual teaching rooms, the Clinical Education Centre provides a multi-professional Health Library and superb clinical skills laboratory facilities.
The Harplands Hospital (North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust) has a dedicated student common room/IT facility, seminar rooms and a small skills laboratory.
At the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, facilities include seminar rooms, a clinical skills laboratory, a student common room/resource room, and an integrated Health Library. High standard living accommodation for students is available at the Shrewsbury site.
At Stafford, County Hospital has several teaching rooms and library facilities. The Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has dedicated space for Keele medical students at St George's Hospital site in Stafford.

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