Postgraduate Diploma Physician Associate Studies PGDip

The University of Birmingham has been training Physician Associates (formerly Physician Assistants) since January 2008. As one of the longest running programmes in the country, we are delighted to offer this opportunity to graduates to make a valuable contribution to the nation’s health. We work in partnership with hospitals and practices in the Midlands and beyond.

What are Physician Associates?

The Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) describes PAs as:

“Physician associates are medically trained, generalist healthcare professionals, who work alongside doctors and provide medical care as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team. Physician associates are practitioners working with a dedicated medical supervisor, but are able to work autonomously with appropriate support.

Physician Associate (formerly known as Physician Assistant) is a rapidly growing healthcare role in the UK, working alongside doctors in hospitals and in GP surgeries. Physician Associates support doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients. They are trained to perform a number of roles, including taking medical histories, performing examinations, analysing test results, and diagnosing illnesses under the direct supervision of a doctor.

The Physician Associates’ generalist training equips them to deal with patient care, from initial assessment to follow up care in both acute and community settings. They are trained to develop a differential diagnosis based on patient history, physical examination, and investigations. They initiate further evaluation or treatment based on this assessment, for many common and important conditions. All of this occurs under the supervision of a named clinical supervisor, usually a consultant or GP. The level of supervision is determined by the PA and their clinical supervisor and may change over time; many experienced PAs work very autonomously.

The result is flexible healthcare professionals who adapt to the needs of their supervising doctors and provide consistency and continuity of service for the healthcare team. PAs work across many different specialties, including primary care, emergency medicine, and many medical and surgical specialties.

We also run a flexible MSc Physician Associate programme for those who already have their Postgraduate Diploma from a UK. NOTE: The MSc in Physician Associate Studies is a top-up programme designed for students who have already graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Physician Associate Studies from a UK institution. You cannot apply for the UoB MSc programme unless you have completed a PGDip.

Please note: the British Physician Associate programme does not qualify you to work in the USA.

Physician Associate is a rapidly growing healthcare role in the UK, working alongside doctors in hospitals and in GP surgeries.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in the Saudi Arabia will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

International Students

All applicants that we are considering for an offer are interviewed and, at interview, we will assess your communication skills. As a student you will have substantial patient contact and all students must be able to communicate clearly, precisely and professionally with patients.

We also require evidence of English proficiency from all applicants whose first language is not English, such as IELTS for which we will require an average score of 7.0, with no less than 7.0 in any band.

If you need help with your English language skills then support is available.

The International Student Advisory Service offers help and advice to international students.