MSc Physician Associate Studies

Key details

MSC PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE STUDIES

Start Year

2022

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Master of Science

Duration (years)

On this two-year course you’ll learn how to deliver the highest standards of care to your patients, working within an interprofessional team of aspiring medical and health professionals. Our programme is split 50/50 between theory and practice and, thanks to our strong relationships with local healthcare providers, you’ll benefit from placements that have been carefully tailored to be meaningful and rewarding to you. 

You’ll study in the first-class facilities at Norwich Medical School, and at a level that will give you a more rounded experience and a deeper understanding of the needs of both patients and healthcare providers. 

About

Our MSc Physician Associate Studies is a two-year, full-time, intensive postgraduate course in medical science and clinical reasoning. It consists of approximately 50% theory and 50% practice, including over 1,400 hours on clinical placement in both acute and community settings, starting from your second month. 

Norwich Medical School has a reputation for pioneering teaching and research. You’ll have access to our first-class facilities, which include the Bob Champion Research and Education Centre and our bespoke Anatomy Suite. And we’re located next to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on the Norwich Research Park. 

We focus on ensuring our graduates are ready to enter and excel in the healthcare profession. So we ensure that you not only get plenty of hands-on experience across a wide range of placements, but also work within a mixed team of trainee medical professionals on campus, giving you a unique understanding into other people’s working roles. 

The course is divided into six modules, the first five of which are clinical in content, enabling you to acquire skills in theory, communication, clinical and procedural practice. Each module will then be followed by a placement when you can put your new skills into practice. Your sixth module will focus on health improvement and is a requirement for a Master’s-level qualification. 

Studying for an MSc will give you greater understanding of your future employers – and your future patients. Combine this depth of knowledge with placements tailored to your individual requirements, and you’ll have everything you need to get your career off to a brilliant start, benefiting from many and varied job opportunities both locally and nationally. 

Our pass rate in the PA National Examination is 100% for theory and very high for the OSCE component, with the UEA average for both elements well above the national average. 

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

You will also have formative written and OSCE (clinical) exams during your first year, with summative written and OSCE examinations at the end of the year. You will need to pass these exams, as well as the required clinical procedures and case presentations, in order to progress on to your second year of study. 

In the second year you’ll be assessed with mid- and end-of-year exams and further case presentations. 

Your module 6 health improvement project will be assessed through a combination of a literature review, a formative poster presentation and a final written dissertation. 

Once you have passed the UEA final examinations you’ll be able to sit the national Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) examination. UEA has a 100% pass rate on the theory component and very high pass rates for the OSCE, all well above the national average. Pass it and at present you’ll be eligible for listing on the National Managed Voluntary Register of PAs, but in 2021 this will be replaced by regulation and registration by the GMC. 

You can find out more about the national exam on the Royal College of Physicians website. 

Structure

Your time with us will be evenly split between theory and practice. Our two-year course is made up of six taught modules, each of which will be followed by a clinical placement. 

 Module 1 – Foundation Skills for Physician Associates 

This module will equip you with the competence and confidence to learn and practice your basic clinical and procedural skills in the skills laboratory – and then in the workplace, under supervision. It will include knowledge-based lectures covering background clinical science and social science, as well as aspects of law, ethics and professionalism. 

 Module 2 – General Medicine 

This module provides the background learning for the majority of the general medical specialties including cardiology, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, renal medicine, haematology, endocrinology, dermatology and old age medicine. Your clinical placements will then provide an opportunity to reinforce your campus learning and build on the clinical skills you will have acquired in module one. 

 Module 3 – Surgery 

This module provides the background learning for the major surgical specialties, including vascular surgery, orthopaedics (including rheumatology), urology, obstetrics and gynaecology, ENT and general surgery. Once again, your clinical placement will provide an opportunity to reinforce your learning and to further develop your skills from the previous modules. 

 Module 4 – Community Medicine and Mental Health 

The placement in this module will help you gain experience of mental health care as well as medical care beyond a hospital setting. It will include primary care, community paediatrics, psychiatry, ophthalmology and neurology. You’ll use the time to learn and develop clinical and communication skills, with patients presenting with a range of undifferentiated conditions. 

Module 5 - Emergency Medicine (adult and child) 

In this module you will be exposed to specialist healthcare for children and will get your second chance to experience acute adult admitting services. This module includes hospital paediatrics, emergency medicine and emergency surgery. By this point in your course it’s anticipated that, under appropriate supervision, you will play a more active role in the delivery of health care, and you’ll be fully integrated into the clinical team. 

Module 6 – Student-Selected Placement with Health Improvement Project 

Ensuring patient safety and continuous improvement in healthcare quality and efficiency are key responsibilities for all healthcare professionals. This module provides you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills in health improvement to a specialism that interests you. 

Module six will also allow you to demonstrate higher academic skills including synthesis and analysis of evidence. And you’ll have the opportunity to develop real-time experience in planning and executing a clinically relevant health improvement project. 

Teaching and Learning

Teaching 

Your teaching will include lectures, seminars, case-based learning, group work and online resources, provided by our expert Physician Associate team, as well academics from within the wider Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and senior clinicians from the surrounding general practices and hospitals. Your learning will be supported by electronic resources including Blackboard, our Virtual Learning Environment, in which you’ll find presentations, supporting material and reading lists to accompany lectures and seminars. You will have access to additional online resources including clinicalkey, Capsule and Clinically speaking. The critical components will preferably be delivered face to face otherwise live online, depending on the circumstances at the time. Other material will be available online to complete in your own time. We anticipate 2-3 days per week on campus during the theory blocks for face to face teaching and other sessions as below. The workload will still require full time study to complete the weekly online material and tasks on the off campus days.

You will be taught communication skills in small groups, with expert facilitators and trained actors. This will be online if unable to do face to face on campus.

As well as theoretical sessions, you will be taught examination and procedural skills in our state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Resource Area (CSRA), next to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in the Bob Champion Research and Education Building (BCRE). The CSRA is equipped with high-fidelity simulation equipment (SIMMAN), which you will use for at least one session per module during your training. You will also have access to our skills laboratory area, providing it is not being used for teaching or OSCEs (observed clinical examinations), enabling you to use the equipment for self-directed practice in your own time. What’s more, you’ll have the opportunity to use a range of training facilities when on placement at our partner teaching hospitals. 

 Independent study 

As a Master’s student, you’ll be expected to identify and address your own learning needs. And, in order to optimise what you take away from each session, you’ll be strongly advised to read up on topics before your lectures, and supplement your formal teaching with group work and independent study. 

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Assessment for Year 2

In the second year you’ll be assessed with mid- and end-of-year exams and further case presentations. 

Your module 6 health improvement project will be assessed through a combination of a literature review, a formative poster presentation and a final written dissertation. 

You can find out more about the national exam on the Royal College of Physicians website. 

Structure

Your time with us will be evenly split between theory and practice. Our two-year course is made up of six taught modules, each of which will be followed by a clinical placement. 

 Module 1 – Foundation Skills for Physician Associates 

 Module 2 – General Medicine 

 Module 3 – Surgery 

 Module 4 – Community Medicine and Mental Health 

Module 5 - Emergency Medicine (adult and child) 

Module 6 – Student-Selected Placement with Health Improvement Project 

Teaching and Learning

Teaching 

You will be taught communication skills in small groups, with expert facilitators and trained actors. This will be online if unable to do face to face on campus.

Independent study 

Admissions Live Chat

Open Days

Assessment for Year 1

In the second year you’ll be assessed with mid- and end-of-year exams and further case presentations. 

Your module 6 health improvement project will be assessed through a combination of a literature review, a formative poster presentation and a final written dissertation. 

You can find out more about the national exam on the Royal College of Physicians website. 

Compulsory Modules

FOUNDATION SKILLS FOR PHYSICIAN'S ASSOCIATES

Code MED-7000E

Credits 30

This module is about preparing students to study to become PAs. It will equip students with the competence and confidence to practice their basic clinical skills in the workplace which will allow them to efficiently utilise and build on their workplace learning during the remaining course. There will also be knowledge based lectures covering background clinical science and social science as well as some learning theory and aspects of law, ethics and professionalism. Following formative assessment opportunities in the skills laboratory students will be encouraged to practice basic procedural skills in the work place under supervision. Two observed work-place summative assessments for each skill are required to be signed off.

GENERAL MEDICINE

Code MED-7001F

Credits 30

This module provides the background learning for the majority of the general medical specialities including cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, renal and diabetes as well as geriatric medicine. Clinical placements provide an opportunity to reinforce campus learning and develop and build on clinic skills learnt in module 1. Students who have not yet completed all their summative work based assessments of procedural skills will have further opportunity to demonstrate competence.

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Open Days

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.

Assessment for Year 2

In the second year you’ll be assessed with mid- and end-of-year exams and further case presentations. 

Your module 6 health improvement project will be assessed through a combination of a literature review, a formative poster presentation and a final written dissertation. 

You can find out more about the national exam on the Royal College of Physicians website. 

Compulsory Modules

SURGERY

Code MED-7002D

Credits 30

This module provides the background learning for the major surgical specialities including gastroenterological, orthopaedic, urological surgery as well as obstetrics and gynaecology. Clinical placements provide an opportunity to reinforce campus learning and develop and build on clinical skills learnt in modules 1 and 2. Students who have not yet completed all their summative work based assessments of procedural skills will have further opportunity to demonstrate competence which must be done by the end of this module. Written and practical OSCE examinations at the end of module 3 are blueprinted across the first year (modules 1-3) of the course and determine that students have made sufficient progress to move to year 2 of the course.

MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY

Code MED-7003E

Credits 30

This placement gives students experience of medical care outside of hospital and of mental health care. They will learn about the NHS and the different roles health care professionals play in the wider community. This module provides the background learning for the Primary Care placement and the Mental Health, Neurology and Ophthalmology placements. In addition it provides the bulk of the Paediatric background although the Paediatric placement will take place in Module 5, there will be significant opportunity for Paediatric patient interaction in the Primary Care placement. Also in this module there will be one day, or the equivalent, for the Health Improvement Project. There are odd sessions within the timetable devoted to Module 6. Clinical placements will provide an opportunity to reinforce campus based learning and to develop and build upon the clinical skills learnt in modules 1 and 2. The placement in Primary Care will encourage the student to be more focused and specific in their examination and develop the knowledge and skills to undertake a brief focused examination as opposed to a full in-depth examination. They will continue to develop their detailed history taking as well as developing more specific management plans.

EMERGENCY MEDICINE (ADULT & CHILD)

Code MED-7004X

Credits 30

This module the students will be exposed to healthcare for children and adults in acute admitting services. Also to a paediatric placement. It is expected that these senior students will, under appropriate supervision, play more active role in delivery of health care and be fully integrated into the clinical team. At the end of this module there is a written and practical skills (OSCE) examination which is blueprinted across the whole 2 year course. Satisfactory performance in these two assessments will be a pre-requisite for sitting the national UKAPA examination http://www.ukiubpae.sgul.ac.uk/the-national-examination-and-re-certification. Once the national exam has been passed graduates are eligible for inclusion on the National Managed Voluntary Register of PAs

STUDENT SELECTED PLACEMENT WITH HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Code MED-7005X

Credits 30

This module provides the opportunity for students to study one area that interests them in greater depth. The module will also allow them to demonstrate higher academic skills including analysis of evidence as well as planning and organisation. Students will present their projects verbally before submission of their dissertations and the feedback they receive will help them with their final write-up. The summative assessment of this module is by way of a written dissertation.

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Important Information

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

Bachelors (Hons) degree - 2:1 or equivalent

Degree subject

Science or Health-related discipline

Additional entry requirements

If a student has a bachelor’s degree but does not meet the normal admission requirements for the PA course they may sit the GAMSAT. This was developed and validated by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and is used to assist in selection of students for graduate-entry programs and to assess capacity to undertake high level intellectual studies in a demanding course. The minimum admission requirement for the PA course is an overall GAMSAT score of 50 within the last two years. Please see the website for further details. https://gamsat.acer.org/

Special Entry Requirements

Applicants will normally have 3 A-levels at grade C or above, including at least one science subject or equivalent.

Applicants are required to submit two references with their application - one related to their most recent Academic study, while the other may be a professional reference.

Academic study should have been completed within the last 5 years.

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English or those whose degree was not taught in English. To ensure such students benefit fully from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. We also will require a certain standard to be achieved on the written element of the test. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 7.5 (minimum 7.0 in all component)
PTE: 80 (minimum 76 in all components)

All scores must be less than two years old.

Interviews

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview. Interviews for the January 2023 cohort are likely to be online and usually take place in June, July and October. Dates and details to be confirmed nearer the time.

Intakes

This course is open to UK applicants only. The annual intake for this course is in January each year.

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Course Reference Number: 4477746

Norwich Medical School

MSc PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE STUDIES

Key details

Year of Entry:

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Master of Science

Duration (years)

Important Information

Train for a Master’s in Physician Associate Studies and you’ll be set for a career as a versatile, dynamic healthcare professional. You’ll play a vital role in the multidisciplinary team in both hospital and community settings, working closely with patients, and helping to diagnose and manage their conditions.  On this two-year course you’ll learn how to deliver the highest standards of care to your patients, working within an interprofessional team of aspiring medical and health professionals. Our programme is split 50/50 between theory and practice and, thanks to our strong relationships with local healthcare providers, you’ll benefit from placements that have been carefully tailored to be meaningful and rewarding to you.  You’ll study in the first-class facilities at Norwich Medical School, and at a level that will give you a more rounded experience and a deeper understanding of the needs of both patients and healthcare providers. 

Admissions Live Chat

Course Modules

Discover our student stories

Read about our course and the career from student perspectives

ENHANCE YOUR CAREER CHOICES

Whether you want to diversify or specialise – explore your options.

GO FURTHER >

Life After My Master's

Find out how Sophie is embracing life after her MSc in a pioneering field of medical practice.

WATCH OUR VIDEO >

MSc PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE STUDIES