Physician Associate

Job description

Job responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the physician associate. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels. The physician associate will work within their scope of clinical practice and:

a. Identify, signpost or refer patients at risk of developing long-term conditions, preventing adverse effects on the patients health

b. Provide routine care to patients as required in accordance with clinical based evidence, NICE and the NSF

c. Examine, assess and diagnose patients and provide clinical care/ management as required

d. Triage patients and provide the necessary treatment during home visits

e. Triage and treat or refer patients who attend

f. Collect pathology specimens as required

g. Maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant legislation

h. Ensure read codes are used effectively

i. Ensure continuity of care, arranging follow-up consultations or reviews as necessary

j. Review the effectiveness of the treatment provided, making changes where necessary to improve patient outcomes

k. Chaperone patients where necessary

l. Prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately

m. Recognise, assess and refer patients presenting with mental health needs

n. Support patients in the use of their prescribed medicines or over the counter medicines (within own scope of practice)

o. Liaise with external services/agencies to ensure that the patient is supported appropriately (vulnerable patients etc.)

p. Ensure that they adhere to the relevant patient group directives and local clinical pathways at all times

q. Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies

r. Understand practice and local policies for substance abuse and addictive behaviour, referring patients appropriately

s. Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Post graduate diploma or degree (physician associate)
• Member of Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register

Desirable

• Prescribing qualification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a physician associate
• Experience of dealing with a range of clinical conditions
• Ability to effectively triage, assess and diagnose
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Understand the importance of evidence-based practice

Desirable

• Experience of working in a primary care setting
• Experience of working in a GP Practice

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

SKEWEN MEDICAL CENTRE

Address

Queens Road

Skewen

Neath

West Glamorgan

SA10 6UH

Employer's website

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/home.cfm?orgid=512 (Opens in a new tab)