Physicians Associate

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE:Physician Associate (PA), Primary Care

Status:Permanent

Salary: In the range £39k - £42k initially depending on experience

Location:The PA will work at Member Practices within Sarum West PCN

Accountable to:Sarum West PCN Clinical Director

Supervision Exercised:General supervision is received from the GP(s) where the PA is working from time to time. The amount of supervision given will be in accordance with the needs of the Physician Associate.

HOURS OF WORK

37.5 hours / week (full time)

Note

The PA post will be hosted by one of the Member Practices on behalf of Sarum West PCN, and the contract of employment will be with the host Practice

JOB SUMMARY

The PA will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking and clinical assessment through to the diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of care. They will demonstrate critical thinking in the clinical decision-making process, including assessment and diagnostic skills, leading to the delivery of safe care for all patients. They will work collaboratively with the healthcare team to meet the needs of the patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures. The PA will provide a holistic and clinical service, with support from GPs as required, implementing agreed management plans and following approved protocols as appropriate. The PA will be expected on a typical day to carry out some home visits and consult with patients who present on the day and via booked appointments. The PA will also review and act appropriately on blood results and referrals/correspondence regarding their patients.

Mentorship and supervision will be provided by designated senior medical personnel. The level and type of supervision will be dependent on the post holders acquisition of skills and knowledge and determined by the organisations clinical governance arrangements.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILTIES

CLINICAL

Participate in all treatment and preventative healthcare services as delegated and agreed by the supervising GP(s).

Provide direct clinical care to patients using established clinical guidelines.

Consult and refer patients to physicians, medical specialists and other health professionals as indicated.

Interview patients, take medical histories, perform physical examinations, analyse, diagnose and explain medical problems during surgery consultations and home visits.

Recommend and explain appropriate diagnostic tests and treatment.

Request and interpret results of laboratory investigations when necessary.

Perform specialised diagnostic physical exams and treatment procedures.

Instruct and educate patients in preventative health care.

Conduct telephone consultations which may involve discussing the result and implications of laboratory investigations with patients as well as dealing appropriately with routine and emergency complaints

Order laboratory tests as required and agreed under supervising doctor(s).

Fully document all aspects of patient care and complete all required paperwork for legal and administrative purposes.

Contribute to the clinical development of the Member Practices by developing a special interest and to help establish appropriate systems to manage common chronic medical conditions, ensuring compliance with NSF guidelines.

Participate fully in the clinicians duty rota including the provision of home visits when appropriate.

Formulate diagnoses and treatment plans, in consultation with or referring to Supervising doctor(s) as appropriate.

Give clinical instructions to nursing staff, Primary Care Team, and PCN Elder Care Team as required.

Communicate when necessary with colleagues in Primary Care and hospital specialists in order to discuss or refer specific patients, plan and co-ordinate activities or exchange information in order to improve the quality of patient care.

Deal regularly with community hospitals, consultants and other health care providers, insurance companies and other community organisations to refer/consult on specific cases, participate in community service and education projects and activities and the like.

TRAINING / EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ensure continuing education, training and development is undertaken to meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional Development and a Personal Development Plan.

Keep up to date with relevant medical research, technology and evidence-based medical practice by attending continuing education courses and professional meetings, reading journals etc.

Undertake 50 hours of continuing medical education (CPD) every year. A minimum of 25 hours must be in accredited direct learning programmes.

Take and pass the national re-certification exam every 6 years in accordance with the requirements of the PA Managed Voluntary Register and as recommended by the National Examination Sub Committee of the UKUBPAE (UK Universities Board of Physician Associate Education) and subsequently as required by the statutory regulating body when in place.

Perform a variety of research and analysis tasks associated with improvement of clinical care, medical diagnosis and treatment where appropriate using the following means:

1. Audit of clinical practice.
2. Review of relevant literature.
3. Research unusual symptoms and treatment options, through consultation with physicians and other medical specialists.

Provide literature reviews and the like; review, analyse and determine the significance of a variety of diagnostic test results

Assist in clinical instruction and supervision of medical and nursing students as well other learners that may periodically be attached to the practice, including the educational development and mentoring of Physician Associate students.

Attend regular multi-disciplinary meetings organised by the PCN in order to discuss and learn from recent significant events relating to clinical practice occurring within the Member Practices.

Attend regular educational meetings organised by the practice in order to update clinical knowledge, practice policy and guidelines and disseminate other useful information relevant to the provision of adequate healthcare for patients.

Regularly reflect on own practice (and keep a record of learning encounters) in order to identify learning needs and encourage self-directed lifelong learning and continued professional development.

ADMINISTRATION

Send and receive written information on behalf of the Practice regarding matters of insurance, housing and other issues relating to the physical and social welfare of patients.

Work to deliver with other members of the practice and Primary Healthcare Team, the objectives of the GMS contract, including the terms of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and Practice Based Commissioning.

Attend regular multi-disciplinary meetings organised by the PCN and Member Practices in order to discuss the health and social needs of particular patients.

Scope and Purpose of Job Description

The job description does not constitute a term and condition of employment. It is provided only as a guide to assist the employee in the performance of their job. The practice is a fast moving organisation and therefore changes in employees duties may be necessary from time to time. The job description is not intended to be an inflexible or finite list of tasks and may be varied from time to time after consultation/discussion with the post holder.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone wishing to develop their clinical and management practice in a cohesive, like-minded group of Practices that enjoy a high reputation for care and excellence in their local community. The supervising team have a wealth of experience in general practice which will undoubtedly provide the opportunity for the new appointee to develop their knowledge and shape the position within a dynamic clinical team. This is a new role within the PCN and the postholder is expected to help in shaping the role in a way that allows them to best use their clinical skills and experience to benefit the patients of Sarum West.

Other Information:

General

The duties of this post are a guide to the range of responsibilities that may be required. These may change from time to time to meet the needs of the service and/or the development needs of the post holder. This job description will be revised regularly to take account of changes within the organisational structure and the PCNs future development strategy.

Other duties

The post holder will be required to undertake any other duties according to the needs of the service. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of activities, but rather an outline of the main areas of responsibility. Any reasonable changes will be discussed and agreed with the post holder before any variations to the job description are made.

Travel to other sites

The post holder will be required to travel between surgeries within the PCN area.

Professional Registration

Staff undertaking work which requires professional/state registration are responsible for ensuring that they are so registered and that they comply with any Codes of Conduct applicable to that profession. Proof of registration must be produced on appointment and, if renewable, proof of renewal must also be produced.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in related subject
• Postgraduate medical training in Physician Associate Studies from an accredited UK University
• Current and valid certification or re-certification by the Physician Associate National Examination
• Member of Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register

Desirable

• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development activities

Experience

Essential

• Recent experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working as a physician associate
• Experience of dealing with a range of clinical conditions
• Experience of supporting doctors in clinical decision making
• Management of patients with common acute medical conditions
• Clinical examination skills
• Understanding of the current issues and challenges facing primary care in the UK

Desirable

• Management of patients with complex needs
• Experience of preventative medicine and chronic disease management / long-term conditions
• Experience of working to achieve standards within the Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF)
• Experience of conducting clinical audit

Additional criteria

Essential

• Caring attitude to patients
• Ability to work within own scope of practice, and understanding when to refer to GPs
• Ability to effectively triage, assess and diagnose
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Detailed knowledge of maintaining confidentiality and implementing data protection legislation requirements including information governance
• Ability to work well with colleagues and within a team
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively
• Ability to exercise sound judgements when faced with conflicting pressures
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Practices
• IT literate (training in clinical systems will be provided if necessary)
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, patients, relatives, and agencies.
• Commitment to Continuing Clinical Education and professional Development.
• Current driving licence, and access to appropriate personal transport

Desirable

• Highly motivated and energetic

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).