THE TRAINING of physician associates at Worcester University has received formal approval from the General Medical Council.
The university has been running a physician associate MSc since 2016, providing high-quality education and training for future healthcare professionals.
From December 2024, the General Medical Council began its registration of physician associates as a profession and has now started approving courses.
Prof Sandra Nicholson, founding dean of the Three Counties Medical School, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s an affirmation of our hard work in ensuring that our course is of the highest quality, and it also gives encouragement to our students who are on the course that they’ve got a solid education behind them.”
Physician associates work under the supervision of doctors and can perform routine physical examinations, take medical histories, assist in procedures, order tests, diagnose and treat many illnesses, and counsel patients about managing medical problems.
The course is a two-year postgraduate MSc, and students usually have an undergraduate degree in a relevant health or life science and experience in a health or care setting. Around 30 to 35 students join the course each year.
Students on the physician associate course at the university study using state-of-the-art facilities including the recently opened Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building, home of the Three Counties Medical School.
Prof Sally Moyle, pro vice chancellor health and science, added: “We’re incredibly proud of our colleagues and students as we receive formal approval from the GMC for our physician associate programme.
“Prof Nicholson and her colleagues have worked hard to make sure that the university is producing highly skilled graduates who go on to make a difference in hospitals across the country, and it’s encouraging to see the GMC giving their seal of approval to that work.”
