Physician associates in the UK: Development, status, and future.

Physician associates (PAs) have been part of the UK health workforce for almost 20 years. The profession is growing rapidly with statutory regulation, protection of the title, and career progression supported by a national-level framework all in the pipeline for the near future. This article provides a brief history of the profession in the United Kingdom and prospects for its future.

Explosive Growth in British Physician Associate Education Since 2008.

Physician associate (PA) education in the United Kingdom has grown substantially since the establishment of 4 PA education programs in the late 2000s. From those 4 programs in 2008, the number of universities educating PAs fell to a nadir of 2 programs in 2012 and then rose to 29 by the end of 2017. Due to program closures, the number of students enrolled in the early years fluctuated substantially.

Development of the United Kingdom physician associate profession.

The world of healthcare is changing, and patient needs are changing with it. Traditional doctor-driven models of workforce planning are no longer sustainable in the United Kingdom (UK) healthcare economy, and newer models are needed. In the multiprofessional, multiskilled clinical workforce of the future, the physician associate (PA) has a fundamental role to play as an integrated, frontline, generalist clinician.

Job satisfaction among British physician associates.

All British physician associates (PAs) were invited to participate in the annual census of the UK Association of Physician Associates (UKAPA) in May 2014. Each participant completed the Cooper 10-item Job Satisfaction Scale and a PA-specific job satisfaction survey. In general, PAs were found to be satisfied with their work.

Factors affecting uptake of childhood immunisation: a Bayesian synthesis of qualitative and quantitative evidence.

Falls in levels of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) immunisation in the UK and the continuing debate on how to respond to this situation emphasise the importance of identifying and understanding the factors that affect the uptake of recommended childhood immunisations. Both qualitative and quantitative evidence could be useful in this process. We aimed to explore the feasibility and value of an approach to formal synthesis of qualitative and quantitative evidence in the context of factors affecting the uptake of childhood immunisation in developed countries.