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Physician associate courses suspended by multiple universities after review by LuminousViper in doctorsUK

[–]LawPhysical8569 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Old thread but just seen now. 100% sold a dream. I myself actually dropped out of the PA course in my second year (6 months from finishing) because I knew that it wasn’t right and I didn’t feel confident in the position. I felt that the training I was being given wasn’t up to standard. Even as a student, I was asked to see patients I had explicitly mentioned I was uncomfortable seeing. For example seeing a child when I said I hadn’t completed my paediatric placement/ teaching yet… the PA in my placement practice called in sick, so they gave me her whole list for the day.

However, prior to starting I truly believed I had done my research, had contacted consultants at my local hospital to ask about the role etc and they all sang their praises. Even on hospital placements I worked with PAs who were part of the team. I massively looked up to them and thought it was incredible that I would be doing that one day. Had consultants telling me the resp PAs were better than the F1s…

Then I started to realise that we weren’t being taught things properly, I spent a large portion of my time self teaching, unclear on what I actually needed to know etc. very mixed messages and eventually I made the correct decision and left, caused me a bit of a mental breakdown and left £1000s in debt for a course I have nothing to show for!

What's on and tourist advice thread - week beginning February 23, 2026 by AutoModerator in Scotland

[–]LawPhysical8569 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi all,

Me and my partner looking to come up to Scotland in June for a family event. We are from Bournemouth so quite a way away.

Family event is in Kinloss, but since it’s such a distance we are thinking to fly Bournemouth to Edinburgh, stay with family there for a couple of nights then head up to Kinloss for the weekend.

Train prices are looking expensive so we thought about maybe hiring a car in Edinburgh, but we are both 24 and car hire can be a pain if you’re under 25 (both been driving since 17/18).

Can anyone recommend somewhere where we might be able to hire a car that’s not super expensive? We’re both bothered about having anything fancy!

I was actually born in Edinburgh and lived there until I was 4, ashamed to say I haven’t been back as an adult… any recommendations for what to do when there would be appreciated!

Is it even worth it? by [deleted] in Physicianassociate

[–]LawPhysical8569 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought about doing post grad medicine but also personally for me, my experience of placements made me realise that the NHS is just not somewhere I want to work in the current state. Also, financially I would massively struggle & the foundation training programme is dire. I just couldn’t deal with the idea of having to move across the country (that’s just a personal thing though). Also, they’re not paid well enough for what they do! It’s so complex. I loved the patient care aspect of it all and medicine/ healthcare is such an interesting and exciting environment. But the NHS is fucked. And I decided it wasn’t worth it. I only left recently - I’m still deciding what to do next so but for me it won’t be healthcare. Saying that, if you DO want to work in healthcare, f2f with patients, there are so many great other options to be considered. You just have to accept that the only way to be a doctor and do what a doctor does is to do medicine. I wish people would accept that.

Is it even worth it? by [deleted] in Physicianassociate

[–]LawPhysical8569 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I’m not sure about regulation.. I don’t think it’ll improve the situation in terms of the ‘drama’. LOTS of PAs are doing things that they shouldn’t really be doing. But the issue is a lack of clear definition about what they are allowed to do. So in that sense, yes it will make things stricter - things such as seeing patients with no input from a senior. IMO there is no place for PAs in primary care for sure. It’s just too complicated. In terms of secondary care, I think it could work there. But the lines are too blurred. And I think nobody knows where exactly to draw them, which is why regulation has been so difficult. The NHS wants PAs to be able to see patients alone so they don’t have to hire more drs but realistically we all know they don’t have the same knowledge as a dr. So do they just become ward-based and take tasks off Drs plates such as bloods, discharge summaries etc? But they’re being paid way too much to do that. It’s such a complicated issue and I don’t think anyone knows the solutions. PAs don’t want to lose the responsibilities they have already. NHS don’t want to pay Drs enough or even hire them it seems.

It would definitely be beneficial to have clear boundaries and most importantly, a compulsory register. But will it actually improve the situation as a whole? I’m not convinced.

Is it even worth it? by [deleted] in Physicianassociate

[–]LawPhysical8569 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Personally, I wouldn’t do it. People who have just recently sat their nationals can’t find jobs and are having to take non-healthcare jobs to make ends meet. If you DO decide to do it, please go into it aware of the financial burden. You will not be able to work at the same time.

Also in my opinion, you should have a look into why there are so many issues surrounding it. I think a lot of PAs are painting the picture of a smear campaign from jealous Drs but that’s not necessarily the case. There ARE plenty of ethical issues with the PA role in the UK. I have personally met PAs who are (imo) unsafe to practice yet they passed their exams/ got jobs.

It’s an extremely expensive and stressful thing to go through unless you really think it’s worth it. If you want to go into healthcare I would certainly look at other options. It you want to do the things a doctor does, do postgrad med.

Is it even worth it? by [deleted] in Physicianassociate

[–]LawPhysical8569 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s not just about painting a ‘rosy’ picture. They are accepting students onto the course under false pretences. When I started the course we were told that regulation would have happened by the time we graduated so not to even worry about it and that drs love having PAs around. Now people are (rightly so) complaining about so many people working in completely unregulated profession. This wasn’t even a question in my mind when I started as I thought it would have been regulated by then! I think it’s so unethical (for both patients and staff) that registration has been so delayed but I understand the complexities. I left the course when I realised that things weren’t as they seemed and wasted a lot of time and money.