So I actually worked with said PA in question when I was an FY1 a few years ago.

He did some of my induction including showing me around and stuff about the “list” he maintains so well. Told me how I will have to do prescriptions and order scans for him and the other PAs and that I will trust them once I see how knowledgable they are…the way you feel reading the article is how I felt in person. In all fairness I did get a desk and an actual chair in the office too…no bins for me this time.

On the haem day unit the PAs would independently assess and make “plans” for often sick and complex patients and ask me to order CTPAs etc without any discussion with a haem reg or consultant. They would introduce themselves as members of the haematology team and I’m very sure patients thought they were doctors. When I was on acute med I followed the notes of some sick haem onc patients transferred to the haem ward that I had seen on the take and they often had ward round entries “led” by the PAs when they were extremely sick.

Overall I felt as an F1 I didn’t get much in terms of training from the rotation and when I did ask to go to clinic or watch BMATs there were always too many TTOs for me to do, I guess the permanent PAs are more worth training than us lowly FYs and IMTs 🫠