Medical Associate Professions
The NHS has seen the emergence of new professional roles as part of the continuing drive to provide safe, accessible and high-quality care for patients.
Physician associate
As a physician associate, you might work in a GP surgery or be based in a hospital, but wherever you work, you'll have direct contact with patients.
You’ll be a graduate who has completed postgraduate training and you'll work under the supervision of a doctor. You’ll be trained to perform day-to-day tasks including:
taking medical histories from patients
performing physical examinations
diagnosing illnesses
seeing patients with long-term chronic conditions
performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
analysing test results
developing management plans
providing health promotion and disease prevention advice for patients.
Advanced clinical practitioner
Clinical practitioners work in most departments so you could be working in:
respiratory medicine, testing and assessing lung function
occupational therapy, assessing people’s need for aids and equipment at home
an operating theatre area, scrubbing and assisting in surgical and other procedures, or monitoring patients recovering from surgery
providing personal, social, therapeutic and rehabilitative care (such as bowel care and management, catheter insertions, etc.)
dietetics, encouraging people to make healthier food choices
biomedical science, analysing samples in a lab
mental health services, supporting adults or young people with mental health issues
stroke rehabilitation, helping people recover in their own homes
emergency medicine, treating patients so they can return home quickly
radiography, helping to diagnose or treat a patient's illness
a health centre or GP surgery, changing dressings and monitoring medication
hearing services, as a hearing aid dispenser.
Surgical care practitioners
Surgical care practitioners are established members of the surgery team. Their main responsibilities are to support surgeons and other professionals before, during and after surgical procedures.
You'll be a trained clinical professional, such as a theatre nurse or operating department practitioner, who has received further training. You're trained to carry out a range of tasks in a surgical environment under the direct supervision of surgeon including:
managing clinics where you would see patients before surgery, making sure they are placed on surgery lists
assessing patients to make sure they are clinically fit and healthy for the surgery
preparing patients for surgery including venepuncture and catheterisation
surgical procedures under direct supervision of a surgeon such as wound closure, harvesting veins and carpel tunnel surgery
supporting a supervising surgeon as a first or second assistant
daily ward rounds, making assessments and formulating plans for patients’ post-operative care
writing of operation notes and ward round note-taking
care after the surgery such as wound assessment, treatment and identification of surgical problems and complications
provision of support to on-call and emergency services
evaluating a patient's condition, including the discharge process and follow-up care arrangements
training of trainee surgeons
prescribing appropriate medications.
Anaesthesia associate
Anaesthesia associates work in the anaesthesia team, led by a consultant anaesthetist, and look after patients undergoing many aspects of critical care.
As an anaesthesia associate, you will be closely supervised by a consultant anaesthetist and there will be clear boundaries about what you can and cannot do.
Typically, the range of duties will include:
preoperative interviewing and physiological and psychological assessment of patients
collecting patient information from the patients, taking a history, physical examination, laboratory, radiographic and other diagnostic data and identifying relevant problems
implementing the anaesthesia care plan
administering and/or participating in the planned administration of general anaesthetic for a variety of surgical and medically related procedures
using a broad variety of techniques, anaesthesia agents, drugs and equipment in providing anaesthesia care
administering drugs as prescribed
interpreting and using data obtained from invasive and non-invasive monitoring equipment
initiating and managing fluid and blood therapy within the plan of care
positioning or supervising the positioning of patients to assure optimal physiologic function and patient safety
record keeping
participating in audit, complaints, compliments and clinical/non-clinical incidents with a view to improving patient care as part of the wider anaesthetic team
risk management and health and safety recommendations
monitoring and maintaining a safe, clean, and therapeutic environment for patients, staff and visitors
teaching, supervising and assessing other team members.
identifying and taking appropriate actions related to anaesthesia equipment problems that might lead to patient problems and common postoperative problems