Physician Associate Studies

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have:

• a lower second class (2:2) honours degree or above (or accepted equivalent) life/health sciences
• prior work experience in a healthcare or allied health profession
• IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 88.

Students with relevant previous study at postgraduate level or with extensive experience may be considered eligible for recognition of prior learning. Applicants may be invited to attend an interview.

Months of entry

February, October

Course content

Course overview

This course aims to inform and equip the practitioner with the necessary skills to function in a modern clinical environment as a Physician Associate.

Physician Associate is a rapidly growing healthcare role in the UK whose development has been led by the Department of Health and has involved the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RGCP), as well as the profession itself through the Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians. This course aims to inform and equip the practitioner with the necessary skills to function in a modern clinical environment as a Physician Associate, to support doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients.

Although we will be teaching the academic content in Chester, the placements will be based in Cheshire (in February 2020) or Shropshire (in October 2019). When applying to the University, you will be asked to indicate which programme you are applying to:

• Cheshire
• Shropshire
• Both Cheshire and Shropshire

Please apply via the following link:

Apply for Physician Associate Studies

Why study Physician Associate Studies with us?

All of our courses involve using current and past research extensively. This course is delivered by a research-active group of academic staff, supplemented by a variety of Clinicians and Biomedical Scientists from local Hospital Departments.

You will receive training in the skills required in the reading and interpretation of the literature and translating that into evidence-based practice. We aim to develop your research and writing skills so that you will be in a position to contribute to the scientific literature in an effective manner.

How will I be taught?

MSc Physician Associate Studies is a full-time professional course delivered over two years consisting of evidence-based teaching at our Riverside Campus utilising the newly refurbished clinical stimulation/skills suite. You will spend 1,500 hours on workplace training in primary and secondary healthcare settings.

You will learn through formal lectures, case-based learning, seminars, clinical simulation and the clinical placements.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment will be through coursework, reflective logs, examinations, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and Multiple Choice Question papers. You will sit a national exam at the end of the second year, including a Multiple Choice Question paper and an OSCE.

The course culminates in the Research Dissertation, which will be assessed through your production of two articles in the style of published scientific work.

Fees and funding