PAs in the Republic of Ireland

The physician associate/assistant (PA) profession was introduced into the Republic of Ireland following a 2-year pilot project with the Irish Department of Health between 2015 and 2017. Four PAs from North America were recruited into four designated surgical services at a large teaching hospital in Dublin. To date, the PA numbers are small in Ireland, with one university, in Dublin, running the program and 61 graduates working mostly in the hospital setting, with a small number in primary care. The cautious introduction of PAs partly is due to a delay in follow-up from the Department of Health after the pilot project and in the university's decision to increase the student intake slowly to ensure all graduates secure employment.