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PA profession in Scotland: Current landscape and future direction
Liam Allan1, Sophie MacDonald, Sue Donaldson
1Liam Allan works in respiratory medicine and is a medical associate professions teaching coordinator at NHS Highland in Inverness, Scotland. Sophie MacDonald works with Hospital at Home for NHS Grampian in Aberdeen, Scotland, and is chair of the Scottish Physician Associate Network. Sue Donaldson is a principal educator for innovation and workforce diversification at NHS Education for Scotland in the NHS Scotland Academy, Learning and Innovation directorate, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Alastair Murray is deputy postgraduate dean for NHS Education for Scotland and a consultant orthopedic surgeon in Edinburgh. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Abstract:
Physician associates (PAs) have featured among multidisciplinary care teams in the Scottish health care system for the last 19 years and have gradually become an established profession. Despite this, there remains no clear pathway for career progression for experienced PAs. This study used an original questionnaire, in addition to publicly available workforce and education data, to gain insight into the current education, deployment, and career development aspirations of this professional group in Scotland. The questionnaire was sent to all contactable PAs in Scotland before data were thematically analyzed.We found that Scottish PAs are experienced and keen to develop within the National Health Service Scotland workforce; however, they require a better career structure and improved support to allow them to work to their full potential. The establishment of a career progression framework, along with the infrastructure to support it, is urgently needed to support the development of this profession.
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