Resources
Learning outcomes
The General Medical Council (GMC) has outlined the learning outcomes for the Physician Associate Studies (MPAS) programme, categorised into four themes. Upon completing the programme, students are expected to demonstrate their ability to meet the standards set by the GMC and should be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following themes:
Theme 1: Professional Behaviour and Trust
Theme 2: Professional Capabilities
Theme 3: Clinical Care
Theme 4: Safety and Quality
General Practice Topics
For each of the categories below, the student will become familiar with the clinical findings, differential diagnoses, treatments, and prevention of common conditions, diseases, disorders or entities as they relate to general practice medicine for adult, paediatric and geriatric age groups.
- Ear, nose and throat conditions
- Cardiovascular conditions
- Respiratory/pulmonary conditions
- Gastrointestinal conditions including liver, biliary tract and pancreatic conditions
- Neurological conditions
- Renal conditions, including fluid and electrolyte disorders
- Haematological conditions
- Breast conditions
- Gynaecological conditions
- Urological and genitourinary tract conditions
- Endocrine conditions
- Ophthalmological conditions
- Infectious conditions
- Oncological conditions
- Psychiatric conditions
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Allergy and immunological conditions
Clinical placement learning outcomes
The learning outcomes to be achieved as a result of the experience from all clinical placements fall into three categories:
- Core Professional and Practice Competencies
- Core Clinical Conditions
- Core Procedural Competencies.
To successfully complete the course, students must demonstrate competence in various areas of three primary domains.
Core placement objectives
Core placements include:
- General Medicine - AMU (9 weeks)
- Care of the Elderly (3 weeks)
- Emergency Department (6 weeks)
- GP (9 weeks)
- Mental Health (3 weeks)
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology (3 weeks)
- Paediatrics (3 weeks)
- Surgery (3 weeks).
Trajectory of student development
Trajectory of development for a Year 1 Physician Associate
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | Full History | Focused history | Present a focused history, in a coherent concise manner and start to use communication skills for explanation and planning. |
| Examination |
|
| Pregnant abdomen |
| Diagnosis | Understand diagnosis in CVS/RESP/ENT/GI | Start to formulate differential diagnosis in areas covered by clinical theme | Propose relevant diagnosis in more than one system as appropriate to the condition |
| Investigations / Management | Demonstrate and understand principles of investigation | Begin to suggest appropriate investigations for clinical themes covered | Suggest appropriate primary care investigations and understand secondary care investigations for common and important conditions |
| Therapeutics | Be able to discuss therapeutics of common conditions for clinical themes for this term; start to develop clinical management plans for common and important conditions. | Be able to discuss therapeutics of common conditions for clinical themes for this term; further develop clinical management plans for common and important conditions, | Be able to discuss therapeutics of common conditions for clinical themes for this term; further develop clinical management plans for common plans for common and important conditions. |
| Clinical Procedures |
| ECG, spirometry. | |
| Communication skills |
|
| Motivational interviewing |
NB: The competent student will fluctuate between term 2 and term 3 descriptions with average towards the right
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| History and consultation | Take history to differentiate causes of common presenting complaints Produce a short differential list. | Take a thorough history, appropriate co- morbidities, predisposing/risk factors to be able to interpret the most likely differential and reasons. | Be able to produce a fuller list of differentials and able to complete a more focused history. |
| Examination (general) | General and focused examination. Distinguish normal from abnormal. Distinguish ill and very ill | Starting to be able to abbreviate their examination to become more focused. Student becoming confident in ability to distinguish normal from abnormal during clinical examination | Supervising physician has confidence in student’s findings and in the student using their clinical findings to justify the differential diagnosis |
| Interpreting evidence and investigations | For common and important conditions, the student is able to: - Outline basic investigations - Understand and provide tentative interpretation of these results | Understand diagnostic tests to rule out key negatives. Become aware of the limitations of investigations. | Confidently articulate findings and investigating results. |
| Clinical judgement and risk management | Able to list important differential diagnosis | Able to produce a refined list of important differential diagnoses. Consistently identify high-risk conditions requiring immediate attention. | Identify main diagnosis alongside other important differentials, and justify using clinical reasoning. Aware of best venue to treat patient (e.g. ITU versus medical ward). |
| Therapeutics and prescribing | The student has a basic understanding of medication used for straightforward presentations of common and important conditions. Knowledge of guidelines for common and important conditions. Aware of indication and side effects of commonly used medications. | Broader understanding of medication choice for presentations of common and important conditions. Aware of contraindications, interactions and monitoring. Learn to develop and explain to patients their clinical management plan and be able to modify plan according to age and co morbidity. Start to justify choice of medication. | Broader understanding of medication choice for presentations of common and important conditions. Aware of contraindications, interactions and monitoring. Learn to develop and explain to patients their clinical management plan and be able to modify plan according to age and co morbidity. Start to justify choice of medication. |
| Clinical planning and procedure | The student is able to develop a basic management plan including non-pharmacological interventions. The student is able to obtain informed consent for any procedure they are competent to undertake | Aware of risks and benefits of common procedures and some experience of seeing this in clinical practice on real patients. | Aware of risks and benefits of common procedures and some experience of seeing this in clinical practice on real patients. |
Trajectory of development for a Year 2 Physician Associate
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3/Internship Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| History and consultation | Take history to differentiate causes of common presenting complaints, will be able to produce a short differential list | Thorough history, appropriate co-morbidities, predisposing/risk factors to be able to interpret the most likely differential and reasons | Will be able to produce a fuller list of differentials and able to complete a more focused history |
| Examination (general) | General and focused examination. Distinguish normal from abnormal. Distinguish ill and very ill | Starting to be able to abbreviate their examination to become more focused. Student becoming confident in ability to distinguish normal from abnormal during clinical examination | Supervising physician has confidence in student's findings and in the student using their clinical findings to justify the differential diagnosis |
| Interpreting evidence and investigation | For common and important conditions are able to outline basic investigations and understand and provide tentative interpretation of these results | Understand diagnostic tests to rule out key negatives. Become aware of the limitations of investigations | Confidently articulate findings and investigation results |
| Clinical judgement and risk management | List of important differential diagnosis | Able to narrow list of important differential diagnosis. Consistently identify high-risk conditions requiring immediate attention | Identify main diagnosis and justify reasoning. Aware of best venue to nurse patient i.e. ITU versus medical ward |
| Therapeutics and prescribing | Basic understanding of medication used for straightforward presentations of common and important conditions. Knowledge of guidelines for common and important conditions. Aware of indication and side effects of commonly used medications. | Broader understanding of medication choice for presentations of common and important conditions. Aware of contraindications, interactions and monitoring. Learn to develop and explain to patients their clinical management plan and be able too modify plan according to age and co-morbidity. Start to justify choice of medication. | Able to understand the impact of co-morbidities and other medications (poly pharmacy) on agent choice and prognosis |
| Clinical planning and procedure | Basic management plan including non-pharmacological interventions. Able to obtain informed consent for any procedure competent to undertake | Aware of risks and benefits of common procedures and some experience of seeing this in action | Able to implement management plan. Beginning to be able to manage complications and review patient |
Other useful resources
The skills required for a student to complete registration are set out in the documents below: