Scottish PA student looking for work in Ireland and UK

Im a scottish PA student currently enrolled at Harding University in Arkansas. After graduation I am considering returning to the UK or to Ireland. I'm a member of the UK associaton of PA's but have no idea if Ireland has an organization or where to begin looking for employment there. Does anyone know who i should contact about this?

Hannah in Little Rock, Arkansas said: Im a scottish PA student currently enrolled at Harding University in Arkansas. After graduation I am considering returning to the UK or to Ireland. I'm a member of the UK associaton of PA's but have no idea if Ireland has an organization or where to begin looking for employment there. Does anyone know who i should contact about this?

I'm curious - My nane is Kim I'm a Physician Assistant in Grand Island, Nebraska and just returned from a vacation in Ireland - have you been able to find anything about employment in Ireland?

I havent been able find out anything as of yet :(

Hi guys...as far as I know there are no positions available for PA's in Ireland. PA's is a relatively new profession recognised in the UK. However, it hasn't reached our shores...yet!! Hey I'm also interested in studying a PA's course in the States...any advice? At the moment I'm studying a BSc in Nursing.

Declan in Waterford, Ireland said: Hi guys...as far as I know there are no positions available for PA's in Ireland. PA's is a relatively new profession recognised in the UK. However, it hasn't reached our shores...yet!! Hey I'm also interested in studying a PA's course in the States...any advice? At the moment I'm studying a BSc in Nursing.

Have you finished your degree in nursing? I'm currently in my 2nd year of school in Boston for PA. I love it! I think you'll have a huge edge over everyone else in class if you alreay have your BS in nursing. NP & PA school are about the same amount of years...have you thought of NP school since you'll have a nursing degree?

If anyone does discover opportunities in Ireland for PAs let me know too! I am in PA school and am hoping to move to Ireland to be with my boyfriend when I'm done, but it wouldn't be realistic for me to go if I can't work! Thanks!

Katie in Indianapolis, Indiana said: If anyone does discover opportunities in Ireland for PAs let me know too! I am in PA school and am hoping to move to Ireland to be with my boyfriend when I'm done, but it wouldn't be realistic for me to go if I can't work! Thanks!

I too am another who is interested in an opportunity to practice in Scotland or Ireland. I've only just begun the hunt and I am wondering if you have had any leads as to what their philosophy is on the PA profession and if they are considering it as a part of their health care system.

Declan in Waterford, Ireland said: Hi guys...as far as I know there are no positions available for PA's in Ireland. PA's is a relatively new profession recognised in the UK. However, it hasn't reached our shores...yet!! Hey I'm also interested in studying a PA's course in the States...any advice? At the moment I'm studying a BSc in Nursing.

the issue might be with the application requirements for the PA school. If your degree originated in another country that could pose a problem. The PA school I went to told me my pre-requisites had to originate from a US accredited School...which was not a problem for me since I completed my bachelors and pre-reqs in the US. But for someone transferring there undergrad stuff it may complicate things. The bestthing would be to contact the school.

Marie in Corvallis, Oregon said: I too am another who is interested in an opportunity to practice in Scotland or Ireland. I've only just begun the hunt and I am wondering if you have had any leads as to what their philosophy is on the PA profession and if they are considering it as a part of their health care system.

PA's in scotland recently finished a two year trial period. They have been accepted by the NHS which is beginning to develop their own programs ( mainly in England ) and are being used very minimally in scotland and england. The areas for work are in fam practice and ER, and I've also seen some orthopedic stuff advertised for England. What I hear from home is that they have been recieved with mixed responses and have been told change in the NHS can take a long time.

Curious to see if anyone finds anything! I am going to be marrying an Irishman and moving to Ireland next year and would obviously love to remain practicing as a PA. Hoping something picks up there soon.

I'm a first year PA student in Florida. Actually, before applying for U.S. schools, I looked into applying to one of the four new schools in England, but stopped when I found out that there was no reciprocity (only U.S. graduates are allowed to sit on the PANCE, which I got from ARC-PA's director himself).
As for PAs in the UK, there are at least 50 currently working in England and Scotland. Contact www.ukapa.co.uk for more info.
As for PAs in Ireland, the grade does not exist currently. The Royal College of Surgeons has been pushing for the introduction, but meeting resistance. Here is what one professor recently said: "The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has for some years supported the introduction of PA’s into the Irish healthcare system; but to no avail. We paid for officials from our HSE to travel to the States to look at the benefits of PA’s; but to no avail. Until the Government agrees to the introduction of the grade our hands are tied."
And with the possibility of Ireland's economy following Iceland's, and the Dáil as quick as mud, it may be a while yet.

Hannah in Little Rock, Arkansas said: Im a scottish PA student currently enrolled at Harding University in Arkansas. After graduation I am considering returning to the UK or to Ireland. I'm a member of the UK associaton of PA's but have no idea if Ireland has an organization or where to begin looking for employment there. Does anyone know who i should contact about this?

Clinton, OK is looking for a PA to work under a family practice. Great doctor and wonderful working environment!

Lia in Montgomery Village, Maryland said: Curious to see if anyone finds anything! I am going to be marrying an Irishman and moving to Ireland next year and would obviously love to remain practicing as a PA. Hoping something picks up there soon.

Ireland does not recognize PA's. We have no equivalent of them here -- so I think unfortunately you'll be out of luck. We only have MB or MD (both levels of medical doctors) or nurses.

Hannah in Little Rock, Arkansas said: Im a scottish PA student currently enrolled at Harding University in Arkansas. After graduation I am considering returning to the UK or to Ireland. I'm a member of the UK associaton of PA's but have no idea if Ireland has an organization or where to begin looking for employment there. Does anyone know who i should contact about this?

Can you tell me the name of the PA Schools in England and Scotland aand is it easy to get a license to practice in the USA?

Heyward Foster

I'm not sure what the names are of the UK PA schools are, as i attended PA school in the States. To practice in the states you would to pass the PANCE exam, which is taken by US PA students after completion of PA School, which is typically a masters program.

Hello there,
I am currently one of the 6 PAs that is working on a trial program known as PARISS (Physician Assistant Rotations in Surgical Specialties) here in Scotland. I have heard of jobs opening up in England that will likely go to nationals and not foreigners. The PA schools that I know of are St. Georges and Wolverhampton. Visit the UKAPA website for more info.

Also, in response to those looking in Ireland... from what I am aware of, Dublin has just been approved to open a PA school affiliated with a medical school. As for the funding and implementation...these details I do not know. I can say though, that you should always keep looking there for updates as there is quite an interest.

It is slow here in the NHS, but I think it's more of a funding thing rather than the need and want for PAs. I think the program here has been very successful, so stay tuned as to what the final result will be.

Good luck, hope this helps!

I am a certified PA and I want to move to Ireland for a few years. I have read what has been said and continuing my work doesnt look promising. I was just wondering if it makes a difference that I am already or can easily be a citizen in Ireland because both sets of my Grandparents came from there in the 50's.... Thank you

Heyward Foster in Seneca, South Carolina said: Can you tell me the name of the PA Schools in England and Scotland aand is it easy to get a license to practice in the USA?

Heyward Foster

I am not familiar with the Pa schools in the UK, i never attended one. I've now returned to scotland and as far as i'm aware there is a PA school Birmingham, England i think. But I have no idea how to go about getting a US license to practice from the UK, because i went through a US pa school certified the same way US students did.

hannahvick in Blackburn, United Kingdom said: I'm not sure what the names are of the UK PA schools are, as i attended PA school in the States. To practice in the states you would to pass the PANCE exam, which is taken by US PA students after completion of PA School, which is typically a masters program.

Please check the following for your required info:
1. UK Association of Physician Assistants; www.ukapa.co.uk/ (be sure to read the FAQ)
2. www.sgul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught-courses/postgraduate-diploma-physician-assistant-studies-1 (St. George's Univ of London)
3. www.wlv.ac.uk/default.aspx?page=17177 (Univ of Wolverhampton)
4. medweb4.bham.ac.uk/cpd/pgt.aspx?id=47 (Univ of Birmingham)

I hope it helps.

Heyward Foster in Seneca, South Carolina said: Can you tell me the name of the PA Schools in England and Scotland aand is it easy to get a license to practice in the USA?

Heyward Foster

Please check the following for your required info:
1. UK Association of Physician Assistants; www.ukapa.co.uk/ (be sure to read the FAQ)
2. www.sgul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught-courses/postgraduate-diploma-physician-assistant-studies-1 (St. George's Univ of London)
3. www.wlv.ac.uk/default.aspx?page=17177 (Univ of Wolverhampton)
4. medweb4.bham.ac.uk/cpd/pgt.aspx?id=47 (Univ of Birmingham)

I hope it helps.

Does anyone know if PA from the U K. can work in the states.

Hannah in Glasgow, United Kingdom said: I am not familiar with the Pa schools in the UK, i never attended one. I've now returned to scotland and as far as i'm aware there is a PA school Birmingham, England i think. But I have no idea how to go about getting a US license to practice from the UK, because i went through a US pa school certified the same way US students did.

Hi Hannah,
Just curious if you are working as a PA in Glasgow? Also to let you know that there is likely to be a programme starting in Aberdeen at the Med School.

I am Associate Director of the PA Programme in Birmingham.

Hi,

Unfortunately I haven't been practising as a PA since I returned to the UK. That is great news on the Aberdeen PA school, I think it will be wonderful for scotland!

Will you be staying in the UK? If so, please consider joining UKAPA, AND also signing up for the 'managed voluntary registry' in order to help advance the PA profession here. There is strength in the numbers!

Maine PA in Birmingham, United Kingdom said: Hi Hannah,
Just curious if you are working as a PA in Glasgow? Also to let you know that there is likely to be a programme starting in Aberdeen at the Med School.

I am Associate Director of the PA Programme in Birmingham.

Hello Maine,

Great to have you here as the Associate Director of the Birmingham University PA program. I have not begun the PA program and still debating if I should go for it or apply for Phd research (as I have a Masters of Public Health. I found about the promising PA programs in the states from a friend of mine and was surprised that the salary is $80,000 and above. After small research into it, I found out that there were 3 Universities offering the PA program in UK, but the pay in the UK is tiny compared to the US. If I am correct it it is estimated to about £24,000 to 2,900, and those with few years experience to about £36,000.

I have contacted the Birmingham PA program and was told that it might not be offered this year. Can you confirm this Maine?

I also wanted to ask Hana how much was the cost of PA in the states?
I am just trying to see if it will be worth to go through 2 year program in the UK and not find a good job in the UK, and unable to practice in the US.

Thanks

I will love to join the UKAPA Maine, that is if I am eligible. If I can, please let me know how.

I will love to join the UKAPA Maine, that is if I am eligible. If I can, please let me know how.

My program was approx 2yrs and 2months, and it cost me $80,000 for tuition and school fees, not including living costs. So needless to say, i have massive student loans to pay back....which are from the US so dont have the british safety net of kicking in until you earn over a certain income...just something to seriously consider. However, i went to a private university where tuition is much higher, but i know there are much cheaper programs available at state universities, which i would recommend if you are considering attending pa school in the states.

My program in the US was also 2 years and cost me $90,000. Since I havent been able to find a PA job in Northern Ireland it hardly seems worth it if you plan on coming back to the UK. If anyone has had any luck with PA positions in Ireland, I would love to hear about it.

Hello everyone,

I just came across this research study, Titled: Researchers put physician assistants under the spotlight. It is recent and think it is still going on. I came across it on the St George’s, University of London website, which is one of the universities that is offering the program.

www.sgul.ac.uk/media/latest-news/researchers-put-physician-assistants-under-the-spotlight.

Shawn in Harrow On The Hill, United Kingdom said: Hello Maine,

Great to have you here as the Associate Director of the Birmingham University PA program. I have not begun the PA program and still debating if I should go for it or apply for Phd research (as I have a Masters of Public Health. I found about the promising PA programs in the states from a friend of mine and was surprised that the salary is $80,000 and above. After small research into it, I found out that there were 3 Universities offering the PA program in UK, but the pay in the UK is tiny compared to the US. If I am correct it it is estimated to about £24,000 to 2,900, and those with few years experience to about £36,000.

I have contacted the Birmingham PA program and was told that it might not be offered this year. Can you confirm this Maine?

I also wanted to ask Hana how much was the cost of PA in the states?
I am just trying to see if it will be worth to go through 2 year program in the UK and not find a good job in the UK, and unable to practice in the US.

Thanks

In response to the above comment, jobs advertised here in the UK have a starting salary from £30,460 with the lowest I have seen starting at £25,472. I saw a job advertisement today with a starting salary of £38,851 minimum with three years experience. This is some £10,000 lower then the average PA in America, but you haev to take into consideration how established the role is in America. Given time I think the salary will increase. For an idea of how much PAs will start on look at this website;

www.jobs.nhs.uk/

Compare apples to apples. Yes; salary in the UK is less but there are MAJOR differences in what is expected. How many jobs offer 6 weeks of time off PLUS 8 bank/national holidays to newly hired PAs? And how many US PAs get paid extra for time over an expected 37.5 hr work week?
Remember tha tuition in the UK costs about 3.5K GBPs (~5k USD) per year.
Also that that Band 7 for PAs recommended under 'Agenda for Change' from Scottish report on PA experience is about the same that regsitrars earn.

Shawn in Harrow On The Hill, United Kingdom said: I will love to join the UKAPA Maine, that is if I am eligible. If I can, please let me know how.

If you are a certified US or Canadian PA , or a qualified Dutch PA you can apply to UKAPA for membership. Or if you qualify as a UK trained PA through completing the course at approved school AND pass the UK national baord examof 200 mcq AND a 16 station OSCE.

I do agree with you both (Jessica and Maine), there are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. The fact that this is a new proffesion and is still being established is also promising.

Does anyone have any comments about what will happen in the PS course run by both Birmingham and Coventry does not go ahead? What will this do for the development of the role? Surely this can only have a detrimental effect.

Birmingham University today decided not to continue their PA programme.

I found out that the University of Birmingham has decided not to continue its PA programme - very unsettling news for its current students.

Yea Im stunned by the news - hertfordshire closed the other year, now birmingham, and Im wondering if wolverhampton will close too as talkin to some pa's from there they are convinced it will. This is devastating news to the profession. As employers will see no pa schools in the midlands and are unlikely to want to invest in us :(

jake in Dublin, Ireland said: Ireland does not recognize PA's. We have no equivalent of them here -- so I think unfortunately you'll be out of luck. We only have MB or MD (both levels of medical doctors) or nurses.

:-)

WOW I cant believe the University of Birmingham is shutting its doors to PAs - Does that mean the end of English PA\'s??

I was considering doing placement in England but now thats definately changed my mind. Can you English PAs come over to us? theres loads of work and from what I gather its better pay too at home :)

Will love to come to US and work there, as the pay is much better; However, I don't think UK graduated PAs can work in the US with their PA degrees from UK. So far it is not recognized in the US.

Lia in Pontefract, United Kingdom said: My program in the US was also 2 years and cost me $90,000. Since I havent been able to find a PA job in Northern Ireland it hardly seems worth it if you plan on coming back to the UK. If anyone has had any luck with PA positions in Ireland, I would love to hear about it.

There might be interest in PAs from hospitals in Derry and Enniskillen. If you want, send me your c/v and I can pass it along to those concerned.
D.h.kuhns@bham.ac.uk

Hannah in Glasgow, United Kingdom said: I am not familiar with the Pa schools in the UK, i never attended one. I've now returned to scotland and as far as i'm aware there is a PA school Birmingham, England i think. But I have no idea how to go about getting a US license to practice from the UK, because i went through a US pa school certified the same way US students did.

If you are NCCPA certified there MIGHT be a job developing in Aberdeen. Let me know if you want to learn more.
d.h.kuhns@bham.ac.uk

The Cleaner in Birmingham, United Kingdom said: I found out that the University of Birmingham has decided not to continue its PA programme - very unsettling news for its current students.

I can certainly understand that feeling of uncertainty, however the reality is that the PA profession is still moving forward in the UK. There are still 2 other programmes continuing and another in Aberdeen that we hope will launch in Sept 2011. More importantly there is substantial progress towards registration. LAstly, the demand for PAs outstrips the supply.

Yes, the closure of our programme is a setback but IT IS NOT THE END OF PAs IN THE UK!

Hi Im interested in this profession. What options are there for me?

I am looking for work as a PA-C in Ireland
I have worked for 2yrs, have a cert and no degree
Was in EMS for 12yrs prior
Can anyone help?
Thanks

Maine PA in Birmingham, United Kingdom said: I can certainly understand that feeling of uncertainty, however the reality is that the PA profession is still moving forward in the UK. There are still 2 other programmes continuing and another in Aberdeen that we hope will launch in Sept 2011. More importantly there is substantial progress towards registration. LAstly, the demand for PAs outstrips the supply.

Yes, the closure of our programme is a setback but IT IS NOT THE END OF PAs IN THE UK!

Its the beginning of the end

I agree with Jay from Redditch completely. I am bitterly disappointed that Birmingham has pulled out. Let's be grateful it happened BEFORE we went on the course and not half-way through.

Good news!

The Programme at the University of Aberdeen is moving forward with a launch date of Sept 2011. The recruiting notice for the course will be out in the next couple of weeks.

In addition, there will be 2 or 3 posts opening there for experienced US PAs to help in the programme with the expectation that those PAs will be working in a clinical role as well as intimately involved in curriculum delivery, especially physical exam and procedural skills.

Mary1990 in Iceland said: Hi Im interested in this profession. What options are there for me?

It depends on a couple of things, is there a medical workforce shortage in Iceland as there is in the US, UK, Canada and elsewhere? Is the medical hierarchy there open to innovation?

Would you be looking at a programme in the US, UK or maybe elsewhere in Europe (Netherlands or Germany)?
Most training programmes are looking for applicants with a combination of academic excellence and clinical experience.

Happy to speak by Skype if that works for you.

Cheers,
David