Scottish PA student looking for work in Ireland and UK

Maine PA in Falmouth, Maine said: 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?

Correct me if I am wrong but the NHS is not going through a medical workforce shortage in the UK. Rather it is going through cuts!. The government are reorganising the NHS in a way that strips out many of its founding principles. All healthcare staff understand that we are in a difficult economic climate, and I am not convinced there is a role for Physician Assistants at this time.

Mike in Evesham, United Kingdom said: Correct me if I am wrong but the NHS is not going through a medical workforce shortage in the UK. Rather it is going through cuts!. The government are reorganising the NHS in a way that strips out many of its founding principles. All healthcare staff understand that we are in a difficult economic climate, and I am not convinced there is a role for Physician Assistants at this time."

There are localized workforce shortages, specifically in the more rural hospitals, such as those in the Scottish highlands. Many of these hospitals have been under threat of closure due to a multitude of factors, one of which is the inability to recruit long-term medical care providers. There has also been a significant change in the training programs for junior doctors as well as a cap on international registrars leaving a gap in mid-level surgical trainees. These are positions that will not be filled in the years to come. Should the NHS become an efficient business model which takes opportunity to save money in all areas, there will most certainly be a role for physician assistants. You are correct that we are currently in an economic crisis and that healtcare in the UK is under threat, therefore, we all need to be prepared for the necessity of impending change to continue providing high standards of care to patients.

"Believe in change - if you hire a PA , you'll actually have some to spare!"

Hannah in Glasgow, United Kingdom said: 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.

are there any open postitions available for a pa in glasgow, i am certified and got my masters from texas, my fiance lives in glasgow, if not are there any other job opportunites for a PA-C

I dont know of anything specific right now but suggest that you follow the jobs list on the UKAPA website. (You will to be a member to get job details.)
And as I am advising on the Aberdeen programme development, if you send me your c/v I can forward it on should I hear about anything in Scotland.

pac2 in Midland, Texas said: are there any open postitions available for a pa in glasgow, i am certified and got my masters from texas, my fiance lives in glasgow, if not are there any other job opportunites for a PA-C

Yes, I may be able to help you out. Please email me at annemarie219@hotmail.com.

Bad news! Wolverhampton have decided they will not be going ahead with the Physician assistant course this year! So that means there is only one university in England which is enrolling!

Sounds like this is the end for UK PA's

Jessica where did you get info from? if it was a email from the uni could you post it on the forum.
Thanks :)

Hi Mary,

I contacted Wolverhampton on 17th May and they told me over the phone. As soon as I receive an email from them I will post it to the forum.

sounds like all the pa school are closing down. Whats happening with the one in London as if that goes PAs are finished. Bet the students are pissed!

St Georges don't seem to have any trouble with funding or so I have been told but who really knows though...

Also does anyone know what will happen to the UK trained PAs IF London closes its doors then what happens to people who have invested two years and >6k getting qualifications that may no longer be necessary?!

I feels sorry for those peoples that invested in this only for it to disappear. What a waste

Jessica in Nuneaton, United Kingdom said: Hi Mary,

I contacted Wolverhampton on 17th May and they told me over the phone. As soon as I receive an email from them I will post it to the forum.

Hi Jessica
I emailed them last week and they confirmed it will not run this year :( See below

Dear Mary,
We now have confirmation that the Physician Assistant course will not be running for September 2011, we are looking into whether we can run it for 2012.
We apologise for any
inconvenience.
Regards
SHaW Enquiries Team
School of Health and Wellbeing
Email: shaw-enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Hi Mary,

Thank you for posting this! I completely understand how you feel but I suppose we have to look on the bright side. At least we have not invested time and money doing the course.

Any news on whether Wolverhampton will have the course running next year people????????????????????

I have not heard anything from Wolverhampton regarding next academic year. Aberdeen are starting the course this September and the deadline is until the end of June to apply. The fees are 9,000 per annum and there is a 2,000 bursary for up to 6 students.

Hi,
I'm a experienced Internal medicine PA-c, who is interested to move to UK. Im looking to find a job in London, or any other big cities. Tried many web sites, but no luck so far!

I would appreciate any help.

There are few jobs in 'internal medicine' as such as most of what we consider IM is addressed by General Practice or specialty consultants, and are out patients. However best bet for jobs is to join UKAPA and sign up for the 'NHS jobs'.
Good luck.

dear sir
thanks to your recruitment for helping to find a medical job in europian union,am english speaker living in middle east and interisted to find a medical position,i have finished my medical degree in the czech republic,could you please send me which countries in europe do except me?and what will be thier reqirments in order to follow up with you about what jobs could you offer to me and where,if you would be so kind write me thier adress so i can be in touch with that administration office,with best regards
> your faithfull
> radhi hani

Greetings from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, where today I had the honour of attending the first day of class for the first Scottish PA programme.

11 students are enrolled, 9 women and 2 men, and they are being guaranteed employment for their first 12 months post-qualification, and a couple are getting 'bursaries' (grants) of 2,000 GBP/year from the NHS in the Highlands.

There is growing demand for PAs throughout the UK, and especially here in Scotland. I hasten to add that due to changes in immigration regulations it is less likely that there will be many posts for US PAs.

Meanwhile, in London the programme at St Georges, University of London will soon be starting their third cohort, of 24 students. Exciting times for the growth of the Physician Assistant profession across the UK.
Cheers,
D-

That's great news! Glad to hear the program is up and running! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are in need of some resources, I'd be happy to help! ~ From a fellow PA at the Golden Jubilee, Scotland.

[QUOTE who="dkuhns1 There is growing demand for PAs throughout the UK"

I find that difficult to believe when so many PA courses have been forced to closed given the long term viability of this role remains uncertain

James in Birmingham, United Kingdom said: [QUOTE who="dkuhns1 There is growing demand for PAs throughout the UK"

I find that difficult to believe when so many PA courses have been forced to closed given the long term viability of this role remains uncertain

the long term viability of this role is definately uncertain. the reason being 3 pa were given jobs in scotland. none of thier contracts were renewed. so even if the pa after putting in 2 years, and fees/tuition , wil not be guranteed more than a years work if that. i have friends who work within hositals as pa, and they have said it all depends on funding. not only that but the consultants have even said the role is disorganised. most of the consultanst feel that there is no need for a pa, when they have nurses, sho, and healthcare assistants. and their is no alternative work these poor pas can do using those skills they learnt.

in one of the schools, all the lecturers kept leaving.

I totally agree with that Kimi. I can only hope that hospitals will help those PA's who are working to upskill into other clinical roles such as managerial or medicine otherwise in a years time as I am hearing from other qualified PA's there contracts will not be renewed and they will be out of work :(

from what ive heard the hospitals are unable to help the pas go into other roles. some of the pa were working in jobs, and they left them to start a brand new exciting career. after a gruelling 2 years of long hard study, tuitions fees, exams. the waiting to get jobs. and finally being told nore more work after contract has ceased. then wehn jobs do crop up, they are once in a blue moon, which also have a 12 month contract. think of the upheaval this brings. what if u have kids, family mortgage. can you then up sticks to then start that job? this profession might suit a nomad who doesnt mind the months of knowing whether they will be working next month or not. its really tough. imagine having to go for a new pa job every 12 minths if ure ,lucky. and what about those times u are unemployed. is there any kind of locum agency for pa to help tide them through. no there are not. these are some of the other issues that people need to consider

Can they obtain a license to practice in the USA?

It seems like the people running the UK PA courses have really left the students and graduates in the lurch. Shame on them.

gosh, lots of assumptions being made here; I think there may also be some confusion between PAs and PA(A): the latter are focussed on anesthesia
I can't see how it is possible to say the UK PA courses have left students and grads in the lurch (and yes, I am writing as a course director and chair of the UK and Ireland Universites Board for PA Education)
If you kept an eye on NHS jobs you would have seen PA jobs advertised in Swindon, in London, in Shropshire (recently advertised 10-12 jobs IN ONE HOSPITAL TRUST) and Solihull/Bham; thre are jnow 20+ trusts employing PAs in England and Scotland, from 2 only 24 months ago. within the past week I have had enquiries from 3 Trusts AND 2 practices. And yes, it is IMMENSELY dissapointing that Birmingham has closed; but I know of three universites very activly considering starting programmes. And the Royal College of Physicians recently suggested that PAs would be a significant part of the NHS future.
So, of course there are risks; but in my view we are reaching a tipping point and ten years from now there will be many hundreds of PAs and at least a dozen courses.

Hi, I have been looking to find a PA position in London for few years now. I am a graduated PA living, and a USA citizen, who is interested to work in UK. Would you please direct me with the best link or way to find more of PA opportunities in UK. I believe you mentioned about some NHS availability, but I can't find them.

Thank you,

Sorry to hear that you are having problems, Can I assume that (1) you have joined UKAPA in order to access their jobs listing?ukapa.co.uk/membership/index.php

and (2) that you have also signed up for the alerts that come from NHS jobs? www.jobs.nhs.uk/

And lastly, are you on the PA Managed Voluntary Register? www.paregister.sgul.ac.uk/

Please note that most new postings require that you are on the register.

Let me know how else we can help.

I have a question why would PA schools in England be closing if as someone previously mentioned above the long term viability of the PA role within the English NHS is certain. The answer is it is not. It is remarkable to say the least that Birmingham medical school has closed to the PA programme yet however the PA anesthesia programme continues to run there...

As mentioned whilst there remains an interest in the role this does not translate to enough job opportunities and I feel that the current supply far outstrips the demand. Whilst J. Parle hopes there will be a dozen PA schools in 10 years we have to be more realistic as it is not fair to those people who invest every penny to their name only to be left unemployable at the end. Moreover with the introduction of 9K to 12K tuition fees how many people are going to risk everything in this programme when the financial support (no NHS bursary or loan) is not in place?

The increased interest in the PA profession will come when the profession is regulated and they can prescribe which realistically will not happen within the next few years due to political red tape. Until then I hope there remains enough interest for @kimi above and all those graduated PAs to find some form of employment to support themselves and their family.

hi
i don't think anything is certain
but
if you want to do this kind of role: medical history taking, examination, tests, diagnosis, management
and don't feel you can face 10-15+ years of training at university and afterwards to be a doctor
then the PA profession may be for you
As universities we have been very clear that we are not guaranteeing jobs (can anyone, anywhere?)
but given that two years ago there were two hospital trusts employing PAs and now over 20, I think it is reasonable to say the profession is growing and to be optimistic
and again, the PA anaesthesia role is very differnt, really should have a differnt name as this causes confusion

Forgot to mention that best option for networking is to attend UKAPA annual CPD/CME conference. It is usually held in London in November.

the hospitals who did employ Physician assistants, some of these hospitals have not advertised for any Physician Assistants. Some of the hospitals are recruiting but only for internships, so the previous batch of physician Assistants have to find new jobs. My point is that there are too many pa's for the positions that are available. What do those PA' do in the meantime, in terms of finance in particular. As I mentioned before there is no locum agency that helps pa get jobs.

Good point. Maybe the PA's could get a fast track entry into medicine, like a bridge programme? that way they would definately be able to have long term job security and be able to prescribe!

Alex in Birmingham, United Kingdom said: Good point. Maybe the PA's could get a fast track entry into medicine, like a bridge programme? that way they would definately be able to have long term job security and be able to prescribe!

While I would expect that qualified British PAs MIGHT have a bit of an advantage as far as admission to a graduate entry medical school, I don't anticipate that they would ever be given advanced standing through a "bridge programme" or other such short cuts.

With one VERY recent exception where experienced PAs apparently have a shortened training time in an osteopathic medical school, it certainly has not been the case in either the US or Canada.

Alex in Birmingham, United Kingdom said: Good point. Maybe the PA's could get a fast track entry into medicine, like a bridge programme? that way they would definately be able to have long term job security and be able to prescribe!

I think one way that the universities could really support the pa graduates is to maybe help them get employment , perhaps as health care assistants, whilst pa jobs come through. it would be up to the pa graduate to decide if he wanted to work as a health care assistant whilst waiting. Believe me alot of the pa 's would rather do this then be unemployed. even if not health care assistant even admin/office. Or research assistants. At least then Pa's might not feel everybody has abandoned them.
The problem is the more qualified you are, especially with this qualification, when u try for other jobs, whilst waiting for your pa jobs, employers do not employ you as they think why are you applying for their position. So then its doubly harder to get a job. If Universities could at least help the graduates into some sort of work as mentioned earlier in my post, it would be of a great help.I think that is what needs to be done.