Physician Assistant Practice MSc

Aston University, Birmingham

Course overviewOur Physician Associate Master's course has been designed for those interested in meeting the challenges of the evolving healthcare landscape and who have a desire to work as part of a medical team in all areas of medicine.You will develop skills and knowledge to become an integral part of medical teams in a diverse range of clinical environments, by managing patients and providing high-quality medical healthcare support. On successful completion of the course, you will become eligible to sit the national qualification of the Faculty of Physician Associates (a part of the Royal College of Physicians) registration examination, which will give you formal registration as a Physician Associate, enabling you to practise. This registration will be transferred to the General Medical Council in the coming years.How you will learnThis role works collaboratively with a variety of multi-disciplinary professional teams in a clinical healthcare environment such as hospitals and general practices. The Aston Physician Associate Practice MSc programme is designed to ensure you achieve all key competencies specified by the Faculty of Physician Associates in order for you to be fit for practise as a Physician Associate.Your learning will include a mixture of lectures, seminars, face-to-face tutorials, skills lab training, communication skills, and clinical placements.Group learning will include medical case-based learning to encourage collaborative learning and group discussions. There will also be elements of personal independent study.Teaching will be a mixture of on campus learning and clinical placements. Your clinical placement experience will start from year 1, term 1, one day per week, supported by a high proportion of on-campus skills lab learning in Aston Medical School.What you will learnYou will develop knowledge of integrated healthcare and practice, the principles and values of integrated care, and the complex interaction of physical, psychological and social considerations of the patient, and sustainable healthcare to improve the health of the patient, and access patient vulnerabilities and needs.You will also develop knowledge of the principles and values of holistic and integrated healthcare relating to the management and prevention of disease, identify and respond to patient vulnerability. On the course, you will also plan and develop an independent healthcare project of your choosing, negotiated with your Course Director, over the period of the two years of learning.