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Physician Associate

Please Note: The application deadline for this vacancy has now passed.

Role Summary

The appointed physician associate will provide expert assistance to the consultants and registrars in the provision of a high quality care and support for patients. • The role will provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and implementation, crisis intervention, medications, staff consultation. • The post holder is expected to participate in all aspects of the care pathway as appropriate and will be expected to perform delegated duties with a high degree of clinical skill and knowledge, working within their relevant area. • The role will support other services as needed for patient flow as well as contributing to decision making for patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged. • The post holder will be required to work flexibly which will involve a shift pattern as part of a wider clinical team. • The post holder will be supervised by a designated consultant with regular meetings to support ongoing development within the role.

About the Role

For more information on the Job Description and Responsibilities please click the link below.

More detail about the role

We are looking for 2 enthusiastic and highly motivated Physician Associates (PAs) to join our team initially on a short-term, part-time basis between January and March 2023. This is a great opportunity for graduate PAs to continue developing their skills and knowledge support our COVID work on a part-time basis whilst studying for the national exam. Longer term there will be opportunities join our established PAs rotations and for more experienced PAs, develop these roles into career progression posts through developing sub-speciality interests.

Short term the posts will support our COVID Medicine Delivery Unit (CMDU). This ambulatory pathway is based on our Infectious Diseases & Infection Control Ward. This busy unit has been running since December 2021 and staffed by PAs working within our Consultant-led team. The role involves assessing and treating immunocompromised patients with anti-virals and IV infusions of neutralising monoclonal antibodies (nMABS), to prevent deterioration to severe COVID related disease. This will give you a huge range of general medical skills and broaden your pharmacology knowledge preparing you for when PAs can prescribe. You will care for patients with transplants, renal failure, immunodeficiency, oncology and haematological disorders. You will learn consulting skills and enjoy face-to-face care, as well as developing team working skills and interactions with a range of speciality teams. You will work closely with our pharmacy and nursing teams.

It seems inevitable that the demand and roles of CMDUs will change and reduce as we go forward, so these posts will adapt and longer term become part of our overall PA programme. Our approach is to train our PA students, then when qualified undergo a very broad two-year rotation around the whole hospital in both Medicine and Surgery, but also in other areas like Paediatrics, Obstetrics, Psychiatry, and Acute Medicine while also spending time in medical subspecialties like gastroenterology, cardiology, stroke and respiratory medicine. Then PAs will move into career development posts within individual departments with a very wide range of possibilities.

While working in CMDU we will release you for sessions in other departments and we can help tailor these to you own career development needs, and these sessions could be ward, clinics or procedure skills-based learning opportunities.

We have 7 current qualified PAs working in a variety of specialities in a mixture of rotational and substantive posts throughout the trust. We have 6 about to graduate from year 2 student programme and 6 year 1 students. The PA profession has grown over the last few years with a dedicated PA leadership team. We believe a key component of the role is a clear idea of a career progression with consultant supervision and mentoring. We have regular PA specific teaching sessions which are not only beneficial for ongoing CPD requirements, but also help create a warm and welcoming PA community.

We also had a dedicated weekly teaching programme for PAs that includes monthly simulation sessions.  There is a dedicated Training Programme Director for PAs.

We take career development and lifelong learning seriously and current PAs have done ALS courses, Mental Health 1st Aid Champions courses, GCP, been involved in innovative projects like major COVID vaccine studies, CMDU COVID Medicine Delivery Unit set up and more. Our PAs are learning to do ultrasound guided procedures.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team which will focus on supporting and developing your skills and knowledge.

We are a friendly and caring team who pride ourselves on our commitment to high quality care. You will join a team of medical professionals working through all clinical areas ensuring a first class service and experience.

Working Pattern: 0.5 WTE (2.5 days per week)

Interview Date: TBC

For further information please contact Ray Sheridan, Consultant Physician on ray.sheridan@nhs.net to discuss the role further.

Preference will be given to staff with ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust reserves the right to close vacancy when sufficient applications have been received.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was established in April 2022, bringing together the expertise of both the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

About Us

Stretching across Northern, Eastern and Mid Devon, we have a workforce of over 15,000 staff, making us the largest employer in Devon. Our core services, which we provide to more than 615,000 people, cover more than 2,000 square miles across Devon, while some of our specialist services cover the whole of the peninsula, extending our reach as far as Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

We deliver a wide range of emergency, specialist and general medical services through North Devon District Hospital and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford). Alongside our two acute hospitals, we provide integrated health and social care services across a variety of settings, including community inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, and within people’s own homes. We also offer primary care services, a range of specialist community services, and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC).

Our state-of-the-art equipment, leading technologies and strong links to local universities put us at the forefront of research and innovations, enabling us to provide world-class care to our local communities.

It has never been a more exciting time to join the Royal Devon, as you will help to shape our services as we continue along our integration journey.

Benefits

Looking after you is important to us.

We strive to help our staff create a healthy work-life balance through flexible working schemes and our family friendly policies.

If you are starting out in the NHS, you’ll start with 27 days paid annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising to 33 days plus bank holidays.

You will benefit from access to our own comprehensive occupational health services, including counselling, onsite wellbeing activities and groups.

We will work together to maintain a culture that develops and supports you and your team.

This might include funding for a care certificate, a degree or leadership qualifications. Or it might include days off to study, engage in CPD or rotational placements to help you hone your skills. Wherever you are heading in the NHS, we will help you get there.

Salary is not the only financial benefit

You will have access to an extensive range of staff discounts on shopping, fitness and leisure options and you can spread the cost of technology and home appliance purchases from major retailers. You will also have access to other benefits including:

  • National discount services such as the Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts.
  • Salary sacrifice options including our OFSTED rated outstanding nursery onsite at Exeter
  • Car lease schemes.
  • The NHS Pension scheme (one of the most generous and comprehensive in the UK).
  • Cycle to work scheme

These are just a few of the benefits available – if the role is something you are interested in, we would love to hear from you.

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