This is a doctoral research project exploring the experiences of different PA training models being used in secondary care. It has a qualitative case study design and involves analysing documents, interviews and rich pictures.

This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study involving surveys. It is exploring the experiences over time of physician associates from student to practitioner (2017-2025).

The majority of PA training worldwide is through a postgraduate course lasting 2-3 years. At UCLan, we created the first undergraduate-entry PA course that can be completed in four years post-Level 3 education (such as A Levels). This project will analyse student performance data (such as qualification on entry, interview results, module results, professionalism record) and demographic data (such as gender, ethnicity, age, First Generation Student status, Widening Participation factors, Disability status) held by the university to identify factors influencing undergraduate Physician Associate outcomes. 

Contact Emyr Bakker

ebakker@uclan.ac.uk