Barriers and facilitators to integration of physician associates into the general practice workforce: a grounded theory approach

There are ongoing debates on whether expanding the roles of other healthcare professionals can reduce doctors' workload, and who should fund these professionals.^1-4  We do not realise we have been under-using one valuable resource in the NHS: our medical students!

 

After completing medical electives in North America, I feel impressed by how our counterparts utilise medical students at work. For example, during a hospital placement, a year 3 medical student works for free as a clinical clerk, who helps to clerk new patients, prepare discharge summaries, and manage the day-to-day care of his assigned patients. Students are required to work full-time hours, which include buddying up with the junior doctors (called ‘residents’ in North America) in their on-call shifts. In return, the junior doctors spend time supervising and teaching the students on the job. This model not only empowers students and improves their clinical experience, but also reduces the workload and reinforce continued education of doctors. Many students I encountered find these responsibilities and practical learning experience valuable to their career.

 

I have enthusiastically shared this idea with my British colleagues, who tend to respond with ‘we are not the Americans’ that end the conversations. But I see British nursing students actively involved in patient care like a registered nurse. Recently,...