An information evening on the RCSI/Beaumont Hospital Physician Associate pilot project was held on Thursday, 11 June in Beaumont Hospital. Speakers included Physician Associates and staff who work with them from the US and UK. Attendees included staff from various healthcare professions across Ireland.

A Physician Associate (PA) is a new healthcare professional who, works to the medical model, with the attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment within the general medical and/or general practice team under defined levels of supervision.

Professor Arnold Hill, RCSI Head of the School of Medicine said the pilot programme would be evaluating the role of the PA in the surgical directorate at Beaumont Hospital. “Since we have launched this programme, the amount of interest is quite extraordinary. We are starting this pilot just in the discipline of surgery, but many other people have expressed interest, particularly in anaesthesia, in pre-operative assessment clinics, in radiology.”

RCSI is currently recruiting for its first intake of 16 students for the launch of Ireland’s first Postgraduate Diploma in PA studies to commence in January.

Prof. Hill explained that as part of the PA diploma, students would be educated and trained in the generic aspects of medicine and their clinical rotations will include primary care, obstetrics, paediatrics, medicine, surgery, emergency medicine and psychiatry. For more information on the Physician Associate Diploma visit www.rcsi.ie/pa.