Overview

Applications are now closed for this course. Applications for the January 2026 intake will open later this year. Please refer back to this page for further updates.

This is a two-year full-time postgraduate course of at least 90 weeks, with substantive time in clinical placement. You will study the anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, and pharmacology related to the human body in health and disease.

You will learn how to take a clinical history from a patient, request appropriate investigations, use clinical reasoning, and then formulate a safe and coherent management plan, including referral to specialities, if appropriate. You will study the principles of public health, the psychosocial aspects of health and aspects of common mental health presentations.

You will learn skills to ensure patient safety, how to communicate within a multi-disciplinary team, prevent clinical error, and learn about the process of clinical reasoning and how to reach a diagnosis and suggest the correct management of your patient.

You will also learn research methodologies, the process of evaluation, and how to prepare a research proposal and undertake a service improvement project.

Please note: This course has mandatory placements within the NHS and other clinical settings, where you will come in contact with high-risk and vulnerable patients. You are strongly advised to ensure that you are fully up to date with your immunisations including Covid-19 before starting the course.

Course options

MSc

Home Applicant ,
Full time, 2 years
Pound 11700 per year

We are no longer taking applications for January 2025. January 2026 will open soon.

What makes this course different

Funding available

NHS England, has provided a national funding strategy for all Physician Associates, where students receive a grant towards tuition fees, split equally across the two years of the course. The amount usually increases annually and for 2024/25 was £5,306 split over two years (£2,653 per annum). You will not need to apply for this separately.

State-of-the-art facilities

Learn in our newly refurbished simulation centre featuring the latest in AR and VR technology.

See our facilities

Innovative clinical career

With a strong clinical emphasis from day one, the course is designed to produce safe and competent physician associates, who put the patient at the centre of what they do, with an innovative module on learning clinical reasoning and extensive opportunity to learn good practice in clinical communication, that is closely linked to patient safety.

Course modules

In this module, you will study a wide range of clinical sciences, including anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology and pharmacology, with a focus on how these are linked to human health and disease. These sciences will then be closely linked to the associated clinical presentations of a range of acute and chronic common medical conditions and injuries, presenting in patients. The scientific basis of these conditions will be described and linked to the symptoms and signs of disease. You will study a range of conditions commonly seen both in the community and in hospitals.

You will study the above topics for the following body systems:

Respiratory
Vascular
Cardiac
Renal
Gastrointestinal
Neurological

You will have both face-to-face and online lectures and tutorials in these subjects, and as you undertake the module you will complete a Case Study.

In this module, you will explore and develop the skills of evidence-based clinical practice that form the core of the clinical skills that you will use professionally as a Physician Associate. You will explore the best ways to gather accurate and appropriate information about your patient and how to perform physical examinations of your patient. You will study the best use of investigations, like blood tests and x-rays to help diagnose illness and you will also learn basic clinical procedures such as measuring blood pressure, heart rate, taking blood or using oxygen.

You will learn and demonstrate effective communication skills for working with your patients and the multidisciplinary clinical team that you will work with. You will also learn how to interpret the results of investigations such as blood tests, x-rays, CT and MRI scans so they can be utilised to diagnose your patient and work out a treatment plan.

You will apply the skills you have learnt to be able to carry out basic core procedures such as venepuncture and oxygen therapy. As you become more confident, you will practise your new skills in a safe setting with clinical simulation, using the same procedures and equipment that is used in hospitals or in the community. This work will enable you to perfect and extend your range of clinical skills so that when you enter clinical placements you can be safe and confident in your level of knowledge, but know the point at which you need to seek help from senior colleagues.

At the end of the module, you will be assessed and you will need to undertake an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) practical exam.

In this module, you will extend your study of a wide range of clinical sciences, including anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, and pharmacology with a focus on how these are linked to human health and disease, which you started in Module PA7001. You will then study how these sciences are closely linked to the associated clinical presentations of a range of acute and chronic common medical conditions and injuries, presenting in patients, including paediatric and pregnant patients. The scientific basis of these conditions will be described and linked to the symptoms and signs of these conditions. You will study a range of conditions commonly seen both in the community and in hospitals.

You will study the above topics for the following body systems:

Musculoskeletal
Ophthalmology
ENT
Endocrine and Metabolic
Dermatology
Haematological
Infections
Paediatrics
Female Health

You will have both face-to-face and online lectures and tutorials in these subjects, and as you undertake the module you will complete a Case Study.

This module will enable you to continue to develop and enhance the clinical skills of those evidence-based clinical and professional skills that you first met in Foundations of Physician Associate Clinical Practice 1 and that you will use in practice as a Physician Associate. The module will continue to develop best practices for history taking, clinical examination as well as the use of investigations and basic procedures. In this module, you will learn about utilising these skills in paediatric and pregnant patients. In addition, you will explore current guidelines for emergency management and resuscitation.

The skills you will learn include focused history taking, skills for focused clinical examinations and the reasoned prioritisation and interpretation of findings from investigations such as blood tests, X-rays, CT scans and MRIs.

You will then go on to apply the skills you have learnt to be able to carry out basic core procedures such as cannulation, arterial blood gas, infusions, advanced oxygen therapy, and suturing and then use your skills and procedures to learn about and practice emergency management guidelines and resuscitation skills.

To ensure deeper learning in your clinical topics you will undertake clinical simulation scenarios in a multidisciplinary team setting to extend your skills on how to manage adult, paediatric and pregnant patients for a range of acute and chronic conditions. You will also learn the ABCDE approach for managing emergency conditions and also learn how to perform Basic and Intermediate life support.

At the end of the module, you will be assessed and you will need to undertake an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) practical exam.

In this module you will study the 'causes of the causes' and the many drivers behind illness and health in our society and their contribution to major global health issues. You will explore three key healthcare areas, public health and the psychosociology of health and mental health.

Public health will start with a consideration of wellbeing and definitions of health progressing to looking at how people try to keep healthy. Moving on you will consider the important topics surrounding why people seek healthcare input, looking at economic and behavioural aspects of healthcare access, barriers and inequalities. Then you will look at the principles of illness prevention and the epidemiological definitions of population health. As part of your study of epidemiology you will study some real life local examples of epidemiology and learn to recognise and assess the statistical methods employed. This module will extend the professional skills that you will use in practice as a Physician Associate. In addition, you will also consider some current topics in global healthcare discussing the variations in access and delivery.

Research has shown that there is a powerful role for psychosocial factors in determining the pattern of illness and health in any population. This module will foster a deeper understanding of those sociological factors that contribute to levels of health and illness in a population and relating these to health inequalities. You will then take a further look at health seeking behaviour, looking this time specifically at sociological determinants and linking this to the issue of achieving behavioural changes, including the difference between concordance and compliance for patients.

You will also study common mental health presentations and learn about assessment and patient management in mental health. You will then study those medicolegal aspects that are important in mental health, including learning about mental capacity and its role in patient health.

You will be assessed through a group video presentation on behavioural or mental health and a case study on an issue that particularly interested you and how it has impacted your studies.

In this module, you will explore and develop the communication and clinical reasoning skills that you will use in clinical practice as a Physician Associate. You will study what is meant by patient safety, understanding and managing clinical risk. You will explore what is best practice in patient-centred communication and shared decision-making in patient assessment and management. Then the process of clinical decision-making will be explored and your skills will be extended so that you can work successfully in complex, time-sensitive and uncertain environments focusing on how to work safely, within your abilities and responsibilities and how to recognise and avoid clinical error.

You will study how to work with children and vulnerable people safely and with empathy and you will develop skills to enable you to work successfully with more challenging patients who are either anxious, upset or angry.

You will then go on to apply the skills you have learnt using best practices to become more confident when working in dynamic, complex clinical environments, also learning how to avoid clinical error through good multidisciplinary teamwork. You will study human factors, which are concerned with situational awareness, cognitive and affective biases, coping well with authority and reducing errors due to system and organisational causes. Furthermore, you will be able to practice your good communication and clinical reasoning skills by learning to assess and manage more complex cases in simulation enabling you to become a safe, capable and patient-centred clinician.

You will be assessed through a group video project and a case study that you will complete during the module.

In this module, you will study how to design a research question and then search clinical and scientific databases to find an appropriate range of literature on a chosen topic. You will be able to explore differing research methodologies and learn how to decide which type will be most relevant for a particular project. You will also learn how to critically evaluate literature, choose an appropriate research methodology, including ethical considerations, and how to undertake your Research Dissertation. You will also learn how to analyse, evaluate, describe and present your findings at levels appropriate for clinical professionals.

You will be introduced to the elements of research methodology, including statistics, qualitative and quantitative methods, ethics, developing a research idea and analysing and presenting data. In addition, it will also give you the skills to undertake clinically-based audits and research when you are a qualified Physician Associate. In this module, you will be assessed on the production of a competent dissertation proposal that draws together the material covered in the module. You will also be required to prepare a poster presentation on research methods, which will be assessed. Completion of this module helps to prepare you to undertake your research dissertation and this module must be passed before you can commence your research.

In this module, your clinical placements will be in primary and secondary care and in this module, you will receive your teaching in your clinical placement. You will be going out into full-time work-based clinical placements either in the community and primary care environment or in the hospital, in secondary care. This will enable you to translate the knowledge and skills that you have gained from both a theoretical and simulation perspective, into real-life clinical practice. This module will also prepare you to be eligible to undertake the Physician Associate National Certification examination which you must pass to be able to practice clinically.

In this module, you will work under the supervision and guidance of a clinical supervisor in a range of community or primary care environments. In clinical placement, you will work through and complete a signed-off skills passport and a placement assessment document. You will be assessed by clinical supervisors in each clinical placement, throughout the year to develop as a competent practitioner.

Clinical Placements in primary care will include general practice, hospice care, sexual health and residential and care homes. Whereas clinical placements in secondary care could be in any of these areas:

Acute medicine
Emergency medicine
General Surgery
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Paediatric medicine
Mental health

In secondary care, you could be in follow-up clinics, outpatient clinics, surgical theatres, ward rounds or multidisciplinary meetings. You will be learning with, from and about patients in a clinical setting under supervision. You will be taking patient histories, examining patients, and following a patient journey. You will also need to understand patient medications, how to take and record patient observations, interpret patient investigations, and carry out clinical skills as appropriate. This module will also prepare you to be eligible to undertake the Physician Associate National Certification examination which you must pass to be able to practice clinically.

In this module, you will learn about patient assessment, examination and diagnosis in primary care or secondary care. You will be able to use those clinical skills and procedures that you learnt previously in simulation, in the management of real patients under direct supervision. You will experience working in a multi-disciplinary team and be able to put your patient-centred approach into practice, including emergency management guidelines and resuscitation skills. You will work under the supervision and guidance of a clinical supervisor in a range of healthcare environments where you will work through and complete a signed-off skills passport. During this period you will be assessed by clinical supervisors in each clinical placement, throughout the year to develop as a competent practitioner.

You need to pass every clinical placement within this module. If you fail a placement you will have the opportunity to resit. You will be assessed by completing both a Placement Assessment Document and a Practical Skills Passport, these documents will be continuously assessed and are both Pass/Fail. The documents will contain entries by yourself and your various clinical advisers.

In this module, you will apply the skills that you have learnt in the Research Methods and Evidence-Based Medicine Module to devise and implement a community-based research project (dissertation).

The research project is an extended piece of work that explores an aspect of one of the following:

Service improvement policy
Community practice
Healthcare policy
Public health
Psychosocial issues applied to healthcare

You will work under the guidance of a project supervisor to identify a suitable topic for exploration and to develop your research methodology. Along with a critical evaluation and analysis of a range of relevant literature, you will need to audit and evaluate an aspect of the role of the Physician Associate in clinical practice. You will also need to assess the potential impact of your findings on healthcare improvement within a clinical setting. Exploring and appraising the conceptual, analytical and ethical processes which underpin your project will allow you to consolidate and enhance your skills in research and evaluation as you complete this considerable piece of work. Ethical aspects and considerations necessary during all phases of planning and data collection will also be a major focus for your reflection and this module and your project will provide an opportunity for you to collaborate with clinical colleagues to extend your knowledge with reference service improvement and also to assess the potential of Physician Associates as a new healthcare profession.

You will be assessed on your completed research dissertation. Also as part of your assessment, along with the final dissertation, you will need to produce a mid-term presentation outlining the major themes, aims, objectives and planning that you have undertaken when scoping your project.

This module will enable you to consolidate and undertake further practice, demonstrating the clinical knowledge and skills that you have acquired in earlier modules and applying these in the context of patient assessment and management in a clinical setting, including emergency management and resuscitation. Through a blended mixture of online lectures and simulation learning, with low-fidelity, hybrid and high-fidelity simulation mannikins and deliberate practice, you will gradually extend and integrate your theoretical clinical knowledge and practical clinical skills. You will apply and demonstrate these skills to assess and clinically manage patients safely and competently.

In addition, you will practice skills in referring and handing over patients safely and competently to other medical practitioners. You will be able to demonstrate your patient-centred approach and your level of teamwork skills, your knowledge of working in a multi-disciplinary team and your approach to reducing clinical error through a sound understanding of human factors. This module will be taught on academic in-days throughout your second year when you are off clinical placement and at university.

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

What we're researching

We have two research groups, one working to develop new medicines and treatments, the other in infections and immunity. We're also involved in research that tries to model and predict new drugs using bio-informatics. This uses computers to process and study biological data to help predict what a new drug structure would look like before making it.

We often carry out research in collaboration with other leading research universities in London, including University College London and King's College London as well as overseas institutions. Our phytopharmaceutical scientists have close links with researchers at Kew. Students studying at all levels have an opportunity to get involved in our research work.

Bioscience research played a major part in our successful performance in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework - the six-yearly national review of research quality in higher education. 92 per cent of UEL's overall research was rated as world-leading, internationally excellent, or internationally recognised. Other prominent researchers include: Dr Mukhlesur Rahman (antimicrobial natural products); Dr Samir Ayoub (inflammation, pain and thermoregulation); Dr Winston Morgan (toxicology of natural products and synthetic drugs); Dr Barbara Pendry (cancer and mental health); Dr Michael Seed (preclinical models of inflammation and immunity); Dr Sue Outram (the immune response); Dr Sally Cutler (zoonosis); Dr John George (targeted drug design); Dr David Guiliano (microbiology) and Dr Geoffrey Webb (diet and nutrition).

Your future career

Physician Associates are a new type of healthcare professional under General Medical Council (GMC) regulation who receive a broad, generalist medical education. To work as a Physician Associate you will need to pass your university course and then you will need to pass a Physician Associate Registration Assessment (PARA) professional national exam. This consists of a theory and a practical section. Once passing the PARA exam, you will need to join the General Medical Council (GMC). You will then need to join a Managed Voluntary Register of Practitioners. This will change under new GMC regulations due to be enforced later this year. You are most likely to take this exam in May following the completion of your course, however, the dates of national exams are subject to GMC.

You will work alongside doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and more to provide clinical care as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team either in a hospital or in the community. Physician Associates are dependent practitioners, who as they gain experience and skills can learn to work autonomously, but will always work under the supervision of a fully trained and experienced doctor. They bring a range of new professional talent to add to the existing skill mix within clinical teams. Physician Associates provide a stable, generalist section of the clinical workforce and will increasingly help to ease the current clinical workforce pressures in the NHS.

Physician Associates (PAs) have been regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC) since December 2024. The new regulation will help assure patients, colleagues and employers that Physician Associates have the knowledge and skills to work safely and that they can be held to account if serious concerns are raised. For further details, please refer to the GMC website.

Research

This is a taught master's programme, but as part of your studies, you will need to complete a 5,000-word research service improvement project. This piece of work explores an aspect of one of the following: Quality audit; Community Practice; Healthcare policy; Public health or Psychosocial issues applied to healthcare. You will work under the guidance of a project supervisor to identify a suitable topic for exploration and develop your research methodology.

You will be given the chance to learn evidence-based medicine, along with critical evaluation and analysis of a range of relevant literature. You will also need to assess the potential impact of your findings on healthcare improvement within a clinical setting. Your project will provide an opportunity for you to collaborate with clinical colleagues to extend your knowledge with reference to service improvement.

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work.
Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts
1-2-1 career coaching services
Careers workshops and employer events
Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top

Enterprise and entrepreneurship support
We are ranked 6th for graduate start-ups
Networking and visits to leading organisations
Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment
London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

You'll be taught by a range of staff, who are either medical educators, scientists or work in clinical practice. This will ensure that you develop into safe, competent, reflective, multi-professional and patient-centred clinicians who can work safely under direct or indirect supervision. Each module is designed so that you can acquire the appropriate level of clinical knowledge and skills to support your clinical work.

Guided independent study

You will be taught by a combination of lectures, practical sessions and simulation workshops. When not attending timetabled lectures, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve directed reading, practising clinical scenarios, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and the UEL VLE Moodle.

Academic support

Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas - including learning and disability support.

Dedicated personal tutor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your academic advisor . This is the member of staff who will provide academic guidance, personal and pastoral support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Workload

Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.

The approximate percentages for this course are:

Year 1: scheduled teaching - 864536 hours; guided independent study - 664 hours; clinical placement hours – 188 hours, simulation – 100 hours.
Year 2: scheduled teaching - 1746 240 hours; guided independent study - 554 hours; clinical placement hours - 1212 hours, simulation – 100 hours

This is a 2-year full-time course, that is delivered over 3 terms across the year, and there is no summer break. The final results and awards are released in February. Graduates are then able to take their nationals (PANE/PARA exams) in May (the dates are subject to RCP/GMC timetable).

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm.

This is a full-time course with an expectation to fully engage with scheduled teaching on campus and directed learning activities throughout the week for the full duration of the course. All students should be able to commit to 100 per cent engagement with clinical placements at destinations arranged by the university and should be flexible to commute to various placement locations to complete their mandatory clinical rotations. Placements are within an 18-mile radius calculated from Stratford Health campus. Please note, travel is not reimbursed.

Class sizes

The approximate size of classes on this course is 30. In the classroom for tutorials or in simulation you will be taught in smaller groups of 5 - 30 students. However, this can vary by module and type of learning activity.

How you'll be assessed

Year 1:

30% OSCE – Objective Structured Clinical Examination (Practical)
30% – KBA Knowledge Based Assessment (Theory)
20% portfolio
20% coursework

Year 2:

OSCE - Objective Structured Clinical Examination (Practical)
KBA – Knowledge Based Assessment (Theory)

You will be assessed in various ways as appropriate for each module.

This includes theory-based assessments, assignments based on clinical case studies, practical assessments, oral and poster presentations, completion of placement portfolio (placement assessment documents, and clinical skills logbook), OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations), and a 5000-word Master's level service improvement.

You will receive feedback throughout the course to support your learning and development and have opportunities to engage in various formative tasks to support your learning.

Enable colour patterns

Campus and facilities

Stratford Campus, London, E15 4LZ

Our historic Stratford campus is located in one of the best-connected areas of London: close to Stratford's thriving town centre, the 2012 Olympic Park, just 15 minutes from London's West End and 20 minutes from Canary Wharf.

Stratford’s facilities include a state-of-the-art library and learning centre, the majestic great hall and specialist laboratories and computing services. The School of Childhood and Social Care, and Centre for Clinical Education in Podiatry, Physiotherapy and Sports Science are housed in new buildings. There is also a campus restaurant and bookshop, and a Students' Union café-bar.

Westfield Stratford City - Europe's largest indoor shopping mall - is just one of Stratford's attractions, alongside many other shops, cafés, bars, restaurants and cinemas. Stratford is fast becoming London's new cultural quarter, with Sadler's Wells East and V&A East moving in.

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by School of Medicine, previously from the School of Health, Sport and Bioscience

The teaching team includes qualified academics, physician associates, healthcare practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

Search

Physician Associate MSc

Overview

This course is in Clearing

Intro to Fashion Entrepreneurship

Our LLM course is a top choice

Course options

MSc

Accepted Qualifications

International Qualifications

Physician Associate MSc

Physician Associate MSc, home applicant, full time

How to apply

When to apply

Advice and guidance

Already applied?

Need help?

How to apply

When to apply

Advice and guidance

Already applied?

Need help?

Submitting your application

How to apply

When to apply

International students who reside overseas

Advice and guidance

Need help?

About our foundation years

What makes this course different

Funding available

State-of-the-art facilities

Innovative clinical career

Course modules

Bioscience and Pharmacology for Clinical Medicine and Surgery 1 Core Module

Foundations of Physician Associate Clinical Practice 1 Core Module

Bioscience and Pharmacology for Clinical Medicine and Surgery 2 Core Module

Foundations of Physician Associate Clinical Practice 2 Core Module

Public Health, Behavioural Medicine and Mental Health (Mental Wealth) Core Module

Communication and Clinical Reasoning in Clinical Assessment Practice Core Module

Research Methods and Evidence Based Medicine Core Module

Clinical Placements Core Module

Research Dissertation -Service Improvement Project Core Module

Advanced Clinical Practice Core Module

Download course specification

What we're researching

Your future career

Research

How we support your career ambitions

Career Zone

Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

How you'll learn

Guided independent study

Academic support

Dedicated personal tutor

Workload

Your timetable

Class sizes

How you'll be assessed

Campus and facilities

Stratford Campus, London, E15 4LZ

Who teaches this course

Related courses

TERMS AND CONDITIONS Modal

Terms of admittance to the University of East London

1) Student enrolment

2) Tuition fees

3) Student ID Cards

4) Proof of qualifications

5) Non-academic entry requirements

6) Criminal convictions

7) Providing false information to UEL

8) Continued enrolment and student status

Manual of General Regulations

Engagement Attendance Policy

Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Degrees

Health and Safety Policy

Student Disciplinary Regulations and Procedures (incorporating the student code of conduct)

9) Changes to scheduled programmes