Physician Associate Studies

At St George’s, we strive to ensure our admissions process is fair and transparent. In order to make sure every applicant is treated equally, we use a process based on objective measures.

The steps below outline our general admissions process and the way by which we determine which applicants will receive an offer to study the Physician Associate Studies MPAS at St George’s.

1. Each applicant that meets our entry criteria (see below) is ranked by their UCAT score.
2. The number of interviews we run each year will vary. Our UCAT cut-off scores will be determined by the number of available interviews.
3. If, as a result of the number of MMIs we plan to offer, the cut-off score falls at a point where a number of applicants have achieved the same UCAT score, we may increase or reduce the number of MMIs we conduct to accommodate all applicants who have received that score.
4. Applicants will then be invited to attend an MMI which is a values-based recruitment process and reinforces objectivity.
5. Once all of our interviews are conducted, we rank MMI scores and the highest performing applicants within each group are made an offer to study the Physician Associate Studies MPAS at St George’s. Decisions from St George’s will be entered onto UCAS Track and applicants will be contacted via email.

You should have or be expected to achieve, a minimum of a second class degree (2:2). For healthcare graduates, a pass is required. All degrees must be awarded before 1 August on the year of entry.

Human Physiology is a necessity for all applicants. Please see below for a list of degree titles that are considered to contain suitable levels of Human Physiology content.

If your degree does not contain Human Physiology, you will need to complete some Physiology study in order to be eligible for the course. Alternative evidence of recent Physiology academic study (NVQ Level 4 and above) will be considered.

Examples of degrees that are considered suitable are:

*Transcripts will be reviewed to ensure adequate levels of human biology and human physiology have been covered in these degrees. Those not meeting the requirements will not be interviewed.

Please note that at present graduates of UK Physician Associate Studies programmes are not eligible to work as Physician Associates in other countries.

Please find the UK equivalent of your qualification(s) by visiting the UK ENIC website. Your qualification(s) will need to be equivalent to the requirements outlined above.

Please note that at present graduates of UK Physician Associate Studies programmes are not eligible to work as Physician Associates in other countries.

Additional information

Applicants will need to meet our UCAT requirements (below). UCAT results may be used to select applicants invited to interview and to rank a post-interview waiting list.

UCAT scores do not need to be included on your UCAS application as we will be informed of your scores directly by Pearson and UCAS. Please ensure that the name you use to register for UCAT is the same as that used on your UCAS form so results can be matched. We will receive any annotations UCAT include with your scores, however we are unfortunately unable to consider these as part of your application.

Below are some key dates that you may find useful. These are correct as of February 2022, however please do check the UCAT website for the most up to date information.

• Registration opens: 24 May 2022
• Testing begins: 11 July 2022
• Final booking deadline: 22 September 2022
• Last testing date: 29 September 2022
• UCAS application deadline: 15 October 2022

Test preparation

UCAT has developed practice tests and a toolkit to support your test preparation.

View the information on the UCAT Candidate Preparation Toolkit page.

Details of the exam and how to register to sit the test can be found on the UCAT website.

If you are applying with a degree from outside of the UK, you will need to meet the English language requirements here.

This is a Group 3 course.

You will be asked to submit a personal statement with your application. This statement should outline your reasons for applying to the MPAS, demonstrating evidence of experience and the transferable skills you gained from this.

You will need to provide one reference. This should be an academic or professional reference. See the “apply” tab for more information.

We understand the challenges for our prospective applicants applying for healthcare course trying to gain work experience at this time, particularly in clinical settings.   

In response to the government’s social distancing guidelines, which have a significant impact on all areas of life, we have chosen to relax our clinical experience requirements for prospective applicants for our courses which would normally require these.   

Despite the relaxed requirements, we still require our applicants to understand the realities of working as a healthcare professional and to show they have the necessary skills and attributes for their chosen career.

Should you receive an offer to study at St George’s, you will be required to complete a health check and be declared fit to study and practise by the Occupational Health (OH) department before you begin your studies.

The following vaccinations are mandatory for all healthcare students before you begin your studies:

• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Meningococcal meningitis

• Diphtheria

• Pertussis (whooping cough)

• Poliomyelitis

• Tetanus

As part of the process, you will also be screened by the OH team for Chickenpox, Tuberculosis, HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

We do not currently require you to have been vaccinated against Covid-19, but we strongly recommend that you get double vaccinated before the start of your studies, unless medically exempt.

When admitting candidates to study and practice as a health practitioner, we have an obligation to both patients and to the individual student. Candidates who are concerned about a health issue are advised to contact us.

This course will include work with children and vulnerable adults, so you will be required to submit a series of declarations.

If you are invited to an interview, we will request some additional information from you, regarding your criminal record, educational history and employment history. You will also have the opportunity to make any other declarations that you’d like us to be aware of. We may not able to consider applicants who were suspended from previous study/work due to fitness to practise issues or failure in assessments/examinations.

If you are made an offer, you will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. More information about this is sent to applicants as part of the admissions process.

If you studied but did not complete a Physician Associate Studies, or another clinical course, please provide formal evidence as to why you withdrew when you apply, and no later than 1 February in the year of application. Please email the team ensuring you include your UCAS personal ID number and programme name in the subject line. Applicants will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Due to the demanding nature of the Physician Associate Studies programme, it is important that applicants can demonstrate recent engagement in education, and so your degree should have been awarded within the last five years However, we are able to accept degree results from more than five years ago if you have been working within healthcare since graduating. Please ensure this information is included in the Employment section of your UCAS application.

The first year is dedicated to ensuring you have a good grounding in the sciences underpinning health care. Communication and clinical examination skills are a key part of the first year curriculum. These small group sessions draw on and incorporate the clinical medicine and pharmacology teaching. Teaching will be delivered across 4 days using a blended learning approach with a mixture of online remote and on campus sessions.

In addition to that you will spend one day per week on clinical placement, which will be organised in a GP practice.

Year 1 teaching is system- or theme-based, following a brief introductory period. We begin with the ‘big three’ systems: cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal. Most themes are covered in two to four-week blocks, with a large amount of information delivered in each block.

Information is often delivered across multiple modules (see below).

In the second year you will begin with special topics weeks covering skills such as ECG interpretation and suturing, before beginning your hospital placements. You will then be on campus approximately one day every month as the emphasis shifts towards clinical work and placements, with 36–39 weeks spent in hospital and nine weeks spent on a GP placement.

This module lays the basis for future prescribing activity and ensures you have a good understanding of common drugs and their effects. (Please note that PAs do not yet have prescribing rights in the UK. However, strong pharmacology knowledge is essential for PA practice.)

This module enables you to locate and evaluate evidence underpinning decision-making in healthcare and to develop your skills in critically appraising this evidence.

This module covers integrated body systems, pathology, differential diagnosis skills, models of decision-making, and applications of the underpinning sciences to patient conditions. It also provides an overview of the clinically relevant elements of human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology and pathology.

This module runs across both years of the course and addresses the common and pertinent investigations relating to the clinical practice of a Physician Associate. You will learn about the role of clinical investigations and their relevance in relation to common and important presentations in clinical practice. It will involve analysis of common investigations performed in primary and secondary care.

This module runs throughout the two years. Your achievement of core clinical competencies, procedural skills and work with specific clinical conditions will be documented.

This module facilitates the application of clinical knowledge and examination skills with appropriate supervision from suitably qualified and skilled clinicians in real clinical environments, preparing you for entry into professional practice.

The PA as Professional Evaluation Report assesses your progress in developing appropriate attitudes, behaviours and skills and your ability to apply them in the academic and clinical environment. As a PA student you are expected to demonstrate the same standard of professionalism as any qualified healthcare professional. This module runs across both years of the programme.

Blended learning enables students to interact directly with patients in a variety of settings and collaborate with other students on a variety of healthcare- and science-related courses, creating a diverse learning community where knowledge is shared across disciplines. Blended learning also reflects real medical practice, with many clinicians and patients using IT solutions to consult.

Sharing our campus with one of the UK’s most renowned teaching hospitals allows us to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching.

Problem-based learning

Given a clinical problem, you will use self-directed research to make a diagnosis and suggest an appropriate course of action. Problem-based learning encourages learning in context, self-motivation, and deep rather than surface understanding.

Self-directed study

This course requires a significant amount of self-directed study, outside of teaching hours. In the first year, lectures are complemented by group work, designed to develop clinical and communication skills. You are allocated a clinical supervisor who is a General Practitioner and will support you in developing your skills development throughout your GP placement.

In the second year, you'll continue community placements, as well as rotating through a number of acute clinical placements, including:

• general medicine

• paediatrics

• obstetrics and gynaecology

• emergency medicine

• mental health

• geriatric medicine.

Assessments are designed to prepare you for the PA National Examination and will be a mixture of written papers, written examinations and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations.

You are expected to acheive the core clinical skills and competencies as set by the programme. These are monitored throughout both years and are submitted at the end of each year for review and approval. Written coursework assignments and/or presentations are set for the modules in PA Applied Knowledge and Skills and Foundations of Clinical Medicine.

You must provide:

• a personal statement (more information about this is available on the UCAS website)

• an academic reference from your current or most recent institutions with predicted grades.

After submitting your application to UCAS:

• log in to UCAS Hub and check your application to make sure all your academic details have been included

• if any subjects or predicted results are missing, email the Admissions Officer with your UCAS number and missing subjects and grades.

The Physician Associate Studies MPAS does not accept deferred applications. Applications must be submitted by the January of the year in which you are applying to enrol.

Acknowledgement emails and letters are sent out on receipt of applications. Please ensure that your email account is able to accept communications from St George’s as we will mainly communicate with you by email. Selected applicants will be invited to attend interview. Decisions from St George’s will be entered onto UCAS Track and direct applicants will be contacted via email.

For more information, see our fees and funding pages.

In order to be registered on the FPA Managed Voluntary Register (MVR) as a Physician Associate you will need to pass the PA National Exam after successful completion of the MPAS. The National Exam is not part of this programme and the cost of the exam is not included in your course fees. Find out more at the Faculty of Physician Associates website.

Regulation

The General Medical Council have been chosen to become the regulator for PAs. When statutory regulation for PAs comes into effect, the PA MVR will cease to exist.

The table below highlights the additional course-specific costs related to this degree. Visit the additional course-related costs for more information on general costs to consider alongside your studies.

We have a range of funding opportunities available for students. You may be eligible for the following.

• a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government of up to £11,570
• other funding for Postgraduate Study
• an alumni discount– if you're a former St George’s student you can qualify for an additional 10% discount from this course.
• for students on the 2022 intake there is a training grant available from HEE of £5000 over the 2 years of the programme.

Find out more on the fees and funding webpage.