"I saw on BBC news that Plymouth was starting its first course in January 2015 and I thought it would be a great opportunity. I have worked within the ambulance service for the past nine years, and felt that the PgDip Physician Associate Studies course would be a positive change. It’s a two year PgDip designed for people with a clinical background or a life science degree.
It is full time and fast paced but highly enjoyable and your clinical knowledge improves very rapidly. In the first year of the course, one day a week is spent in a GP practice and one day in hospital. Throughout the course we complete over 1600 hours of clinical placement, with an additional 1600 hours in classroom. This time, along with previous experience, allows us to adequately prepare for future employment and starting out as a Physician Associate.
At the moment I complete Monday to Friday at university and every Saturday I work as a Paramedic. After completing the course I will be able to work at a higher clinical level in other areas of primary and secondary care."