North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has recently become a local placement provider for the brand-new physician associate programme which has been introduced at the Keele School of Medicine as part of Keele University.
Physician Associates are healthcare professionals who work alongside registered doctors and provide medical care as an integral part of a wider healthcare team. This is a brand-new apprenticeship route and Keele University are the first university in England to offer this route. As a trust, this is an exciting opportunity to pave the way for the new programme and the cohort of physicians associates for 2023.
At Combined, there is currently one Physician Associate Apprentice who the trust have employed; Charis Hancock (previously the Deputy Ward Manager on Ward 2). The aim is to embed the Physician Associate profession into the workforce as a whole.
There was an event at Harplands Hospital recently which welcomed the new cohort for this year and also the placement providers, including Combined Healthcare, the Integrated Care System (ICS), Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) and University Hospitals of the North Midlands (UHNM).
Recruitment for next year’s cohort will be opening in the New Year. For further information regarding how to apply, contact Lisa Lummis, Medical Education Manager on Lisar.lummis@combined.nhs.uk.
The pictures below are from the event, which took place at the Harplands on 21 September, welcoming the new cohort and the placement providers.
