Experience of the impact of physician associates on ­postgraduate medical training: A mixed methods ­exploratory study

The introduction of new professional roles to the multidisciplinary team has been heralded as a way to facilitate medical education in the face of increasing service pressures. However, concerns have been raised that the training of new healthcare professionals will dilute the availability of learning opportunities, thereby detracting from postgraduate medical education. As part of a mixed methods exploratory study, the experienced impact of newly qualified physician associates on medical training was explored. Within 6 months of newly qualified physician associates being introduced, half of junior doctors reported no overall impact on their training and a third felt that their training was enhanced by the presence of physician associates. A minority of trainees experienced dilution of training opportunities. The findings support the notion that new healthcare professionals do not detract from medical training and suggest that roles such as the physician associate have potential to enhance postgraduate medical education.