The RCSI said it “welcomes” the recent Irish Medical Council position statement on the statutory regulation of physician associates (PA) in Irish healthcare.
Yesterday the Medical Council announced it is “not the appropriate regulator” for PAs.
“The Medical Practitioners Act 2007 (as amended in 2020 and 2023) has no provision to regulate health professionals other than doctors.”
The School of Medicine at RCSI offers the only MSc in Physician Associate Studies programme in the Republic of Ireland. The RCSI said it has been advocating for a regulator since the role was first introduced in 2016, to regulate and set a scope of practice.
“A regulator that ensures a streamlined process for monitoring physicians associates and their supervising consultants, while protecting the public, is the overarching goal that RCSI has been advocating for.”
In a statement the RCSI said that PAs are not replacements for doctors, “but they increase the productivity of the medical or surgical team by enhancing access to care for patients and complement the roles of medical or surgical trainees, as directed by their consultant supervisor”.
The RCSI added that since the launch of the programme, PAs “have made a positive contribution to healthcare teams across Ireland.” To date, 76 PAs have graduated from the two-year programme with 60 per cent working in public hospitals, while 40 per cent are employed by the private sector.
The RCSI added that it and the Irish Society of Physician Associates have contributed to the work of the relevant parties in the health sector to ensure that PA “job descriptions and scope of practice represent the role of Irish physician associates working across all medical and surgical specialities with clear definitions to assure the highest level of safety and quality care for all patients”.
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