Published on 6 October
We’re all used to seeing doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants on wards across East Kent Hospitals – but you might also meet a physician associate.
It’s a relatively new role in the UK, although it was first introduced in the US in the 1960s. This week is Physician Associate Week and a chance to highlight the work they do.
Physician associates are medically trained and work as part of a multi-disciplinary team helping to ensure continuity of care for patients.
Divya Benny is one of two physician associates with the orthopaedic team at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate. East Kent Hospitals also has two physician associates at the William Harvey Hospital, in paediatrics and gastro-enterology, one in neuro-rehab at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital and one in acute medicine at QEQM.
As well as caring for people on the wards, Divya acts as a point of contact for pharmacists and nursing staff, organises referrals, and can scrub in to assist with operations.
She said: “I see patients before and after their operations, and in the clinics.
“I enjoy the variety and there is always something to learn. I had no orthopaedic experience but the course gives you general medical knowledge so I knew how to look after the patients medically and can learn from there.
“I speak to families and help with the ward rounds, and I think it’s worked really well for the team.”
Divya studied biomedical sciences after initially hoping to win a place at medical school, and then heard about the role of physician associate.
She followed her undergraduate degree with a two-year MSc in physician associate studies, giving her general medical training.
She said: "The physician associate course appealed because it meant I would be able to work clinically and I could start working sooner than following my first degree with medical school.
"I enjoy the patient contact and the breadth of the role. There are so many possibilities - you can work in any department or specialty.
"At the moment, because I am newly qualified, I still go back to the doctors with any problems or queries. But more senior physician associates take up more responsibility."
