Now that he has pushed through the en-face undercutting new August 2016 job contract for junior doctors, there is indeed an additional trick up his sleeve. The use of Physician Assistants.
The National PA Expansion Programme is recruiting 200+ PA's from the USA to relocate them in the UK to replace junior doctors. However, there are some very striking shockers!
In the USA, a typical program is 3years of training (~£10k-£60k depending on where you train in USA) , to then apply for the NCCPA exam.
As far as I know, my duties as a trainee is to teaching and supervise my fellow Foundation Doctors.
All doctors take medical histories, assess and examine patients, initiate and interpret investigative studies, and mak management plans. Certainly when the Consultants are around, I present my case to them. However, it is highly unfair that I do not get a scheduled and protected study period. Fitting my academic work has to happen in my evenings and days off.
This is where things really begin to annoy me. £50k starting salary, with greater annual leave entitlement. Starting salary for an FY1 will be £22k (if assuming 1.5x banding, this will be £34k). It's not until a Year 1 SpR (ST3) that you will be on par with a PA. Where's the sense in that.
Besides, are my GMC or RCSEng or even relocation fees paid for? Not at all.
Don't get me wrong, I for a long time have mentioned that PAs should be employed to assist in clinical teams. However, they should not be replacing the FY1/SHO. They should be there to support the phlebotomy and nonsense administrative tasks to allow the junior doctors to actually train to be a doctor.
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Ref: https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/vacancy/dadc67164541975f6a966bbe95dcd6c4/?vac_ref=913883690
