In November 2024, the government ordered a review of physician associates (and anaesthesia associates) in England to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of these roles.  

The RCN (2024) has produced a position statement on medical associate professionals (MAPs) and has highlighted how recent debates on the roles of MAPs has in some cases widened to include registered nurse roles. It is the RCN’s position that access to continuing education and training are essential for registered nurses, who are already disadvantaged by the fact that they are rarely allocated protected time for education in job plans. The debate within the medical profession must not be allowed to further compromise nursing staff being able to access vital education and training. 

It is important to note that there has been little progress made by government in evaluating the physician associate role and how it interacts with the nursing workforce, therefore the evidence base is largely anecdotal. This debate seeks to make progress towards a call for further investigation into the relationship between physician associates and nursing staff, to identify and mitigate any negative implications.  

References

Royal College of Nursing (2024) RCN Position on Medical Associate Professionals. Available at: www.rcn.org.uk/About-us/Our-Influencing-work/Position-statements/rcn-position-statement-on-medical-associate-professionals