Physician associate… should I report? Yes or no?

@Shortkiwi And herein lies the problem. You get bad PAs.... just like you get bad doctors. Sadly, with the massive gap in clinical services the UK introduced PA's (for which you need a Masters Degree in PA having done a BSc in an associated science), the USA is WAY more respectful of the role and I was reading a study the other day how UK clinicians don't understand or respect the PA's role..... sounds like your DD is in that category.
So yes, there's some poor PA's but maybe your DD is rather judgemental of the role. Sure there's probably some PA's helping to hold the fort over this weekend.

Personally I think it’s a major issue for a HCP to not be required to have a professional registration, although the same applies to paramedics for some time.
they haven’t actually impersonated a doctor though and presumably the GP partners who are invariably doctors were quite comfortable with employing them.
unless the public is willing to stump up a lot more money to train and retain HCP there’s going to be a constant move towards less qualified staff, through new riles
and through less academic learning. Perhaps PA training will be less attractive when people can do an apprenticeship to become a doctor

Sorry about this OP. Thank you for posting though as I will now ensure none introduces themselves as 'one of the medics' when I am in pain and have gone ti see a doctor. You cannot get another appointment in 2 days but have to wait several days, if you are lucky.

Usually I'm all for strict definitions, but this thread has shown that many laypeople would have interpreted that as saying they were a doctor, so I do think it's relevant.

They're not registered or regulated.

So sorry to read this, hope you get your treatment asap. I'm shocked to hear of this, as others have said already, not good at all! I wonder who they are registered with? It's not the HCPC I don't think? Is it the GMC does anyone know? Are they even registered? If they are then it should be easy to raise a complaint about this. It's not going to help you however, it may well help someone else, wishing you well with your treatment ❤️

Medic has never meant doctor and applies to other job roles so I wouldn’t have presumed they were a doctor. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a doctor introduce themselves as a medic. I’m also not always aware of the profession of the person seeing me but I do expect them to be competent. Did you say anything to the doctor who saw you to follow up? If not I would 100% highlight it to the practice to review the advice given. Did the first person tell you to go back if not better?

I am very sorry to hear about your experience and your diagnosis.

Re your question, I would have made that assumption in the past, but nowadays our GP surgery seems to be mainly staffed by non doctors - nurse practitioners and paramedic practitioners. But they should all introduce themselves with their actual title, so I would complain.

I'm so sorry for your diagnosis. The good news is the delay of only a few days between seeing the doctor who diagnosed you shouldn't impact shouldn't put you at any more risk.

I would definitely complain about his dismissive attitude and lack of referral - although I wouldn't get worked up about him calling self a medic. He is a medic. My NHS App linked to my surgery always displays the title of whoever I am seeing.

A PA correctly referred me for am urgent skin cancer diagnosis and dealt with my brilliantly so I wouldn't tar all of them with the same brush.

Yes definitely complain.
I'm an HCA- I would never let someone believe I'm a registered nurse even though I used to be one.
I'm not even sure what a physician associate is!!! But I'm glad you saw a proper dr in the end, I hope your treatment for your cancer goes well.

That other scenario didnt' happen though, I mean you didn't just leave.

What was the timeline, how long ago did you see the PA and when did you get your diagnosis?

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis and wish you all the best for the treatment.
If you can find the strength to do so, you should definitely complain.
You were misled - (twice) - you were told you had an appointment with an emergency "doctor" and then the PA introduced himself as "one of the medics" which is also misleading.
He was dismissive but fortunately you were not convinced and asked to see another doctor who referred you immediately.
Someone else might not have been as on the ball and you and gone home thinking they had overreacted and tried not to worry. That could have meant that weeks went by before they decided to "bother" the doctor again and any delay with things like kidney cancer is critical.
These PAs are dangerous in my opinion. The more people who complain, the better. It's just not acceptable. They don't have the knowledge and training to identify when something is serious and needs an immediate referral.

Definitely complain however medic is a legitimate term for anyone working in medicine and not just for doctors, so I'd leave that bit out.

PAs have had less training than an Fy1- the most junior, and most supervised of doctors, unable to work outside an approved setting.

The government thinks the plebs won't notice they're replacing doctors with novices.

Please do complain. There is growing unease amongst the medical community about how PA roles are being used. Advance practitioners (I am one) are regulated experienced staff( 30 years in my case) with very limited roles in specialist areas and alot of additional regulated training. I always ensure I explain I'm not a doctor but work in my case as an advanced practice physio, who can prescribe , diagnose ect. BUT if I see red flag ( ie your weight loss) I know what to do.

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, I hope you are now receiving the treatment you need.

It’s important to complain in cases like yours. Thankfully you were able to advocate for yourself but not everyone does. The fact your GP was so quick to react shows the incompetence of the PA.

My GP surgery trains student doctors. Everyone I have seen has been really thorough, at every appointment they have liaised with or brought one of the GPs into the appointment. They have had more training than a PA but have far closer supervision.

Yes I would absolutely complain. This was a serious miscalculation.

If your average layperson knows that unexplained weight loss can indicate something serious, then I would expect both a PA and the receptionist to have made sure you saw a GP urgently.

I wouldn't complain about the fact he is a medic , but that he was dismissive of red flag symptoms .

Definitely complain - regardless of their title they should have been suitably qualified to see you based on your symptoms and concern, which they weren't having missed a bloody obvious massive red flag.

It'd be clear to me someone saying they were "one of the medics" isn't a doctor, otherwise they'd have said they were a doctor

There are conmen, fantasists, ill people and others who attempt to pass themselves as registered medical practitioners. The GMC have no role in investigating this, the most they can do is confirm whether or not someone is a registered medical practitioner. Their remit ceases if the person is not. It is then potentially a matter for a different regulatory body, the criminal justice system or elsewhere.

As others have said, PAs don't have registration with the GMC or anyone else.

The BMA is opposed to PAs being registered with the GMC i.e. the same body that doctors are registered with, as it continues to blur the role and contributes to confusion.

Doctors are not universally comfortable with the whole situation.

The Emily Chesterton case (which should have a straight forward diagnosis of DVT leading to pulmonary embolism) highlighted how easy it is for supervision to fail when it is not clearly defined.

Going with P Associate rather the P Assistant (from the US) is problematic as it suggests independent practice and misleads. Everyone knows what Assistant means.

And junior doctors (our future consultants) seem to find themselves given the menial tasks that PAs don't want, which impacts on their training and creates a crisis down the road when we don't have adequately trained Consultants.

Thank you @TokyoStories , sounds like a recipe for disaster unless properly supervised and regulated. Very unsatisfactory. Best wishes to OP, hope your recovery soon under way.

The GMC should investigate if they're passing themselves as registered medical practitioners.

Complaining to the GMC about a PA is a waste of time and energy as PAs are not regulated by the GMC, or by anyone, at present.

A bio degree followed by a two-year full time masters in physician associate studies, which is an intensive course that takes place in a medical school.