Physician Associate (Level 7)
Physician Associates are healthcare professionals who work alongside registered doctors and provide medical care as an integral part of a wider healthcare team. They are dependent practitioners, which means that they must work with a dedicated medical supervisor, but are able to work autonomously with appropriate support. They can be found working in GP surgeries, accident and emergency departments, care homes and hospitals. Physician associates are medically trained to provide all aspects of health care to patients, including: consultation, assessment, treatment and management of their health care. They can take medical histories, perform physical examinations, request and interpret investigations, diagnose and manage patients, and perform an extensive range of specialised procedural skills within their scope of practice.
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Duration
48 months
Most Suitable For
Those wanting to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to become a Physician Associate.
Award
Level 7 Physician Associate Degree Apprenticeship Award and a Master's Degree (MSc) in Physician Associate
Programme Cost
£17,000.
The Government have announced that for any Level 7 apprenticeship intakes starting 1st January 2026 onwards, employers can not use Levy or Government Co-investment to pay for the tuition fee. Employers will therefore need to finance 100% of the tuition fee. The only exceptions will be if the apprentice is aged 16 to 21, or Under 25 and either a care leaver or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) at the start of their apprenticeship.
Tuition fee financial support options and instructions on how to apply for these are detailed in our Apprenticeships Process Employer Guide.
Additional Funding
- If apprentice is under the age of 25, Employer may not have to pay Class 1 Employer National Insurance. Full details and criteria are found here.
- For apprenticeships starting between 1 August 2024 - 31 July 2026, employer may be eligible for £1,000 if apprentice is aged 16 - 18 years old (or 15 years of age if the apprentice’s 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31 August); or aged between 19 and 24 years old and has either an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by their local authority and / or has been, or are, in the care of their local authority. Full details and criteria are found within the relevant DfE Funding Rules.
- Some Councils are providing incentive payments to local small employers who recruit and employ young apprentices. To find out more, including eligibility and how to apply for an incentive, please visit Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub (details within the GRANT presentation)
- Lancashire County Council incentive is £3,000 for 100 Lancashire employers
- Chorley Council incentive is £1,500 for Chorley employers
- Fylde Borough Council incentive is £5,000 for Fylde employers recruiting a new apprentice who is a Fylde resident.
Start Date
This course is awaiting validation. The university are aiming to offer intakes from September 2024 (information events and applications will be available in 2024)
Teaching Delivery
tbc
Key Learning Requirements
Apprenticeships require learners to achieve specific new knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. These are achieved by;
1) Programme Teaching; TBC
2) Independent study; such as assignment/project research and write up
3) Learning in the workplace; shadowing colleagues, completing programme assigned work based projects, day-to-day development within your current role duties/work activities, reflections with mentor, relevant training sessions.
4) Placements; External placements are required for this programme. Within the University planner, time mapped for placements are fixed. External placements are to be facilitated by the employer, the university will discuss this with the employer at application stage.
Modules
This programme has fixed module delivery (you are unable to choose the modules studied). A list of modules is available on the course webpage or course materials.
Placements
Placements are required.
Assessments
Apprentices will be assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations/evaluations and End Point Assessment.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
This information is subject to change following course validation.
• Employed 30 hours or more per week for the duration of the apprenticeship. The apprenticeship duration may be extended to support staff who work less than this (will be looked at on individual basis)
• English and Maths at GCSE grade C/4/Functional Skills Level 2/Equivalent or above are required at application stage due to the nature and level of the programme. An initial diagnostic assessment will also be completed by the Training Provider at application stage. If the candidate does not have the required certificates for either Maths and/or English, please contact the Training Hub Apprenticeship Team for options.
• An honours degree in a bioscience or health related subject. Other and non-standard qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Must be an NMC Registered Nurse/Midwife or HPC Registered AHP.
• All applications must be accompanied by a reference.
• All applicants must provide a satisfactory enhanced DBS check or international equivalent.
• All successful applicants will need to undergo occupational health screening (including tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C and HIV) prior to enrolment
Full requirements and details are found on the course webpage/information.
Key Employer Entry Requirements
• Ensure Learner has the support and opportunities to achieve the requirements of the apprenticeship
• Qualified Physician Associate or Doctor to mentor the apprentice, who is a qualified mentor/ trainer.
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
Yes
Application Timescale
It takes on average 2 – 3 months to complete all application stages for this programme.
If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages.
Additional Training Hub Support
Primary Care employees have access to:
Pathway
On successful completion of this apprenticeship, examples of further development via apprenticeship options could include; Coaching Professional, various Management/Leadership options. Skills England has an interactive
occupational maps tool which shows the variety of progression pathways using apprenticeships.
Career progression does not have to be linear. Entry criteria may differ per provider and even more varied routes may be available depending on the individuals prior learning and experience.
Information Last Updated
10/06/2025
Further Programme and Provider Information
If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Jane Rutt-Howard, Course Lead on [email protected]
How to Apply
If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship (either for yourself, a member of staff or a vacancy position), please complete the Primary Care Expression of Interest Form. This is for Primary Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria only. By completing the expression of interest form, the Training Hub Apprenticeships team will be able to complete basic pre-checks, provide you with personalised guidance, and start the programme application process for you. If you would like to discuss anything first, please email [email protected] or call Olivia, Apprenticeships Manager, on 07735161775. You can find out more about the stages of applying for an apprenticeship within our Apprenticeships Process - Employer Guide. Social Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria, please contact Dawn on [email protected]
