Physician Associate Studies

Academic year 2025/26

Physician Associate placement dates for all cohorts are below.

Year 2 students (August 2024 intake):

• Secondary Care 1: 6 October 2025 – 19 December 2025 (11 weeks total)
• Primary Care 2: 26 January 2026 – 27 February 2026 (5 weeks total)
• Secondary Care 2: 2 March 2026 – 3 April 2026 (5 weeks total)
• Secondary Care 3: 20 April 2026 – 22 May 2026 (4 weeks) and 8 June 2026 – 26 June 2026 (3 weeks)

Find out more about supporting, supervising and assessing students in practice.

In light of the recent General Medical Council (GMC) registration of Physician Associates, the Physician Associates (PA) student placement portfolio has undergone review. As a result there are some differences between the portfolio that was used in year one compared to the updated portfolio for year two. Electronic communications regarding this will be sent to all appropriate practice partners/placement providers accordingly.

UWE Bristol and the Physician Associate programme team encourage all practice educators and placement supervisors to undertake training in supporting students whilst on placement. Practice educators and placement supervisors are recommended to complete the online self-study UWE Bristol course Supporting Students in Practice. The aim of the Supporting Students in Practice course is to provide an understanding of the principles of supporting students in practice.

This course is suitable for all healthcare professionals supporting students in practice. You will be directed to profession-specific material during the course.

This course is self-directed learning which you can undertake over a period of three to four months. There are no specific times or dates to undertake this course, but you must apply for a specific start date to be enrolled.

View programme information:

• MSc Physician Associate Studies programme overview
• Updated 2025/2026 handbook
• Placement funding overview (PPTX) for placement providers

Course dates: Academic year 2025/2026

• Term 1: 25 August – 19 December 2025
• Term 2: 5 January – 3 March 2026
• Term 3: 20 April – 17 July 2026

Whilst on placement all students are expected to adhere to the standards as outlined in GMC's Good Medical Practice.

Find more information on GMC's Education for Physician Associates.

• Student login: UWE ARC POW (Placements on the Web)
• Placement provider login: UWE ARC PEP (Placement Environment Profile and Audit)

Student appearance

Whilst on placement students will be expected to adhere to the following guidance on appearance:

• UWE student Physician Associate name badge and UWE-branded lanyard.
• UWE branded ‘Caribbean blue’ scrubs. If these are unavailable, then students are permitted to wear trust/placement provider-approved scrubs, or smart professional attire (when working in primary care).
• Comfortable, clean, work appropriate footwear.
• Professional standards of personal hygiene are expected at all times.

From time-to-time staff including clinical staff, academic staff, support staff and administrative staff may have concerns about individual students. Concerns may vary in nature – from students who become withdrawn and about whom a member of staff is worried, to students whose attitude or behaviour is inappropriate. Placement providers should contact the programme team as soon as is possible to inform them of concerns.

Guidance for raising concerns

If you have any queries or questions about the Physician Associate Studies programme or require placement related support, please contact PPO Allocations in the first instance.

• Email: ppoallocations@uwe.ac.uk