Adam Skeen @Adam_Skeen Twitter profile

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Adam Skeen

2 months

Lots of rambling, and no clear answer to the question. If the VP of @RCPhysicians can’t figure it out, how on earth are patients supposed to know?

DoctorsVote 🦀 #TellThemAgain

@Doctors_Vote

2 months

When asked directly what the difference was between a doctor and a PA, the RCP came up empty. 🔴The VP admits the distinction of the role is very important. 🔴The VP fails to distinguish the difference of roles. 🔴The VP concedes that scope of PAs will expand in the future.…

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

I’m a former Physician Associate now at medical school. After 4 years more training, with more responsibility on day 1 of work, I will be taking at least an £11k pay cut from what I’d be earning as a PA. Going from PA to Doctor should be a promotion, with pay to reflect this.

Milo Kostusiak

@MiloKostusiak

1 month

This table shows an hourly pay for doctors and #physicianassociates Doctors only start to out earn a PA by 5th year post graduation IF they progress through their career without any breaks, but around 80% of doctors do FY3. So in reality, most only start to out earn PA in PGY 6

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 year

I’m a PA now at medical school. You are not doing 5 years of med school in 2.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

This is: Nonsense. This has everything to do with patient safety, and nothing to do with punching down. PA scope must be clearly defined and appropriate to the minimum standard of a newly qualified PA. Current free rein is unsafe, unacceptable and being exploited by trusts.

IncogPA

@IncogAssociate

1 month

This is: Scapegoating Elitism Protectionism This has NOTHING to do with patient safety. This is: You do not have 'Dr' in front of your name so you can not care for patients. You can not join our club. You can't sit with us. Punching down. Nothing to be proud of. #RCPEGM

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

There’s a whole group of us former PAs now at med school, we’d love to be consulted on this stuff. We have valuable insight - use it.

Meg 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦💙👩🏻‍⚕️🇮🇳🏏🎥🇬🇧⚽️

@Megsenmumdr

2 months

@guidelinexpert @Adam_Skeen could have answered this question much better But of course they didn’t want to give proper answers, just a jumble of words

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians Yeah, pretty much. We were told we were covering most of the same clinical content and sitting exams from the same question bank. I now know this clearly was not the case.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

9 months

@DrEilidhMaria @ExplosiveEnema I had a degree in Pharmacology before training as a PA. Add in my PA degree and 9 months of clinical practice and I still hadn’t scratched the surface of what we covered in pre-clinical year of GEM. Pharmacology + PA course also doesn’t make me ready to prescribe

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians Unlike many PAs I’m comfortable admitting I had always wanted to be a doctor. Due to circumstance (financial and geographical) I couldn’t. I became a PA. Just weeks into the course I was dissatisfied with the deficiencies of the PA course. It wasn’t satisfying me academically

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

5 months

Sounds like the department could’ve benefitted from more doctors.

Sandy Thomson

@DrSandyThomson

5 months

I’ve worked hard not to be drawn into the PA debate on Twitter, as it’s impossible to have nuanced reflection in limited space. However, as we come to end of the year, I reflect that without the PAs in our dept, service would have collapsed at times. Valued & valuable.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Can confirm this answer is NONE.

Dr Sandeep Bansal

@iDrSunny

2 months

Sorry, how much medical microbiology do PA students do on their course? They are now essentially working as a microbiology reg

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

I'd recommend speaking to those who have been to both PA and medical school. We'd gladly help you navigate this mess. Fancy a chat? cc @dx_mighty @TheEMboardround

GMC

@gmcuk

2 months

We’ll soon be running a consultation to help develop our approach to regulating PAs and AAs. In this, we’ll be asking for views on the detail of draft rules, standards and guidance for PA and AA regulation, covering four key areas: 🔵education and training 🔵registration…

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

I get furious every time I see this. Many PA courses are severely deficient in pharmacology and prescribing content - mine included. Prescribing is an integral part of primary medical qualifications and is assessed as such. The downplaying of medical degrees has to stop.

Cleverclogs

@Cleverclog67596

2 months

Who is this? ‘PA/AAs can and must prescribe and unlike med students they are trained in prescribing/safe prescribing’ Has the whole world gone mad? How can a 2 year course compare with a medical degree?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

There is no shame in admitting this is the case. Couldn’t get into medical school? It’s hard, loads of great candidates take a few attempts! Can’t afford to keep trying or put your life on hold? Fair enough! But be honest about it. If you’ve settled for PA, settle for the scope.

Donya Mighty

@dx_mighty

2 months

It really irks me when PA colleagues say they never wanted to be a Dr. We all wanted to be similar to a Dr without the life of a Dr. Some didn’t get into medicine and went for PA instead and are either happy with their decision or have “settled” for being a PA.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians The PA course feels intense, and so I think it becomes easy to believe you must be cramming so much in. In reality med school is just as intense and lasts 4-6 years 😂.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Great to hear that @wesstreeting is listening and now shares our concerns about Physician Associates. Talking to @ShelaghFogarty @LBC he makes clear that PAs must not be used as doctor substitutes, and recognises there is an unacceptable discrepancy in pay. Listen here

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

7 months

@chriscraigCCC @HYBRIDVIGOURMD @Dr_Done_ @veggieequallife @iDrSunny I also did a biomedical degree and got a first. I then trained and worked as a PA. Now I’m at medical school. I concur with this.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians I powered through and got a job I loved in acute medicine. I was well supported by consultants and registrars who I looked up to. I knew I wanted their job. I knew the only way to get there (morally) was medical school, so here I am! (And I mostly love it!)

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

Why are we putting doctors through this? YEARS of rigorous exams at med school. At least 2 years post qualification experience. And yet PAs walk straight into any speciality they choose, based on their application and interview.

Dr Luke

@DrLuke1994

3 months

Incredibly disheartened by my MSRA results as it is pretty much already apparent that (miracle excepting), for a third year running, I won't be able to get a job in the area I want. I'm jaded and disillusioned by the system, our leaders, and my career as a whole...

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

I have no doubt that it is a difficult time to be a physician associate or student PA. Most will go into the role with best intentions to help look after patients and do their best. Some will have been miss sold the role. Some will, like me, want to be a doctor but face barriers

Chris Subbe

@csubbe

2 months

Is this part of a bullying culture: Those trying 2 keep the system running in impossible circumstances r blamed 2 keep trying? Many #physicianassociates colleagues R doing amazing work #caring 4 patients in places where doctors did not want to work. @civilitysaves #compassion

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

And honestly? Plenty of this is on you guys. Failure to hold accountable those who exploited the lack of regulation for their own career gain. Those who harmed their patients through lack of knowledge and insight. And those who thought this was the easy way to “do medicine”.

Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

The PAs pushing back against this need to stop and reflect on why this offends them? Surely you want clarity? Defined scope? Regulation done right? You should be backing this too.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians Gosh, difficult question! It's a very multifaceted issue with a lot of mess to unpick. For this reason, a pause in recruitment to PA programs and roles has to happen. 1) Define scope nationally - has to be based on lowest common denominator given lack of standardisation.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

The PAs pushing back against this need to stop and reflect on why this offends them? Surely you want clarity? Defined scope? Regulation done right? You should be backing this too.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

and to any PAs reading: Sorry if you feel let down. I really didn't appreciate how different medical school was until I did it myself. My advice? If you can, go to medical school, you'll learn a load and it's mostly great. Your patients deserve you as a doctor.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians And I didn’t feel like it was preparing me well for the role I was working towards. It was essentially “teach yourself the matrix” alongside learning how to go through the motions of examination and history taking. I kept asking for the “how” and “why”, to be told we didn’t need

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians Without wanting to be controversial, we need to consider if what we really need is just more doctors, more nursing staff and better IT and admin support. In which case, does the role need to be phased out in favour of actual assistants?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians and certainly GEM is more intense. We had 2 exams around every 8 weeks, and 8 more at the end of the year.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

8 months

Donya is PA and a medical student. A PA ambassador has targeted her and removed her from a professional networking group @BuddyAssociate because she is training to be a doctor, thereby isolating her from colleagues. This is unprofessional with strong anti-doctor undertones.

Donya Mighty

@dx_mighty

8 months

I just want to start by saying I really didn't want to take this to social media and had hoped to resolve the issue privately. But this has not happened and I feel this kind of behaviour from someone in a position of responsibility needs to be called out. 🧵(1/9)

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

They are, in huge numbers. A practice locally advertised a single salaried GP role and got ~30 applications. They’re literally falling over eachother to find stable employment.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians 2) Improve working terms an conditions for doctors - many PAs are bright people who thought "sod that" when seeing what doctors put up with atm. 3)Fix broken medical education (see above) 4)Improve GEM funding and, once capacity allows, expand numbers.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

4 years

What do you call a vampire who gives anti-coagulants to make blood sucking easier? DOACula 🧛‍♂️ (Sorry, not sorry)

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@csubbe @civilitysaves Then perhaps we should be incentivising doctors to work there? Otherwise we're accepting a post code lottery for our patients and whether they have access to doctors or less qualified Physician Associates (I can say that - I was one).

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians 6) PAs unable/unwilling to do so, will remain in the workforce in the appropriate scope of practice. There is no backdoor entry to medicine, and on the job experience cannot = increased scope and responsibility.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Despite this, I'm here shouting loudly about my concerns with the role. IT IS NOT PERSONAL. PAs have be sold a lie. Leaders have failed to lead, with scope, patient safety, regulation and standards all an inconvenient after thought.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

More leaders like Prof Kar please.

Partha S Kar 🇮🇳🇬🇧🏏🎥

@parthaskar

2 months

Ok then I am breaking ranks As Councillor @RCPhysicians Open letter to council Time for senior leadership to consider their positions Silence is complicity And that? Isn’t me Enough. #RCPEGM

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

The #RCPEGM result shows that the majority of voting fellows share this concern. This caution in project PA expansion is about fixing the mess created by poor leadership from all involved parties. We’ve all been let down. Patients. PAs. Doctors. Now? We fix it.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

The answer is quite simple. Doctors are highly trained medical experts, skilled in diagnostic reasoning, therapeutics and managing complexity in their respective fields. Physician Associates are not.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians 5) With improved funding for all, PAs willing and able to (entry requirements as normal) should be supported to do GEM locally to them. Or HCP-Med style programs (Edinburgh uni style) Many don't like this idea, but I think it's an important step to get us out of this mess.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

I'm incredibly proud to again be endorsed by @Doctors_Vote in the current election for Medical Student Representatives to @TheBMA UK National Council.

DoctorsVote 🦀 #TellThemAgain

@Doctors_Vote

2 months

Voting is now open in the UK Council elections. If you are a medical student member of the BMA, please look out for a ballot paper in the post in the coming days. All ballots must be returned by the 8th of April. It is essential to vote for medical students who represent…

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians 7) Alongside this, we need to look at what gap we're trying to fill with the PA role. Based on this, the training needs to be reformed and standardised. This has to be led by the medical profession, as the ones who will be supervising.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

This is perfect. Clearly identifiable registered health professionals should be the standard. @theRCN to follow suit with "REGISTERED NURSE" please.

Sumi Manirajan 🦀 #TellThemAgain

@sumitriptan

3 months

I’ve had a very special delivery today. Coming to hospitals near you. (yes they’re double sided) #AskForADoctor @BMA_JuniorDocs

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

If people could stop talking rubbish about a topic they know nothing about, that would be grand.

whatsinaname??

@thatsnotmine125

2 months

@Microbedoc2 @BMA_James_Steen @FPARCP Again, not earn less. Basic pay is less - they never earn basic pay.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

4 months

@ABarotchi1 @ExplosiveEnema Yes this is true. But then 29/30 students on my PA course passed with distinction. The one who didn’t got a merit. Does that suggest rigorous assessment?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Physician Associates can also be skilled, but they are not expert medical professionals. They have the sort of broad medical knowledge and skills required to support medical teams, but not to see undifferentiated or complex patients. Their job descriptions should reflect this.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

There are a minority of nasty voices amongst the many wonderful, compassionate and hard-working doctors trying to advocate for patients. Yes, we need to stamp that out where we see it, but DO NOT shut down this essential debate as bullying or in the name of #BeKind .

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

My PA course had a single afternoon session dedicated to all of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. This is my bread and butter as I previously studied pharmacology. Most of my colleagues left the session bamboozled, but never returned to the topic as it wasn’t assessed.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

Attention medical students! I am once again asking for you to vote for me in the election for Medical Student Representative to BMA Council. Please return your ballot papers and encourage your medical student colleagues to vote for me and my fellow @Doctors_Vote candidates.

Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

I'm incredibly proud to again be endorsed by @Doctors_Vote in the current election for Medical Student Representatives to @TheBMA UK National Council.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@wesstreeting @TheBMA Wes states there is a strong signal that current PA use is not safe for patients. We need an immediate pause on PA recruitment and to set clear national scope ahead of regulation. Vote motion 5 ✅ #RCPEGM

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Medical students of twitter! Please see the below thread on why I think you should vote for me in the elections for medical student representative on @TheBMA ( @BMAstudents ) council. Voting packs should be arriving by post this week. Endorsed by @Doctors_Vote .

Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

I'm incredibly proud to again be endorsed by @Doctors_Vote in the current election for Medical Student Representatives to @TheBMA UK National Council.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

This debate doesn't need to be nasty. The issues are as clear as day, and leaders need to stop and listen NOW. The failure to listen to doctors has lead to a boiling over of frustrations and this is on them.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

8 months

I think @ERunswickBMA shared a great anecdote about microwaves. Something along the lines of no staff microwaves, so asked to use managements microwaves daily. Management got annoyed and bought staff microwaves. Maybe staff need to start asking to use their sanitary bins daily?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Valuable input from Dru here. Nicely illustrates the significant variance in PA course content and quality between HEIs. This is clearly an argument for regulation and standardisation of PA courses, but unfortunately that ship has sailed, with PAs in the workforce already.

Dru

@doctor_dru_

2 months

My experience is different to Adam’s here. My PA MSc had 2-3 hours per week throughout the first year of “Pharmacology, Prescribing & Therapeutics” and 5 or 6 half-day prescribing masterclasses in the second year. It was actually probably the strongest part of the course

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@DrInsurgent @Bonivorlewis @DrLindaDykes @fiercerabbit2 @jewett6a @iDrSunny Apparently not 100% pass rate. This week we've identified a PA working in Primary Care having failed in the Sept/Oct diet.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

How can we say it’s safe to regulate all existing PAs in the workforce when they’re trained to such varying standards? How can we in good faith continue to train and qualify more PAs or agree appropriate scope before this is fully resolved? Vote Motion 5 ✅ #RCPEGM

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@deeleyc6 @LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians @doctor_oxford @JanetEastham @natalieben @JimBethell @KeeleyMP @wesstreeting Still a med student with lots more to learn. Can call me doctor in August 2026! 🤞

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@Oldboatie @LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians I’m at medical school now training to be a doctor!

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@AmarHujan Also dislike the implication that qualified GPs are somehow picky if they want locum work while there is a growing market for locum PAs. Doctors deserve flexibility and choice to fit their lifestyle and family needs too!

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Absolutely. That’s a balanced decision GPs can make. But now it’s the case that quiet patches are turning into complete work droughts, with locums now scrambling to find salaried posts that are drying up in favour of well funded PA posts (ARRS).

Toni Hazell

@tonihazellgp

2 months

@Adam_Skeen @AmarHujan True - but locuming comes with reduced job security. You can't have the flexibility and higher hourly rate of locuming, and the job security of salaried at the same time. If you locum, you need to expect and have planned for some quiet patches.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@csubbe @civilitysaves people keep telling us we're silly for worrying about a 2 tier service. If PAs are being use to staff harder to serve areas, is that not exactly what this is?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians But ultimately it was a widening participation issue. If GEM was well funded, I’d have applied to my strengths and not been limited to the North East. Instead I had to strike lucky meeting my incredible other half who was willing to support me through med school.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

After this, the only pharmacology and prescribing was algorithmic learning of “for this condition the first line is ____ and second line is _____. A commonly examined side effect is ___” on repeat. Minimal understanding required.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Sometimes it felt personal. It felt like because people had concerns about the role, or didn't see its value, that I wasn't good enough. I imagine there are many PAs out there now feeling exactly the same as I did, if not worse, as the debate grows louder and louder.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 month

@lewisthughes Not that I or any of my PA to Dr colleagues are aware of. Would love to hear from anyone who knows otherwise!

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

IMPORTANT. Statement of concern regarding the @RCPhysicians EGM occurring tomorrow. Please read and share, including with RCP fellows not on twitter.

Trisha Greenhalgh

@trishgreenhalgh

2 months

Tomorrow (13 March), there will be an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Royal College of Physicians on Physician Associates. We called this meeting because of concerns about patient safety. Please read and circulate our STATEMENT OF CONCERN about how the EGM is being set up.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

For me the issue is the lack of repercussions. It is within @FPARCP power to prevent this individual from joining the register in future, and prevent future joining of statutory register. But they won’t.

Dr Sandeep Bansal

@iDrSunny

2 months

A PA that is working in primary care at a GP surgery without having cleared the national exam and without registration on the PAMVR was brought to my attention. I emailed the @FPARCP , her employer and @CareQualityComm Here’s the response from FPA If I’m a PA I would be upset…

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Part 2 @wesstreeting states he is ready to discuss this with @TheBMA after the general election. Why not talk to us now? There is a lot to unpick and at pace. We need to start NOW.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@Dr_Done_ Gosh they really struggled over what the kidneys do…

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

There may be some assessment on how to transcribe a drug from the BNF onto a paper drug chart. Fluid prescribing did not consider anything about fluid physiology or appropriate assessment of fluid balance.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

8 months

@DrEilidhMaria @mmamas1973 My paeds teaching as a PA was completing the “spotting the sick child” course, and a very short placement. I think I joined a couple the 3rd year paeds teaching sessions at my placement too. Not much at all, and not safe to then work in paeds or primary care seeing paeds.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Being a PA student in 2019-2021 was challenging enough, with questions about the role starting to appear as the PA project expansion accelerated. I often felt a bit hopeless and demotivated by online anti-PA sentiments or subtle comments made to me on wards.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@Microbedoc2 @IncogAssociate @TheBMA With Associate Physician thrown in for good measure

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@Bonivorlewis @fiercerabbit2 @jewett6a @iDrSunny Do you not see how absurd it is that there isn't a clear answer to this question while there are 4500 of you out there treating patients?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@DrDMcGregor @UMAPsUK It’s amusing that their posts are so absurd that you say with such confidence it’s a doctor run parody and “pathetic”. In fact it’s the official account of what MAPs hope will be their trade union.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@DrDMcGregor @UMAPsUK I know one of the PAs behind it. They’re partnered with the locumPA agency. They have a registered company and are accepting money for membership.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

8 months

How does this hospital think this at all ok? A employer failing to provide the most basic sanitary equipment for their staff is unacceptable, even worse to see this from a healthcare service.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

5 months

@DrEilidhMaria Hardly anything to my recollection. Theory/underpinning pharmacology - 2 lectures in PK/PD. Told not examined, so did people bother to learn? Then nothing beyond “give x for y”, some side effects, and written skills bit of “transcribing” a drugs/fluid chart, which was assessed.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@iDrSunny Have seen similar twice on two different placements this academic year.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

10 months

@cannula_service Talks about elitism of wanting an office, but couldn’t possibly have the title or uniform of her blood taker…

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

4 months

@ABarotchi1 @ExplosiveEnema Compare this to my similarly sized GEM year 1 cohort. 7 distinctions.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@timricketts_ @pepemac27 The population is only getting younger after all.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@thomaswoodcock @Microbedoc2 @9nzmwjkxmyP @drmattuk @Molly2323232323 @scrubsblues @JanetEastham @TheDA_UK @TheBMA Yes. Just like departments carry out OGD and colonoscopies following requests submitted by non-doctors. I know so because I have seen so - a lot has changed since you relinquished registration it seems.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@DrEilidhMaria @BiochemistDan @ishpoo43 @dx_mighty Plus the PA course while classed as an MSc is kind of an imposter level 7 course IMO. The content is around year 3 med school, which is level 6 iirc. The dissertation is a glorified quality improvement project.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

5 months

@DrEilidhMaria I personally do not think that many PA courses are sufficient for PAs to become prescribers, even by the non-medical prescriber (NMP)route in its current form. The baseline knowledge and experience is not comparable to nurses, pharmacists, paramedics etc who do NMP.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Thanks @natalieben - great that solutions being discussed, but I would not support these measures without first fixing funding for all medical students. We actually met in Hexham Abbey in 2016 and briefly discussed medical student funding. Would love to discuss further!

Natalie Bennett

@natalieben

2 months

A really useful, thoughtful thread from a Physician Associate who is now studying to be a doctor. One suggestion made to me is that the government should offer all PAs the option to do so without fees. (Of course @TheGreenParty supports no fees for all)

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

For the FRCPs out there: VOTE IN FAVOUR OF MOTION 5 #RCPEGM @djnicholl @parthaskar @mmamas1973 @DrAsifQasim @trishgreenhalgh @DrLKVaughan

Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc @RCPhysicians Gosh, difficult question! It's a very multifaceted issue with a lot of mess to unpick. For this reason, a pause in recruitment to PA programs and roles has to happen. 1) Define scope nationally - has to be based on lowest common denominator given lack of standardisation.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

5 months

@Bonivorlewis @_MarieTolan Ok, so you want to dump all clinical responsibility with the doctor? Either the doctor has to come and review the entire thing again (so what’s the point of the PA) or prescribes based on the story presented (likely with great confidence) to them.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

Life Peers are selected for areas of expertise needed in the upper chamber. She is using said expertise to raise concerns. The BMA is both a union and a professional body for doctors, so her membership is not a shock. This isn’t the “gotcha” you think it is. Try again.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

1 year

@ollieburtonmed I think a big issue here is specialities which punish people for not getting in but continuing to work as locum or trust grade in their speciality of choice (e.g. obs and gynae) for >2 years. Not very fair in a system with huge oversubscription.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

It can still be immensely rewarding as a career, but we have to be clear on the limits. If it isn’t enough? Apply to medical school (if you can). People like me are fighting to improve funding and make this more feasible for everyone.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@parthaskar @dannyjnwong @FPARCP @FPARCP are basically invisible to the outside world. Statements only ever to their membership. Twitter largely inactive. Very poor comms.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@Bonivorlewis @DrInsurgent @DrLindaDykes @fiercerabbit2 @jewett6a @iDrSunny Now if I did that I'd be accused of a pile on.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

4 months

@Jcalcolado @parthaskar @AstonMedicine @RCPhysicians @RobJimFleming @OrthopodReg @trishgreenhalgh @morefluids @Rezaidi @doctor_oxford @doctorhelgi @DrSelvarajah @drphiliplee1 @eveosh Are you able to share what the examiner requirements are? I think we need absolute transparency on this. I know of PAs examining at other medical schools.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

3 months

@iDrSunny Would it be considered negligent of a practice or trust if they employed a PA who had not passed PANE and registered on MVR, and they went on to cause harm in their role?

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

Medical leaders back rise in number of physician associates

Cautious backing for rise in number of physician associates

The doctors’ union is concerned about patient safety because of a new law regulating those roles.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@thatsnotmine125 Several hundred spread across the country. Doctors should not have to move across the country to the job they’re highly trained for, all because the government want to push the PA project while financially crippling practices.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

8 months

The decision to remove Donya is divisive and short sighted. At a time when the PA role is under increasing scrutiny, those of us with experience and insight on both sides are key in finding a fair way forward, and balancing the increasingly polarised debate.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

4 months

@First_Neptunian @TheSalariedPA Only 2/30 of my PA course were HCP background. One had never worked clinically, the other <2 years experience in the job pre PA. Neither of their courses would have sufficiently covered preclinical medicine.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

And Donya is absolutely right. Many people choose the life being a PA offers whilst hoping achieve the career of a doctor. Life as a doctor is currently quite rubbish, but it’s better we work together to improve this, not cut corners while making the situation worse for dr and pt

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

4 months

@First_Neptunian @TheSalariedPA I’m growing tired of this argument to be honest. Having clinical experience is of course helpful, but doesn’t make up for lack of foundational knowledge that is quite specific to medical degrees. The PA is course is clinically focussed and so experience does not make up for

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

2 months

@LittlePersonDoc What’s more troubling is how varied this is between PA courses, and yet we treat all graduates as equal. If given prescribing responsibilities in future, it will be available to even those with the most minimal pharmacology education.

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Adam Skeen

@Adam_Skeen

5 months

@Bonivorlewis @_MarieTolan On their own enough to initiate potentially inappropriate therapy (IV fluids in a patient with apparently congested lungs) which could cause harm in the time waiting to discuss. And seemingly very confident despite a bizarre interpretation of the X-ray and clinical picture.

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