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Article: Medical degrees lasting two years created to fill shortage of GPs 'Two years of training does not qualify you to treat patients in the same way as a GP'
- Article from:
- The Sunday Telegraph London
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 The Sunday Telegraph London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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DOCTOR'S "ASSOCIATES", who will treat patients after just two
years of study, are to be introduced to Britain in an attempt to
rectify the shortage of general practitioners.
A new honours degree course for the role is being piloted by
Birmingham University, based on the training given to "physician
assistants" in America, and lasting a third of the time it takes to
train full doctors.
Graduates will be allowed to treat patients in surgeries and
hospital accident and emergency departments. They would perform
physical examinations, diagnose illness, treat mental health
problems, monitor low-risk pregnancies, and order and interpret