From today, the Medical Council can begin registering physician associates (PAs) after rule changes earlier this year.
The role is hoped to unlock more pairs of hands for medical care and attract more overseas workers to rural practices.
Despite the role being newly regulated in NZ, physician associates are recognised medical professionals in healthcare systems around the world – particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada.
They work alongside doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to support the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of patients.
Health minister Simeon Brown previously explained it was a “mid-level role” – the medical paradigm’s equivalent of a nurse practitioner – working under the strict supervision of a doctor, helping with various tasks and taking the pressure off.
There had been some resistance to regulating the role, with health workers saying replacing them with PAs would be a poor use of money.
But the New Zealand Physician Associate Society hoped formalising their roles within the NZ system would improve access to timely care for patients.
About 60 PAs were already working in urban and rural communities throughout Aotearoa, in primary care and other clinical settings, it said.
Regulating the progression meant putting in place defined professional standards and ensuring accountability to the public.
All physician associates working in New Zealand had been trained internationally, due to the previous lack of regulation or training programmes.
The change meant local training can be put in place.
The New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association (NZRDA), union for junior doctors, urged people to be aware of the difference between doctors and physician associates – and remember they always had to right to clarify, and ask to see a doctor.
Dr Deborah Powell, national secretary of the NZRDA, said overseas evidence had shown confusion over this role had led to serious patient harm, and in the worst cases, preventable deaths.
A report in The Guardian last year said a government review in the United Kingdom has shown NHS physician associates should be banned from diagnosing patients who had not already been seen by a doctor.
Another, in the UK’s The Times, said PAs had been accused of stealing jobs, confusing patients and failing to prevent at least four deaths.
“Patient safety must continue to remain of utmost priority, which requires clear informed consent. PAs must clearly state they are not a doctor in every single interaction, so that patients can make an informed decision in their own care,” Powell said.