Associate Specialist - Difference From Consultants

Difference From Consultants

An associate specialist is normally reached by doctors taking what is known as the non-consultant career path which involved becoming (after being a Foundation Doctor) a staff grade and then reaching this rank with seniority. It was however possible for anyone not yet a consultant to leave the consultant career path and take up either this rank or staff grade depending on experience.

An associate specialist is a hospital doctor and is generally treated as a senior doctor. Pay is usually lower than that of a consultant (though as associate specialists sometimes have fewer duties they may be also be paid less overall).

The main difference between an associate specialist and a consultant is that an associate specialist is more of a for-hire role, generally called in to look at specific patients, or treat a list of patients with one common specific ailment. Associate specialists can be part time or work across many hospitals far more easily than consultants can, and are often not responsible for the teaching and supervision of medical students and junior doctors. They will generally perform less management duties and spend more time on patient care.

The Associate Specilaist Grade is no longer open to new entrants since the 2008 Specialty Doctor contract was introduced. However there remains some 6,000 Associate Specialists in England alone.