PARA content map: Decoding the GMC Blueprint

📘 1. What This Is Based On

This article is based on the official Physician Associate Registration Assessment (PARA) Content Map, published by the General Medical Council and updated December 2025.

Physician associate registration assessment (PARA) content map (GMC copyright)

The content map defines:

  • What knowledge may be tested

  • What clinical capabilities are expected

  • How the assessment is structured

  • What procedures newly qualified PAs must be competent in

If you are preparing for PARA, this is the blueprint.

🏛 2. The Structure of the PARA Content Map

Domain 1 – Professional Values & Behaviours

Covers:

  • Professional conduct

  • Duty of candour

  • Safeguarding

  • Legal & ethical responsibilities

  • Teamworking

  • Person-centred care

Primarily assessed in OSCE, but some aspects may appear in the Knowledge Test (KT).

Domain 2 – Clinical Capabilities

This is the majority of examinable content (page 6) 

Includes:

  • Communication skills

  • Diagnosis

  • Clinical management

  • Emergency care (ILS level)

  • Escalation and supervision awareness

  • Safe prescribing principles

  • Documentation

This is where most written questions are derived from.

Domain 3 – Areas of Clinical Practice

This is the system-based section most students focus on (page 8).

There are 18 areas of clinical practice:

  1. Acute & Emergency Care (inc. toxicology)

  2. Cardiovascular

  3. Child & Adolescent Health

  4. Clinical Haematology

  5. Dermatology

  6. ENT

  7. Ophthalmology

  8. Obstetrics & Gynaecology

  9. Endocrine & Metabolic

  10. Gastrointestinal

  11. Infection (inc. STIs)

  12. Mental Health

  13. Musculoskeletal

  14. Neurosciences

  15. Renal & Urology

  16. Respiratory

  17. Surgery

  18. Palliative & End of Life Care

Each section includes:

  • Presentations (e.g., chest pain, breathlessness)

  • Core conditions

  • Uncommon but critical conditions

 

🚨 Example: Acute & Emergency Care

On page 9, the official document lists presentations such as:

  • Chest pain

  • Sepsis

  • Collapse

  • Trauma

  • Seizure

  • Overdose

  • Wheeze

Core conditions include:

  • Acute coronary syndrome

  • Diabetic ketoacidosis

  • Pulmonary embolism

  • Pneumothorax

  • GI bleeding

  • Intracerebral haemorrhage

Uncommon but critical conditions include:

  • Aortic aneurysm & dissection

  • Cardiac tamponade

  • Compartment syndrome

  • Polytrauma

This demonstrates the exam’s emphasis on life-threatening recognition and prioritisation.

Domain 4  Professional Knowledge

Covers:

  • NHS structure

  • Evidence-based medicine

  • Health promotion

  • Teaching & learning

These areas may appear in scenario-based questions (page 20)

🔬 Core Procedures

Pages 21–22 define procedural competence required at registration

Examples include:

  • Venepuncture

  • Cannulation

  • Arterial blood gas (simulation)

  • 12-lead ECG

  • Urinary catheterisation

  • Nasogastric tube placement (simulation)

  • Oxygen administration

  • Drug dose calculations

  • Suturing and wound closure

All newly qualified PAs must be competent in adult patients.

📌 3. Key Strategic Insights for Candidates

The content map also states clearly (page 3):

The document is a guide and is not exhaustive. The exam board may include additional content at their discretion where appropriate.

This means:

  • Memorising lists alone is insufficient

  • You must understand clinical reasoning

  • Escalation and safety judgement are central

🎯 4. What This Means for Your Revision

To align with the official blueprint:

  1. Revise by system (Domain 3)

  2. Anchor everything to emergency recognition

  3. Practise next-best-step decision making

  4. Master common + uncommon but critical conditions

  5. Understand ILS-level emergency management

The exam is set at the level of a newly qualified PA entering their first NHS role (page 3)

5. How PASSMAP Aligns With This

PASSMAP mirrors:

  • The 18 clinical areas

  • Acute/emergency weighting

  • Core vs uncommon critical conditions

  • NICE-aligned management pathways

  • Decision-first exam structure

Every question is built around:

🔎 Recognition
🚨 Red flags
🧠 Prioritisation
📌 First-line management

Not passive recall.

Official Source

Physician associate registration assessment (PARA) content map (GMC copyright) Published December 2025

Preparing for PARA?

PASSMAP is:

  • Blueprint-aligned

  • NICE-based

  • Built for clinical decision-making

  • Structured for exam performance

Start Revising with PASSMAP

Educational platform. Not medical advice.

Last reviewed: 22 February 2026
Source document: GMC PARA Content Map (Updated December 2025)

Next scheduled review: June 2026

This article is reviewed periodically to reflect updates issued by the General Medical Council and changes to the PARA blueprint.

Scroll to Top