Registration 

Regulation of AAs by the General Medical Council (GMC) came into effect on 13 December 2024, and all practising AAs will need to be registered with them by December 2026. The existing AA Managed Voluntary Register, held by the RCoA, will remain until March 2025. 

In addition to the successful completion of an approved AA training programme, the GMC outlines the evidence that AAs will need to provide in order to register with them. Newly qualified AAs will also be expected to pass the anaesthesia associate registration assessment (AARA) before they can register with the GMC.  

For any enquiries, please email: ksikka@rcoa.ac.uk  

Extended roles

The Interim AA Scope of Practice 2024 outlines the extended roles that can be considered for development at different stages of an AA’s career post-qualification. For departments that have existing extended roles for AAs, it is expected that they implement a graduated transition to the 2024 scope of practice to minimise any impact on patient services and care.  

Membership

Both student and qualified AAs are eligible to become Affiliate members of the RCoA. 

Become an Affiliate member of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and take advantage of our member benefits, including discount on College events (including our flagship event Anaesthesia), access to the British Journal of Anaesthesia and BJA Education, and access to the College’s e-Learning system and Logbook. To find out more about the benefits you gain as an Affiliate member see here. 

Lifelong Learning Platform: Logbook and CPD 

AAs and student AAs who are Affiliate members of the College are also eligible to gain access to the Logbook and  CPD function  of the  Lifelong Learning Platform. With fields including the age of the patient, the priority of their treatment, the primary specialty and the type of supervision, the Logbook feature enables you to record and report upon all cases in which you have had a significant input.   

The CPD functionality allows you to record and reflect on your completed CPD activities and to generate a customised PDF report. You will also be able to search through a wide range of courses and events which have been CPD-accredited, identifying those which are particularly appropriate to your clinical practice.