CV after one year in ED

[Acromion]

So I'm looking for a new job after essentially getting chewed up and spit out of the ED as a new PA. Yes, I plan to join the ranks of newly minted PA's who switch jobs after their first year, which is the majority of new PA's I'm told. I did a fine job and no one has been unhappy with my work, I just am not 100% sure if ER is for me and I want to get out and try something else... most likely hospital medicine.

 

My question is, what should a CV look like after 1 year as a PA? I'm struggling with the job description, in particular. I usually like to keep mine short and to the point but I'm not sure what is most important to highlight at this point in my career. Maybe someone could help me distill my experience so far into something relevant. In other words, if you were hiring a PA with one year of experience, what would you like to see on their resume?

 

Here is a rundown of my first year as a PA:

 

I worked at a semi-rural ER, with one doc on shift with me. I saw what I think is a decent volume for a new grad, but I'm not sure what is normal. I was tossed in the mix without having another PA to help me. I saw an average, I'd say, of 350 patients in 12-14 shifts per month. I would routinely stay late to finish charts until I got more proficient at time management and "moving the meat." I was seeing a pretty fair amount of higher acuity patients, LOTS of abdominal pain, some CHF, COPD, lower risk chest pain, a few TIA's here and there. I read my own plain films. I of course suture and do I&D's but I'm not sure if that's important to include because that's just expected. I'm not sure off the top of my head what my average length of stay was, but it wasn't all that great. Although I wasn't very fast, I was very thorough and I have never made a major misdiagnosis or exposed the hospital or supervising physician to any liability whatsoever.

 

TLDR: I have to distill 1 year of work into one or two sentences but I have writers block because I'm not sure what is important to include. Advice anyone?

[Guest Paula]

Proficient with managing acute care patients and higher acuity, complex medical patients in the emergency department setting.   Adept at procedures such as suturing,  I&D, and experienced in reading x-rays.  Able to efficiently,  accurately and thoroughly document in the EHR system.

 

(I think it is important to include you can suture, read xrays and do procedures since many NPs are not taught this skill.)  In my recent interview the physicians were happy to find out I did all those things, and my new position is FP/IM. 

 

I'm just condensing your own buzz words of proficient, higher acuity, thorough, etc.  

 

Hope this gets you out of writers block or helps a little.  

 

GBrothers needs to weigh in here!

[gbrothers98]

First, I think that if you are not applying to a position for research or have not been published, then stick to a resume.

Unless you have and that is applicable.

I think Paula hit the high points.

 

How bout this:

Manage full spectrum of Emergency Department patients except critical care.

Proficient in Emergency Medicine clinical skills.

Developed efficient and thorough utilization of EHR.

 

Then you can fill in details if asked.

 

I think basic resume advice is to target the job with the contents including your objective statement.

Dont spend a lot of time on your PA education or prior work life unless you did multiple rotations in a certain area of medicine that you are trying to get a job in ie did 10 weeks with a hospitalist service whose members are going to serve as references.

Make sure you list any special training you did or credentials received.

 

List some hobbies and interests. It gives everyone something to talk about to put you at ease and you may be able to make a connection with those.

 

Several things to think about:

Your exit strategy. Dont tell anyone you are looking and ask for confidentiality with whomever you are interviewing with. Think about whom is going to be your reference(s) from this job. Not only the physicians but other staff. Prove you can work well with others and they think highly of you. Dont ask anyone local to serve as a reference till you get an offer and are ready to make your move.

Get a disinterested party to review your resume. My first thought is the faculty that served as your advisor at your PA program.

This may be the time to think about a residency or fellowship. I know it is a financial step back but we hired a guy out of ED fellowship whom practiced FP for a few years prior to going. That prior experience helped immensely and made the experience that more rewarding.

 

Distill your rationale for leaving current position. People will get if you dont like EM, it is not for everyone. But an honest thoughtful answer followed by an explanation of why the position you are seeking is your goal keeps you from being viewed as disgruntled or burnt out.

 

If you do social media, either block from public or close accounts. Google yourself and see what comes up. We had a great candidate on paper several years ago. Then I googled him. He had not one but 2 recent appearances before his state medical board. We tried to lead him to tell us what was up before we directly asked him, which we finally had to. Then he tried very hard to skirt responsibility for what occurred. Went quickly into the round file.

 

No typos. 

 

Last, my first year of practice sucked. I had personal turmoil along with some unstable work conditions. Add to that the learning curve of EM and I had some serious doubts at times. Fortunately I was able to make some constructive changes plus I just plain outlasted and persevered. There are times when we dont like our current situation. Is it us? the environment? the people? 

 

Good luck.

G Brothers PA-C

[cinntsp]

Getting your CV professionally done is an excellent investment.  Let someone else figure it out.

[Acromion]

Thanks for all the help guys! Sorry I didn't get a chance to check back on this thread sooner - I was on string of 12 hour shifts - you know how that goes!

 

Paula and gbrothers ... great recommendations. You both definitely broke my writer's block.

 

Gbrothers, I appreciate your sage advice as usual. That said my exit strategy was poorly planned but ended up working out just fine. I had a very open discussion with the ED director, the other PA's, and my recruiter about my reasons for wanting to leave. I gave them plenty of lead time to find my replacement and they are transitioning me to part time as they on-board the new PA... I think they appreciated my candor because they gave me a nice "parachute" to transition to an ED within the company that's more suitable to my needs as a new PA. Additionally, I will remain credentialed there should they need someone to pick up shifts in a pinch.

 

Essentially what it boils down to is that the ED I've been working at was just not suitable for a new graduate. A rural ED with limited resources and a shoestring staff may be a great place to spread your wings as a more experienced PA, but in reality at these places they prefer someone with lots more experience who can handle more complex cases independently. I mean, I can handle a DKA "in theory" but the subtleties and pitfalls of such case require some hand holding that you can't get from uptodate.com. The director agreed, said I was doing a great job all things considered but I would be doing myself a disservice by staying there.

[SocialMedicine]

unless it is true maybe "proficient"in managing acutely ill patients for someone w 1 year experience is a stretch. If I was an attending or senior PA hiring I might think it a bit arrogant or ignorant if someone with 1 year used that language.

[Guest Paula]

If you like ED and have one year experience, want to stay in ED, then apply for a residency program that will teach you the subtleties.  I truly understand your concern as I did ED as a locums in CAHs and while I handled the urgent care and selected sick medical patients just fine, some of the expectations for trauma patients, really sick pts, etc. was too much.  I would have done a residency if I wasn't so settled.

 

You might be young enough to do it now.

 

Or spread your wings to another specialty.