bjohpac Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Hello everyone! I will be starting my first job as a PA in vascular surgery in a few weeks. Just waiting for all my credentialing to be finished. My attending recommended that I read the Washington manual for surgery and the vascular/endovascular combat manual by Patrick Stone. I'm already a third-halfway done with both books. Anyone have any other recommendations/advice for a new PA in this field. Literally anything... Societies to join, websites to read, shoes to buy, goggles?? I know I'll find out everything when I start, but ANY advice in the mean time would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mischiefmanaged Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 I'm going to assume that you won't solely be surgical and some of your job will involve rounding, pre-op, and follow up surveillance. If I'm wrong, disregard the rest of this post. Join the Society for Vascular Ultrasound. Learn everything you can about the techs who do your studies...make them your best friends and they will be yours. Trust me, you want that. They have the power to make your life hell if they feel like you don't know what you're doing. They also have the power to make your life easy by informally telling you exactly what a result means and what you should do about it. You're new, they aren't. Remember that always. After awhile, the surgeons will get tired of you asking them when you're unsure because they think you should be fairly independent by now so you'll either overcompensate to CYA by ordering unnecessary follow ups at too soon a time interval (and everyone will think you're incompetent) or try to figure it out on your own. There's another option as long as you cultivate it early. Source: 12 years as a vascular tech in the OR, hospital, and clinic, working alongside PAs my entire career, President of my state chapter of the Society for Vascular Ultrasound, and about to start PA school myself. Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mischiefmanaged Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Hello everyone! I will be starting my first job as a PA in vascular surgery in a few weeks. Just waiting for all my credentialing to be finished. My attending recommended that I read the Washington manual for surgery and the vascular/endovascular combat manual by Patrick Stone. I'm already a third-halfway done with both books. Anyone have any other recommendations/advice for a new PA in this field. Literally anything... Societies to join, websites to read, shoes to buy, goggles?? I know I'll find out everything when I start, but ANY advice in the mean time would be greatly appreciated.Also, Dansko shoes are the only ones I can wear all day at work without feeling like I need to take them off as I walk to my car at night. Pricey but worth it. Merrell makes great shoes too. Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjohpac Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Thank you! Appreciate the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purrpa Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I'm going to assume that you won't solely be surgical and some of your job will involve rounding, pre-op, and follow up surveillance. If I'm wrong, disregard the rest of this post. Join the Society for Vascular Ultrasound. Learn everything you can about the techs who do your studies...make them your best friends and they will be yours. Trust me, you want that. They have the power to make your life hell if they feel like you don't know what you're doing. They also have the power to make your life easy by informally telling you exactly what a result means and what you should do about it. You're new, they aren't. Remember that always. After awhile, the surgeons will get tired of you asking them when you're unsure because they think you should be fairly independent by now so you'll either overcompensate to CYA by ordering unnecessary follow ups at too soon a time interval (and everyone will think you're incompetent) or try to figure it out on your own. There's another option as long as you cultivate it early. Source: 12 years as a vascular tech in the OR, hospital, and clinic, working alongside PAs my entire career, President of my state chapter of the Society for Vascular Ultrasound, and about to start PA school myself. Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk Couldn't agree more!! If you have the opportunity, spend time "shadowing" the RVTs in the lab NOW; attend their journal clubs, consult & learn from them throughout your vascular surgery career. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
med218 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Agree with above, the vascular techs will be a great resource for you. I wear Merrell shoes in the OR, I find them to be the most comfortable. The Association for PAs in Cardiovascular Surgery is a good association to join. In previous years the vascular PA component I think has felt a bit left out, but at their annual conferences they're starting to have more vascular sessions and they have a pretty good resource for student rotations guides and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.