Jump to content

How do you rate your job satisfaction?


Recommended Posts

  • Moderator

I like to feel like I am making a meaningful impact right now. EM does that for me. I have left all the high volume, low acuity positions I was involved with and now work only high acuity, low volume. much more meaningfull work and a lot lower chance for burnout. would rate 9/10. 10/10 would mean less than 32 hrs of driving/mo to work 12 shifts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very low acuity, great hours, no stress aside from not being able to please all people all the time. I don't want another position before bailing in 6/20. Don't know that I would have it in me to go back to a REAL PA job at this stage. Hoping to lecture on CVD to wife's students later this semester and see how I like that.

 

Addendum: never answered question. 9/10, only point taken off because I have to interact/touch real people (House of God reference).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been "retired" for almost 6 months now.  Prior to my career as a PA I owned 5 businesses.  During my 31 years as a PA on a scale of 1-10 and 10 being the best my career as a PA started at 10+ for 18 years before moving to Houston where the satisfaction rating steadily dropped like temperature in a NY winter. to finally bottoming out at a "3".  Respect as a medical professional dropped over time, doctors ordering and insisting that clinicians order unnecessary testing, etc just to fill their pockets.  Lost one job because I questioned testing we ordered without medical basis.  Lost another because I wouldn't write pain meds like handing out popcorn.  Always loved the patients and most of the staff but finally decided to go back to being an entrepreneur again.  Sorry for being so long winded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with EMEDPA. I want be able to make a meaningful impact right now. Ortho trauma does that for me. Our patients come in broken and we fix them. Patients tend to be very grateful and it's pretty amazing to see someone go from broken X, Y, and Z and non-ambulatory to being able to get back to their normal activities. We also do some pretty cool revision stuff, have lots of OR time and I'm the go-to for my surgeon and nursing staff, which I also like. The whole package keeps me coming back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I said I wouldn't ever want to do primary care unless somehow I could do it "right." What I meant was...

 

- I didn't want to work for RVUs, since that system encourages PCPs to order tests and do procedures that are either unnecessary, or would be better done by a specialist (sometimes, anyway).

 

- I also didn't want to have to see 4 patients an hour to make things profitable. Especially when the whole point is to get to know and understand patients on their own terms, and help them in ways they can make use of, rushing things is the fastest way to deliver lousy care.

 

- I didn't want to just be a warm body, a cog in the machine, just an employee, uninvolved in the direction of the practice. I wanted to join a real team, be appreciated for what I bring, and able to count on my partners for back-up and support, with patients and also within the system.

 

- I didn't want to be paid less for primary care than I had been for evenings and weekends in UC.

 

That was a hell of a list, but I figured I've been out in the world doing this for a while, I'm not a newbie anymore, and anyway I wasn't all that burned out yet. I had my little corner of things, I was left alone to do UC the way I thought it should be done, and while I was ready for a change I wasn't desperate either. I didn't expect to actually find the perfect job.

 

But you know what? I'm in a state, and in a health system, that feels much the same way I do about how primary care should be done. I'm on a seven-clinician team that is trying to show there's a better way. I freakin' LOVE it. Six months in, we've all had such amazing feedback. Patients rave about us. Leadership takes notice. Our measurable outcomes are top notch. Turns out, primary care doesn't have to be awful, for patients or clinicians. We're pursuing a Quadruple Aim thing, and it seems to be working.

 

If this bubble ever bursts I will be pretty screwed, because I won't go back to after-hours schedules in acute care, and I won't get on the traditional RVU hamster wheel either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1-10?

 

I'd say it varies from 4-6. Burnout phases come in waves. Sick visits lately are really wearing down my empathy and joy at work.

 

When the volume is moderate and I'm seeing mostly injuries, I don't mind it. I like the variety in Primary care, but after a few years now I'm realizing it's just not conducive to great job satisfaction. I'm probably going to move to ortho when the opportunity arises. The problems are almost all mechanical and patients generally appreciate your care.

 

Granted I've never loved being a PA. It's my job. I want out as soon as my loans are paid in about 9 years. Then I'll probably just do it on a very part-time, non-committal basis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I said I wouldn't ever want to do primary care unless somehow I could do it "right." What I meant was...

 

- I didn't want to work for RVUs, since that system encourages PCPs to order tests and do procedures that are either unnecessary, or would be better done by a specialist (sometimes, anyway).

 

- I also didn't want to have to see 4 patients an hour to make things profitable. Especially when the whole point is to get to know and understand patients on their own terms, and help them in ways they can make use of, rushing things is the fastest way to deliver lousy care.

 

- I didn't want to just be a warm body, a cog in the machine, just an employee, uninvolved in the direction of the practice. I wanted to join a real team, be appreciated for what I bring, and able to count on my partners for back-up and support, with patients and also within the system.

 

- I didn't want to be paid less for primary care than I had been for evenings and weekends in UC.

 

That was a hell of a list, but I figured I've been out in the world doing this for a while, I'm not a newbie anymore, and anyway I wasn't all that burned out yet. I had my little corner of things, I was left alone to do UC the way I thought it should be done, and while I was ready for a change I wasn't desperate either. I didn't expect to actually find the perfect job.

 

But you know what? I'm in a state, and in a health system, that feels much the same way I do about how primary care should be done. I'm on a seven-clinician team that is trying to show there's a better way. I freakin' LOVE it. Six months in, we've all had such amazing feedback. Patients rave about us. Leadership takes notice. Our measurable outcomes are top notch. Turns out, primary care doesn't have to be awful, for patients or clinicians. We're pursuing a Quadruple Aim thing, and it seems to be working.

 

If this bubble ever bursts I will be pretty screwed, because I won't go back to after-hours schedules in acute care, and I won't get on the traditional RVU hamster wheel either.

Thanks for sharing. This give me hope I'll find something similar. I'm in a very similar situation and wondering if I should stay in UC and keep looking until I find as close to a "perfect" fit as I can find. It's hard to know if it's a good fit or not in a one hour interview

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Febrifuge,  It sounds like you are in the sweet spot for practicing medicine.  I was there for 18 years when I owned my own practice.  Unfortunately, you (IMHO) are in the minority for PAs that would rate their job as a 9-10 as you likely would.  I think a lot of that has to do with our "dependent role" which is hooey!  IMHO.

 

Just curious, what state and or city is this "Nirvana"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lost one job because I questioned testing we ordered without medical basis.  Lost another because I wouldn't write pain meds like handing out popcorn.  Always loved the patients and most of the staff but finally decided to go back to being an entrepreneur again.  Sorry for being so long winded.

And this folks, is why the PA profession will be dead in ten years unless we obtain independent practice and abandon the repetitive testing on matters that aren't relevant to our practice. We will forever be treated like field slaves on the plantation. The low satisfaction of the PA profession mimics the low satisfaction of the Southern slave. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Febrifuge,  It sounds like you are in the sweet spot for practicing medicine.  I was there for 18 years when I owned my own practice.  Unfortunately, you (IMHO) are in the minority for PAs that would rate their job as a 9-10 as you likely would.  I think a lot of that has to do with our "dependent role" which is hooey!  IMHO.

 

Just curious, what state and or city is this "Nirvana"?

I'm in Minnesota, where our multi-specialty group/ health plan/ HMO is celebrating its 60th year, and where all health organizations have been required to put profits back into patient care for decades. I have a heavy bias in favor of this kind of system. Oh, our CEOs get rich, but we also have good facilities and modern equipment, the latest fun technology, etc.

 

In our little corner of the primary care space, we're piloting a true team-based care model, where we have RNs overseeing a lot of the routine stuff based on protocols we tweak and adjust on the fly. We have a mix of PAs and MDs, supporting the nurses who handle patient calls and e-visits, and of course we see patients in clinic all day. It's definitely unusual, and I'm thankful every day I get to work with this team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And this folks, is why the PA profession will be dead in ten years unless we obtain independent practice and abandon the repetitive testing on matters that aren't relevant to our practice. We will forever be treated like field slaves on the plantation. The low satisfaction of the PA profession mimics the low satisfaction of the Southern slave.

You sir, are a cancer. I should clarify that I am not referring to the astrological sign..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You sir, are a cancer

 

No kidding. The continual comparison to the "Southern slave" is beyond ridiculous. I don't hate my job or my role, and find it laughable that anyone would suggest that the PA profession will be "dead in 10 years." This guy  has a serious case of buyers' remorse and wants to drag the rest of us down with him.

 

Maybe his mother didn't hug him enough, I don't know...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Southern slave?  lol.     Drama queen much?

 

Fact is I don't really enjoy medicine anymore.  It has become so horrifically profit/social media review centric that I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut even though I know it won't help to speak up.  I do it now to put food on the table, and hopefully help a few people.  Any thoughts of "where does my career go from here" are long dead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6-7/10. Most days I enjoy my job. Recently wearing on me with the drive to constantly see more people. Will now be expected to overbook hospital follow ups on top of 11 pt half days and see the same half day load with 1 hr less of time 1 day a week. It is more frustrating and disorganized than impossible. That magical primary care job apparently exists, but I suspect I will be moving away from primary care in the next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/

 

I have no affiliation with this group organized and run by Dr Pamela Weible. However, she laments the declining power of MDs to control their destiny due to the growing influence of corporate medicine. She cut the cord with hospitals and insurance companies. Now she sets her own schedule and makes a handsome profit. Other doctors are following her lead. PAs would do the same but unlike the NP, the PA doesn't have independent practice rights in ANY state in the union. You see why I say that the PA profession will be dead in ten years? I am not a cancer or a naysayer. Ignoring this warning will imperil our profession. We must stop unneccessary reboarding and end dependent practice. Our future depends on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And this folks, is why the PA profession will be dead in ten years unless we obtain independent practice and abandon the repetitive testing on matters that aren't relevant to our practice. We will forever be treated like field slaves on the plantation. The low satisfaction of the PA profession mimics the low satisfaction of the Southern slave.

 

Lol, the histrionics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/

 

I have no affiliation with this group organized and run by Dr Pamela Weible. However, she laments the declining power of MDs to control their destiny due to the growing influence of corporate medicine. She cut the cord with hospitals and insurance companies. Now she sets her own schedule and makes a handsome profit. Other doctors are following her lead. PAs would do the same but unlike the NP, the PA doesn't have independent practice rights in ANY state in the union. You see why I say that the PA profession will be dead in ten years? I am not a cancer or a naysayer. Ignoring this warning will imperil our profession. We must stop unneccessary reboarding and end dependent practice. Our future depends on it.

 

You seriously need to look at a different career.

You just moan and groan and lament.

Tilting at windmills.

Find something that makes you happy - it is highly apparent that PA is NOT IT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems like most of the PAs that are unhappy are in primary care.  I love the shift work nature of being a hospitalist and the low census in a rural setting.  I can spend as much time with my patients as I want while still getting all my work done and at the end of the day(and week) someone else is there to take over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would agree that burnout and frustration is higher in primary care than specialties.

 

I took over a retiring doc's panel and he and the older partner basically thought volume = money. The front desk has been instructed for years and years to fill all spots - regardless of logic, timing, records, common sense, etc. 

 

Today - 15 BEFORE lunch. 10 minute appt slots are stupid.

 

The only way I will have control is to open my own practice and hire a doc or find a quiet specialty that doesn't think seeing 30 patients a day is slacking. 

 

So, today my job satisfaction is low - some days it is better. 

 

I don't think it is a PA/MD independence thing so much as an overwhelming attitude in medicine that is steering towards customer service and "patient satisfaction" rather than solid medical decision making and personal responsibility.

 

Funny that it is swinging that way when insurance wants to pay based on "quality" measures - there is a distinct disconnect between quality and patient satisfaction.

 

I keep hearing Mick Jagger singing - sometimes you get what you NEED.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would agree that burnout and frustration is higher in primary care than specialties.

 

I took over a retiring doc's panel and he and the older partner basically thought volume = money. The front desk has been instructed for years and years to fill all spots - regardless of logic, timing, records, common sense, etc. 

 

Today - 15 BEFORE lunch. 10 minute appt slots are stupid.

 

The only way I will have control is to open my own practice and hire a doc or find a quiet specialty that doesn't think seeing 30 patients a day is slacking. 

 

So, today my job satisfaction is low - some days it is better. 

 

So you appear to agree with me. Without independent practice, the PA profession has a bleak future. Our career life expectancy is probably less than ten years. If we won independent practice (which so many are afraid of), you could open your own practice without paying a physician to "pretend to do chart review" and you could decline to accept insurance and you could set guidelines who what you treat, whom you accept as patients, and how long you schedule appointment and how many patients per day. You are losing at your job while the Physician is winning. People wonder why I call the PA the equivalent of the southern slave. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trick is to do 30-minute appointments for everything, 60 for certain more complex patients, and then hit all the quality measures and get insanely good patient satisfaction scores. I realize my situation is unusual, but nobody bugs us about speed or quantity because patients can't stop saying nice things and when it comes to measures like diabetes and depression management, we hit every mark the organization sets. I saw 9 people today, and billed a couple of them as Level 5's. Because they were.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So you appear to agree with me. Without independent practice, the PA profession has a bleak future. Our career life expectancy is probably less than ten years. If we won independent practice (which so many are afraid of), you could open your own practice without paying a physician to "pretend to do chart review" and you could decline to accept insurance and you could set guidelines who what you treat, whom you accept as patients, and how long you schedule appointment and how many patients per day. You are losing at your job while the Physician is winning. People wonder why I call the PA the equivalent of the southern slave. 

 

 

No, I do not agree with you. I do not share your doom and gloom and anger.  I do not see the sky falling or the end of the planet or profession.

 

My position is my unique situation after 25 yrs and burnout from multiple standpoints - most having nothing to do with PA independence. 

 

My biggest issue with medicine is the customer service drive through attitude while straying from actual medical art.  I won't survive in a Press Ganey world because I don't blow sunshine and unicorns or give unnecessary antibiotics to keep people happy. 

 

And your comparison to Southern Slaves is not ok. It is demeaning to the actual horrors that slaves lived through at the hands of masters in the past in the US. I appeal to you to stop using such a derogatory comparison.

 

Find your happy place and I'll find mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I do not agree with you. I do not share your doom and gloom and anger. I do not see the sky falling or the end of the planet or profession.

 

My position is my unique situation after 25 yrs and burnout from multiple standpoints - most having nothing to do with PA independence.

 

My biggest issue with medicine is the customer service drive through attitude while straying from actual medical art. I won't survive in a Press Ganey world because I don't blow sunshine and unicorns or give unnecessary antibiotics to keep people happy.

 

And your comparison to Southern Slaves is not ok. It is demeaning to the actual horrors that slaves lived through at the hands of masters in the past in the US. I appeal to you to stop using such a derogatory comparison.

 

Find your happy place and I'll find mine.

 

Unfortunately medicine centered around "patient satisfaction" puts providers who work in corporate healthcare systems in a ridiculous situation. Especially when some patient rolls in that is very aware of this type of healthcare. Trying to protect your DEA license and keep your job that's based on "patient satisfaction" is a balancing act.. I've seen the guy in this picture (not literally) a few times. ;-)

post-104816-0-87171100-1484178001_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I work in psych.  I rate my job (first as a PA) a 6-7 even though I see way too many patients and as a result am always horribly behind on paperwork and documentation. 

 

I don't want to sound cynical but a large part of my job satisfaction is maintained by having an on site lab and being able to drug test the hell out of people.  Since I have a patient population with about 70% Medicaid based insurances I know that every single drug test I order will be paid for.  I love working with patients, even enjoy doing suboxone or other substance abuse treatment.  I just have zero patience with drug seeking.  The UDS and prescription monitoring program are my close personal friends.  I almost pride myself on basically being able to ensure that people who just want xanax or adderall see no reason to come back.  I don't get angry - don't have to.  I have objective evidence.  I have also lost my filter as far as pointing out out when people are saying things that are red flags to me (and any other health care provider).

 

I also have a short commute.

 

Drawbacks are management folks who don't understand that it takes as long as it takes.  I have literally been told that at the 15 minute mark I should be telling people to make another appointment and we can discuss it then.  My next appointment is in 3-4 weeks.  Sorry you are psychotic/manic/suicidal etc.  I ignore that as does every other provider in the practice. 

 

I also have not so great benefits since I work in a small private practice.

 

I do not know how people manage to stay in primary care.  More power to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More