PA's in CA, no jobs and working three jobs?

[jts]

I work on the central coast of California. I did not find it too difficult to obtain this job. I had only two years of experience at a CHC and my salary is very generous. If I took some of the messages on this forum as definite, I wouldn't have even looked at coastal California. There are jobs here. I live two blocks from the beach and hey it's nice. I think that if you look, eventually you will find.

[skyfall]

I haven't really applied much but got some interviews since recruiters found my resume on online job sites. Most of the places are in rural CA i.e. Mendocino county, Fresno, Los Banos. I did get a few interviews in sf Bay area but you're competing with experienced PAs.

Update: Got two job offers outta the 4 interviews so far.

[kpcglobal]

Apex Emergency Medical Group, Inc., a premier Southern California Emergency Medical Group, currently has three long-term contracts in Riverside and San Bernardino County, California. We are offering exceptionally rare, full-time opportunities to Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to staff all of our Emergency Room contracts at Hemet Valley Medical Center, Menifee Valley Medical Center, and Victor Valley Medical Center, to provide Rapid Triage and Acute Care. Two of the hospitals are within minutes from beautiful Temecula Wine Country in sunny Southern California. Temecula has been voted one of five safest cities in the country with affordable housing and excellent schools. Furthermore, new contracts will start up in the near future within minutes from the pristine beaches of Orange County, California,

• Candidates must be licensed/certified as a Nurse Practitioner with a minimum of two years NP in acute setting or two years ER nursing, or a
  
• Physician Assistant with a minimum of two years ER or urgent care experience.
  
• Excellent hourly compensation will be based on experience.
  
• Compensation includes health insurance, 401K, paid malpractice with tail, paid vacation and sick time,
  
• Paid time off for continuing medical education (CME), and a generous CME stipend.
  
• In addition, Apex will reimburse employees for their California license and DEA renewal fees.
  
• Quarterly incentive bonuses will be based on productivity and are presently being developed at some of the Group's busier hospitals.
  

Full-time and Per-Diem positions are available. Candidates must be credentialed to work at all of the Group's current sites. Also, some weekends and evening/night shifts are required.

Apply to become a member of the Apex team, the "fastest" growing emergency medical group in Southern California, "Providing the Highest Level of Excellence in Emergency Medical Care."

Required experience:

• Emergency Room or Urgent Care Experience: 2 years
  

 

__________________________

Joseph Botto, MA

Healthcare Recruiter

KPC Global Management, LLC

C: 714-614-2805

O: 951-537-6033

F: 951-537-6023

jbotto@globalmso.com

www.thekpcgroup.com

[kpcglobal]

Apex Emergency Medical Group, Inc., a premier Southern California Emergency Medical Group, currently has three long-term contracts in Riverside and San Bernardino County, California. We are offering exceptionally rare, full-time opportunities to Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to staff all of our Emergency Room contracts at Hemet Valley Medical Center, Menifee Valley Medical Center, and Victor Valley Medical Center, to provide Rapid Triage and Acute Care. Two of the hospitals are within minutes from beautiful Temecula Wine Country in sunny Southern California. Temecula has been voted one of five safest cities in the country with affordable housing and excellent schools. Furthermore, new contracts will start up in the near future within minutes from the pristine beaches of Orange County, California,

• Candidates must be licensed/certified as a Nurse Practitioner with a minimum of two years NP in acute setting or two years ER nursing, or a
  
• Physician Assistant with a minimum of two years ER or urgent care experience.
  
• Excellent hourly compensation will be based on experience.
  
• Compensation includes health insurance, 401K, paid malpractice with tail, paid vacation and sick time,
  
• Paid time off for continuing medical education (CME), and a generous CME stipend.
  
• In addition, Apex will reimburse employees for their California license and DEA renewal fees.
  
• Quarterly incentive bonuses will be based on productivity and are presently being developed at some of the Group's busier hospitals.
  

Full-time and Per-Diem positions are available. Candidates must be credentialed to work at all of the Group's current sites. Also, some weekends and evening/night shifts are required.

Apply to become a member of the Apex team, the "fastest" growing emergency medical group in Southern California, "Providing the Highest Level of Excellence in Emergency Medical Care."

Required experience:

• Emergency Room or Urgent Care Experience: 2 years
  

 

__________________________

Joseph Botto, MA

Healthcare Recruiter

KPC Global Management, LLC

C: 714-614-2805

O: 951-537-6033

F: 951-537-6023

jbotto@globalmso.com

www.thekpcgroup.com

[skyfall]

So here's my California interview experience as a new grad. I'm from the bay area so my goal was to stay in it. I desired outpatient primary care practice and an on-site SP who'd provide training. I did a total of 7 interviews in California in a span of 9 weeks. A few months before graduating,  I posted my resume on a few job websites which turned out very helpful since employers and recruiters found me instead of me finding them.  I didn't actively apply until I completed PANCE since that's all I wanted to focus on. I applied maybe 3 times, applying to 5-7 applications each time. Some people apply to 20-50 jobs per day online, but I don't have that patience; online apps are a pain in the neck! I also applied to a few positions on ~4 individual hospital websites, like Kaiser and Stanford, although I never heard back from these. I heard from a PA that it's near impossible for these big hospitals to reply to a new grad without networking. 

 

Here's a break down of their specialty location, salary offers, and how I got the interview.  Hope this gives Norcal ppl an idea of what it's like out there.

 

1. Occ Med, San Francisco, salary unknown, referred 

2. Primary Care, San Francisco, 70-100K, Indeed

3. Primary Care, San Francisco 120K, Recruiter via Indeed

4. Occ Med, Emeryville 90K, Employer via Indeed

5. Primary Care, San Jose, 97K, Indeed

6. Primary Care, Los Banos 110K, Recruiter

7. Primary Care, Mendocino County, 95K, Recruiter via Indeed

 

I was declined by #1. It was my first interview and I felt a little insecure as a new graduate and was too honest about how inexperienced I was with orthopedics and MSK exams. I learned a lot from my blunders here. I got offers from all the rest and ended up choosing #3.

 

My tips for the CA applicant:

1. Be open-minded and respectful to recruiters. Tell them your preferences. These people ultimately got me the job I wanted. If you don't know much about interviewing and work etiquette, these people are great guides.

2. Post a public resume on online jobsites. Best one for me was Indeed.

3. Networking is important. I got one interview by reaching out to an alumni in CA. Also converse with the staff or drug reps at your own doctor's office while you're waiting outside. I found out about a job opening this way. 

4. Be confident like your competitors (likely experienced PAs). Even if you don't have work experience, focus on things you did independently during rotations. It's your time to shine and remember to make eye contact with everyone in the room even if they're not the one asking the questions.

5. If your instinct tells you this is a bad practice, it's probably right. Not uncommon for some practices in CA prioritize money and want you to see as many as possible. Turn these people down.

6. Know your desired salary. Every interviewer asked me this. I just said 100K every time - it ain't cheap to live in California! However be flexible with them (most will try to match it best as possible). Your goal is to get the best experience possible as a new grad, not the best salary.

7. Don't be discouraged by this forum. I thought I would never get a decent PA position in the bay area after reading about how tough it is. Seems like many companies out here are expanding and hiring multiple providers now that many people are enrolled into Obamacare. If you're determined and take the time to search, it will happen. 

[nuggetmamaa]

I'm a PA specialty trained in emergency medicine. I did a post graduate program in EM. I live in the east San Francisco bay area. My wife is an RN and works in a pretty awesome ICU. She makes a killing and only works three nights a week. However, she doesn't make as much as I do. I have never worked any other place where the RNs are paid as much as they get paid in NorCal. That being said, the jobs are out there. To the original poster stating he was told not to go into the PA profession, I think that you might be getting some advice from some jaded people. You mentioned that these folks seem not flexible to move, but one of the most attractive things about our profession is the flexibility to go anywhere! If those PAs are unhappy, I would say move, get a new job or find a new profession. Are you going to find your perfect job right out of school, your dream job if you will?? hell no, you're going to need to try a few jobs on to see how they fit. But if you're settling for working at a job that you hate or doesn't reward you for your efforts and you're not actively trying to better your position...... I can't even begin to understand that. Jobs are out there, expand your search criteria. And Doc Frick, the PAs that work in the ERs in Stockton are some of the most highly paid PAs I have ever come across. I'm one of them. I work for three different EM companies and in Stockton, their PAs are sharp. You're not going to walk right out of school and think you're going to hack it in one of these ERs. It would be nice, but unless you are very gifted and have a significant amount of experience before you come in, you're not going to last. Not a dig on you or anybody else, but managing those patient loads takes experience

 

Like EMEDPA says, you want to go to BFE, you're gonna make some scratch. And in those places the cost of living is pretty low so you can work for a while, repay your loans etc. For example, I was offered a job in Davenport, Iowa. they were willing to pay me a ton of dough, but it's friggin Davenport Iowa! But my caution to you there is you might find yourself in an ER at 2 am with a patient presenting with a problem that you might be out of your depth on as some of these rural places use PAs as stop gaps between doc coverage.

 

Cut your baby teeth in an urgent care

Thanks for your post, I am actually taking somewhat of the same route as you did as far as EM post grad training. Fingers crossed I get into UCSF Fresno. Do you have any advice about UCSF Fresno's hospital, EM dept, or the city itself? I want to find as much info as I can from local californians, I am a Miami native trying to work my way to the west coast. I am mentally prepared to take a lower income and work my way up to a good level and hopefully relocate to bay area once I pay my dues. I know everything takes hard work and time but I am ready and willing to do it! Thanks!

[ryebread203]

Thanks for your post, I am actually taking somewhat of the same route as you did as far as EM post grad training. Fingers crossed I get into UCSF Fresno. Do you have any advice about UCSF Fresno's hospital, EM dept, or the city itself? I want to find as much info as I can from local californians, I am a Miami native trying to work my way to the west coast. I am mentally prepared to take a lower income and work my way up to a good level and hopefully relocate to bay area once I pay my dues. I know everything takes hard work and time but I am ready and willing to do it! Thanks!

Just PMed you. Feel free to PM back with any questions about the Fresno area.