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Could someone send the link to the Facebook group?

I actually had a nice back and forth email conversation with Robert last Friday. He seems like a very nice guy and was open to discussion. I gave him some information about PA training and expressed concerns about his recommendation for NP independence and PA collaboration. His comments were based on his evaluation of current laws and trends and he used the NPs drive for independence and our efforts at collaboration as the basis for his suppositions. Basically he used our own words. After more discussion he stated his full support for independence for both groups within their respective skills and training and he had no intention of suggesting we were somehow lesser. My favorite part of the conversation? He opined that our training was very similar to the GP training in many other parts of the world where they simply practice medicine. "Are Americans just stupider than people in other countries? Do we really need 6 or 8 more years of training to provide these services?" He is on our side.

Email sent (from New York). Fingers Crossed!

That's definitely not true. Some programs even show preference to reapplicants because it shows perseverance and dedication to their program. Absolutely apply, and if you can highlight what has changed between last cycle and this one you can use it as a strength that sets you apart! - Accepted to my top choice program on my 3rd attempt

TOO MANY PA PROGRAMS We are churning out new grads with no place to work much less places to train adequately. 54 programs in 1992 when I graduated. We have 4 times that many now. Quantity NEVER outdoes QUALITY in medicine - whether in number of patients seen per day or number of schools. We need to stop the glut and cut down the number of schools or raise the bars so high that schools can't qualify and the number becomes more manageable and hopefully of higher quality.

i submitted my application in November also and have not heard anything except an email stating my application was complete and under review. I am a reapplicant, was waitlisted last cycle ,so staying positive!

I Interviewed 2/13 and got waitlisted as well

waitlisted 2/13 interview. Seems like they just waitlistt everybody

My portal updated sometime between 8:15 and 9:30; I got waitlisted. Best of luck to everyone still awaiting an answer!

Hello all, maybe a little early, but thought I’d it start off!

I'm curious how many state chapters have lobbyists hired to work for them to get OTP passed? In Wisconsin we have an excellent lobbyist and his team who are helping us get OTP passed. We have 2 steps left to go: Floor vote in the Senate (expected to happen sometime in March) and then on to Governor for signing. Keeping fingers crossed the Senate doesn't fail us. Our WI story: When I became President we had a lobbyist who was also the lobbyist for several specialty medical associations in the state. I always thought that was weird as it seemed a conflict of interest to me. His line was always "now is not the right time to go to the legislature". By 6 months in I essentially fired him as we decided to put out requests for proposals for a new lobbyist. It caused waves with the old guard state PA leaders, but , oh well, change needed to happen. We hired a lobbyist firm and got 3 lobbyists and bit the bullet and pay them a handsome yearly fee to WORK FOR US. We have not regretted the decision and the lobbyist said "Now is the time, it's always the time to be active in the capital to educate and get the ball rolling". He worked, and worked and worked for us and has earned his salary, along with his 2 other colleagues who helped along the way. I'm pretty sure they all wore out a pair of shoes every year. We've had them for 4 years now. So if your state organization has a lobbyist who is in any way connected with the state medical society or specialty physician groups FIRE them and get the ball rolling. You can do it!

For many years Texas had a shared lobbyist and executive director with the Texas Medical Association...the very group who most actively worked against us. Mind boggling. Things have changed in the last couple of years as a result of a rather significant scandal involving those 2 people. Paula I appreciate your posts here and in the Huddle about your state's work. I often marvel at how many people yell about getting things done with no idea how much time and effort it takes. I can't imagine how any state society board, all of whom are part time volunteers, get anything done without a lobbyist.

Do what is best for you. The UC wouldn’t hesitate to drop you it benefitted them. No one will care when you go to apply for EM jobs. You’ll be a better clinician for it, be able to do more for your patients, and you’ll have better job prospects after residency.

In doing a bridge through University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), happy to speak to you about it if you want, feel free to PM. Only reason I'm doing it is to teach. Got offered some curriculum development opportunities but won't be able to actually teach until I get that MS...

I think the decision for PAs with bachelor's degrees to complete a master's bridge program is best viewed on a case by case basis. The number one factor I would look into is how long you expect to continue practicing (i.e. did you graduate with your PA bachelor's a few years ago or a few decades ago), and do you plan to transition to a non-clinical role in the future? If you still have many years of practice ahead of you, it may be a good investment that could make you more competitive if/when you change jobs. If you plan to transition to a non-clinical role, a different type of master's degree (MHA or MBA) might be a better fit. Another option is to just skip the master's and complete a doctorate. Many doctorate programs do require completion of a master's degree for admission, but not all do. If you're returning to school anyway and have lots of years of practice ahead of you, it may be worthwhile to just do a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program like that offered by Butler University or Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (both of which specify that they don't require a master's degree for admission). The Butler Program seems more clinically focused (and more rigorous, to be honest), but would be the longer of the two at 50 credit hours. The RMUoHP program is only 36 credits and can be completed in as little as 16 months, and may be a good option for you. There may be other types of doctorates that don't require a master's degree too, and admissions requirements are often school-specific (some other schools that offer the DMSc do require a master's, so it just varies). Other options might include a Doctorate of Health Science (DHSc) or Doctorate of Health Administration, though I don't know of any programs off the top of my head that don't require a master's for entry, so it might take a little digging on your part. I was on the job search in the last few months and did notice a number of positions that either preferred or required a master's degree, though some positions did not specify. If you have years of practice ahead of you, it might be a good investment. If you think you may want to teach or transfer to a non-clinical role, I would look into the doctorate options and other types of master's degrees as well.

I also received this email reply.

Yes, I am aware of that. My question is that after 12 months of school have gone by and I have gained residency, if am I then able to pay the NYS resident tuition rate for the remainder of the program. I sent an email to the program today, but wanted to ask here while I wait for their response.

Congrats to those who have been interviewed and accepted. Do anyone know when the next round of interviews. I submitted my applications in November and still haven't heard anything? I would really appreciate any advice on what should be my next step. Thanks

It was amazing meeting you all today. I just want to share some information that we were told at the debriefing. There are no more interview dates. The last few acceptances will be issued March 5th (6th at latest). Good luck to everyone!!

NP and nursing organizations are opposed to this bill because it actually adds regulation to NP practice. It is not FPA. The current version of the bill moves NPs away from core principles and national standards for NP regulation. As amended, the bill moves NP regulation out of the Board of Registered Nursing, creates a new regulatory board that includes physician oversight, regulates NPs by setting, and establishes new barriers.

Only a matter of time before it hits here in the US in force. South Korea is now getting blasted with it. My guess is either California or NY first and it's gonna hit hard. Our for profit medical system is NOT set up for care of a volume producing illness. We are set up to maximize profits (limited beds etc). I think it's going to be a hell of a nightmare in a few months. My question is...how many people who are uninsured or under insured are going to go bankrupt when hospitals start sending out the bills....

My first job as a new grad was very similar to this. So I think I can present my 2 cents to you: - Was my first job a good job? NO! 45min new eval and 15 min f/u is just not ideal even for experienced psychiatrists. - Do I regret getting that job? Not really. It was very difficult to get a job in psych as a PA. At least where I live NPs dominate the market. I'm grateful someone gave me the opportunity so I could gain experience in psych and move on. - I started seeing patients on my own on the day 2. Scary! How did I survive? I presented every single case to my CP for the first 3 months. My CP never asked to do that, but I did anyway. Sometimes I was 1+ hours behind. I didn't care. I had two goals: learning and safety. At the end of the day I would go home and study, weekends as well. Then I would go back to the office and asked my CB tons of questions. At the end of my first year I was feeling comfortable, would ask questions to my CP 1-2x per week. - Now consider this: do not go to psych for less than 6figs. I didn't. I was bringing to the company more than 1.3million per year so 6figs is fair even for a new grad. - Also this: Do not trust anyone else to diagnose your patients. The psychologists at my office would diagnose tons of my patients with MDD when in reality they had Bipolar. You need the right diagnosis to treat the patient with the right medicine. Try to treat Bipolar w/ antidepressants and you will go nowhere. - ... and a few more points: 1. Don't just add meds and more meds trying to control symptoms. I see this a lot. If somethings is not working, replace it. Your goal is to control symptoms with the least amount of meds possible. 2. Unless really needed, stay away from benzos. 3. Be kind to your patients and to yourself. - Last point: Sometimes you might feel discouraged... but if psychiatry is your passion, stick with it and know your stuff. Knowledge and kindness will take you to a better place in your professional career. Hope this was helpful.

Strangely quiet here. Let's recap this week: * It's airborne, not just droplet. * It's fecal-oral, too. * Spread before symptoms is now confirmed by consensus. * It's showing up in force and killing people in places that didn't have recognized outbreaks a day or two ago, like Iran and South Korea. * In early places to have seen it, (HK, Singapore) it continues to spread in the community despite quarantine and contact tracking efforts. * R0 is still 2-3, case fatality rate is still 1-2% in places where the medical system is NOT overwhelmed.

I’m also waiting on an update, from the 2/13 afternoon interview. Based on what @Brookie said hopefully we’ll hear Monday!! Fingers crossed for everyone

Congrats y'all! If you have any questions prior to your start in July, feel free to reach out.

I received my acceptance offer today! 4 years of hard work and perseverance finally paid off!! Good luck everyone

I have just accepted that since I haven't heard anything, then its a NO. I am already getting registered to shadow more and further build my resume for next year. Good luck to everyone, and congratulations to those who got in. It seems like a wonderful program and I cant wait to apply again for next year.

The interviewer has a few basic objectives: - Ask some open-ended questions to see "who" you are, beyond the dry facts in the application. Other interests you have, do you have a sense of humor, a sense of balance, etc - See what motivated you to apply and what your plans for the future might be -See how well you work with others (it is a people job you'd be training for, after all) -See if the applicant is going to be a "problem child" if he/she gets admitted. From my interviewing experience, I see really good students come across as very stiff and inflexible. When an applicant is asked what is the worst thing they've overcome, it better not be the A- they got in an organic quiz! In a clinical setting, you've got a minute at most to establish communications with a stranger and, if you can't do that with the interviewer, it often doesn't look good. Someone with a 3.9/3.9 set of grades doesn't have to prove that they are smart, but they likely will have to prove that they are personable and multidimensional team players.

I was also accepted off the wait list last Thursday and could not be more excited to start in June and meet all of you!

Thank you everyone!! I forgot to put that I had around 300 hours of non-medical volunteering but one of the schools that rejected me definitely wants applicants that have thousands of hours from like mission trips I later learned. So far I have a list of 10 to apply to next cycle and will get some more shadowing in! I will for sure be reading some interview material and do more mock interviewing, as well. I'm thinking I came off too analytical in the interviews and didn't show my true compassion for patients and convince them I REALLY wanted to be a PA.

Can anyone here shed light on the interview process? As in was it a panel interview, group interview, individual interview, etc.?

Personally I really like the Midtown and Montrose neighborhoods because they're close enough to the medical center that you could ride the metro rail or bus in and a lot of my favorite bars and restaurants are near by. There are some nice apartments in the medical center that are within walking distance from the school (I've heard some popular ones with med students are around Greenbriar Dr and Main St) but there isn't much to actually go out and do in the medical center. Not that I expect to be having a lot of time to go out while I'm in school haha but for me I think it would be nice to have some options near by! I've also heard the Upper Kirby area is nice and it's pretty close by but I haven't actually looked into it much myself. I hope they send out that housing document that the students made soon because I would love to hear their recommendations too! But let me know if you have any questions about specific areas and I can try to help

I second gym membership or whatever form of exercise. However, I don't think you should study or review while at the gym. That's your time. The notes can wait. Enjoy the mental break and listen to music, a podcast, whatever.