wesr_gordon Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Interested in surgical specialties as a PA, not sure that I would ONLY want to do surgery though. Is it better to go to a surgical pa program to get that experience so that I am well trained in that? Or, would it be better to do a general PA program and find a surgical residency following? I guess my concern is getting stuck. I don't know if this makes sense, I'm busy at work on a Friday ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neurosurg PA-C Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 There is not a surgical PA program that I am aware of. Physician Assistant programs encompass surgical rotations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalPalm Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Yes, there are two surgical PA programs: UAB, and Weill Cornell: http://www.uab.edu/shp/cds/academic/graduate/spa http://weill.cornell.edu/education/programs/phy_***.html From what I understand, they still provide you with the general PA curriculum, with added didactic and clinical training in surgical specialties. You still have to pass the PANCE as well. So, I don't think you would be "stucK" doing surgery if you went to a surgical PA program, as you'd still get the training in other fields of medicine, including clinical rotations, and you'd still come out being a PA, just one with more surgical experience and knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 11, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 11, 2013 general pa program followed by surgical residency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 general pa program followed by surgical residency. Just curious for your reasoning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhpilot Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 general pa program followed by surgical residency. Absolutely this...it's the path I am following... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted August 13, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 13, 2013 Just curious for your reasoning? I assume the reasoning is that you will become a much better surgical PA with a residency, if you are sure that you want surgery. I'd have to agree. Nothing is going to be a year to 1.5 years of doing nothing but being immersed in surgery at the level of a surgical intern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 13, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 13, 2013 better primary care exposure in case you ever decide to do something nonsurgical AND better surgical exposure in a residency than a focus program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICRob0351 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I'm currently a second year PA student in the middle of rotations, and I am 98% sure I'll be going into either Trauma surgery or CT surgery depending on what's available where I live. Although I don't go to a surgical PA program, I chose to do my 6 week elective working on a trauma surgery service, and I am going to be applying to several surgical residencies after I graduate. You do not need to go to a PA program with "surgical focus" to be a successful surgery PA. All of the PAs I have scrubbed with so far have gone to "normal" PA programs and they are friggin studs in the OR and command the respect of the entire medical team, including the surgeons with whom they 1st assist almost daily. So your only concern should be getting into PA school, finding a specialty you are passionate about, graduating, and spending the rest of your life making a difference in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proballr32 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I'm going to disagree. I graduated from UAB a few years ago, and even though we were technically a "surgical" program, we still had to take the same courses as any other general PA school and of course pass the same boards. We had extra courses in our didactic year dedicated to surgical diseases and we also had an OR techniques course which was outstanding. It was the same lab where residents trained, so we had live anesthetized pigs and were able to perform operations such as cholecystectomies and nephrectomies from incision to closing while our classmates first assisted us. Great experience. For our clinical year we were able have more surgical exposure, however we still were granted a couple electives. So I used one of mine to do a second primary care rotation, and the other for ortho trauma. It was the best of both worlds. That being said, I would guess that almost half my class decided to enter a non surgical specialty....lots of ER, some derm, cardiology, etc. However, the ones that chose the surgical route were routinely offered more compensation by employers than general PA programs because they viewed our surgical program training as being a benefit to the practice. However, my opinion is that anyone who graduates from PA is competent and prepared for most specialites, however a surgical program prepares you for the best of both worlds. Just my 2 cents.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 I'm going to disagree. I graduated from UAB a few years ago, and even though we were technically a "surgical" program, we still had to take the same courses as any other general PA school and of course pass the same boards. We had extra courses in our didactic year dedicated to surgical diseases and we also had an OR techniques course which was outstanding. It was the same lab where residents trained, so we had live anesthetized pigs and were able to perform operations such as cholecystectomies and nephrectomies from incision to closing while our classmates first assisted us. Great experience. For our clinical year we were able have more surgical exposure, however we still were granted a couple electives. So I used one of mine to do a second primary care rotation, and the other for ortho trauma. It was the best of both worlds. That being said, I would guess that almost half my class decided to enter a non surgical specialty....lots of ER, some derm, cardiology, etc. However, the ones that chose the surgical route were routinely offered more compensation by employers than general PA programs because they viewed our surgical program training as being a benefit to the practice. However, my opinion is that anyone who graduates from PA is competent and prepared for most specialites, however a surgical program prepares you for the best of both worlds. Just my 2 cents.... UAB is the top of my list as far as schools, really appreciate the insight into the program from a former student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornellSPA Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Hi! I also agree with ProBallr32, I attended the Cornell PA Program and received all the standard medical training, took the same PANCE exam, but had a longer didactic and lab kills for surgery, a 4 month block of general surgery, etc. I knew I wanted to go into surgery. When I faced my future surgeon in an employment interview, and later the hospital credentials committee, it made me much more marketable. In the age of Surgical (and all) PA Competency, and tight competition with CSTs, a surgical PA program makes us much more marketable. A residency also could be added on, but I wanted to quickly start working and pay off my loans! Some graduates do not go into surgery, but what primary care office would not kill to have someone with surgical knowledge in that setting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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