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New Grad. No Job.


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Good Day Everyone, I hope you all are doing well.

 

I graduated in May 2013 from UTHSCSA then moved to Savannah, GA Shortly thereafter. I passed my PANCE July 2013. Prior to taking the PANCE, I wasn't fully committed to looking a job. I was merely "window shopping" acute care, ED, and primary care positions just to see what was out there while I studied for the board exam. My reasoning for not actively looking for employment is because of the fear of landing a job and then failing the PANCE. Now that I have passed the PANCE, I am more comfortable with a "guns blazing" approach to job search. My dilemma now is that over the past 3-4 weeks, I have submitted at least 15 CVs and/or applications for various primary care positions including a state HIV/STI Clinic position. I have only received one email informing me that an ER position I applied for had been filled.

 

I'm starting to feel discouraged and am now wondering if the blood, sweat, tears, and time away from my family in PA school was worth being unemployed now. I'm wondering if I have made a terrible mistake by telling some prospective employers that I am expecting with an EDC of 15 Feb 2014. I'm also wondering if no one is interested in me because I am "fresh meat". I want to call and follow up with my prospects, but I am afraid this will negatively affect my chances for an interview.

 

I am slowly giving up on the job market here. After our baby is born, I will resume my job search. If I am once again unsuccessful, I do plan to look for positions outside of the county of state in which we live. If I secure a position, I will have to move myself and the kids and leave my husband in Savannah. I don't really want it to come to this because I went through PA school without my husband and it was one of the most difficult and uncertain times of my life. I sincerely don't want to do that to my children again.

 

I am tired and am wondering if I should be a little more aggressive in my search and follow-ups. Any thoughts?

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You're not alone. Myself and a lot of my classmates are having issues finding quality jobs out there. I think there is a lot of uncertainty with offices or hospitals when it comes to changes in health care. I know we are not the only ones effected. My neighbor is a PT professor and is saying his students (PHD level) are having problems finding work and that multiple hospitals are on a hiring freeze.

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Yes its very bad in south Fl. I think we are over populated. I see great jobs that are willing to train new grads throughout the U.S. but it seems like there rarely is a job post from vero beach to miami and when you get an interview the pay and benefits are ridiculous for the amount of work they expect. I have been to 5 interviews and no one has offered to pay full health insurance for just the employee.

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Yes its very bad in south Fl. I think we are over populated. I see great jobs that are willing to train new grads throughout the U.S. but it seems like there rarely is a job post from vero beach to miami and when you get an interview the pay and benefits are ridiculous for the amount of work they expect. I have been to 5 interviews and no one has offered to pay full health insurance for just the employee.

 

Ive seen 80s in South Florida but they wanted a good deal of work. I know im trying to fight to at least get 75k. Unfortunately i cant leave the area but i have had classmates get offers at 105k area in the Northeast. I do see jobs around the country that offer in the 100k

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I see. It seems all my classmates except 3 or 4 had great luck in securing employment. However, they all remained in Texas. The jobs there are so plentiful, it's mind boggling. Since my husband is AD Army, medical, dental, and life insurance is not too important to me since that comes with the military package. At this point, I'll almost settle for mediocre pay.

 

I just wish I knew about this slow job market before I moved here. I had my doubts about the Southeastern U.S., but I came here with optimism and an open mind. Starting to feel a little jaded right now. I hope you all have much better luck than I with interviews and salaries.

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I see. It seems all my classmates except 3 or 4 had great luck in securing employment. However, they all remained in Texas. The jobs there are so plentiful, it's mind boggling. Since my husband is AD Army, medical, dental, and life insurance is not too important to me since that comes with the military package. At this point, I'll almost settle for mediocre pay.

 

I just wish I knew about this slow job market before I moved here. I had my doubts about the Southeastern U.S., but I came here with optimism and an open mind. Starting to feel a little jaded right now. I hope you all have much better luck than I with interviews and salaries.

 

Yea I've seen great offers in Texas they seem really pa friendly. Plus low cost of living and I believe no state income tax

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

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Unfortunately if you are not willing to relocate or "travel", it sounds as though your out of luck... I live in Southwest Missouri and had a contract signed for a job 4 months prior to graduating making 140k a year in an ED. I drive 60 miles one way to get to the ED. There are several positions near by, however, they pay horrible.

 

I say definitely call them and follow up if it has been over 1 week. There is no harm in telling them that you are very interested in their organization, and ask if there is anything else that they need at this time. Do you have any contacts from rotations that could help you out?

 

I'll be praying for you, this is a stressful time right after school, however, when you start working you'll be so glad you went through all the "blood, sweat and tears". God bless!

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Hey. Sorry to hear that you're not having luck. I'ma New Grad in NYC and there are tons of jobs in this area and you wouldn't think so because we also have SO MANY PA programs in NY as well. I'm just trying to be selective in what I want so i get into not only a well paying job that is willing to teach a new grad, but also a place i can have some longevity. The last thing i want to do is end up job hopping.

As stated before, blindly sending CVs to employers is fruitless. Try out some recruiters/ Job boards. Your one CV to them will put your name in front of many employers. I've been getting calls/ emails left and right about jobs all over the country. But, I want to stay in NYC metro area.

 

We are definitely in demand and the jobs are there but but you may have to relocate. Unfortunately, your location may just be very saturated. You could find a job but may have to be more wiling to go outside of your preferred specialty to do so.

 

Below is a list of websites that should help. Trust me. You'll be contacted so much you'll be sick of it. Stay positive, keep pushing and I'm sure it will all work out. Think of this as a much needed vacation after the long grueling hell we call PA school. The worst is over. God Bless and Good Luck :)

 

http://paworld.net/

http://www.ziprecruiter.com/

http://www.indeed.com/

http://diversityjobs.com

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Are you actively networking? Getting in touch with the military wives, local organizations,etc? This will allow you to develop a connection somewhere. Somebody knows a doc or hiring manager out there. Just shooting CVs out at random is the hardest way to do it...

 

Haven't done too much networking because we just moved here and I don't know anyone. I thought about going down the yellow pages like I did when I was a medical assistant, but something tells me that may be seen as a tacky approach for a mid-level providers. I applied for all the "open" positions (at least 15) except for the highly specialized ones (cardio-thoracic, ortho, pulm, neurosurg). I get at least 2 calls a day from recruiters, but they all say they have absolutely nothing available in the tri-county area. My husband has a flight surgeon in his company. Perhaps I can talk to him about it later this evening.

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Hey. Sorry to hear that you're not having luck. I'ma New Grad in NYC and there are tons of jobs in this area and you wouldn't think so because we also have SO MANY PA programs in NY as well. I'm just trying to be selective in what I want so i get into not only a well paying job that is willing to teach a new grad, but also a place i can have some longevity. The last thing i want to do is end up job hopping.

As stated before, blindly sending CVs to employers is fruitless. Try out some recruiters/ Job boards. Your one CV to them will put your name in front of many employers. I've been getting calls/ emails left and right about jobs all over the country. But, I want to stay in NYC metro area.

 

We are definitely in demand and the jobs are there but but you may have to relocate. Unfortunately, your location may just be very saturated. You could find a job but may have to be more wiling to go outside of your preferred specialty to do so.

 

Below is a list of websites that should help. Trust me. You'll be contacted so much you'll be sick of it. Stay positive, keep pushing and I'm sure it will all work out. Think of this as a much needed vacation after the long grueling hell we call PA school. The worst is over. God Bless and Good Luck :)

 

http://paworld.net/

http://www.ziprecruiter.com/

http://www.indeed.com/

http://diversityjobs.com

 

Thank you for the kinds words Tweetiez17. You are right, I do need to relax. I'm so used to running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Now I'm moving at the speed of stop and I'm going a little stir crazy. I'm sure the moment I finally relax, I'll probably start getting callbacks. Thank you for the websites. I know I will find them useful. I am familiar with the 1st & 3rd sites. I will check out the other sites and see what I can find. I hope you secure your dream job very soon. :smile:

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Unfortunately if you are not willing to relocate or "travel", it sounds as though your out of luck... I live in Southwest Missouri and had a contract signed for a job 4 months prior to graduating making 140k a year in an ED. I drive 60 miles one way to get to the ED. There are several positions near by, however, they pay horrible.

 

I say definitely call them and follow up if it has been over 1 week. There is no harm in telling them that you are very interested in their organization, and ask if there is anything else that they need at this time. Do you have any contacts from rotations that could help you out?

 

I'll be praying for you, this is a stressful time right after school, however, when you start working you'll be so glad you went through all the "blood, sweat and tears". God bless!

 

Sixty miles to the ER!! Wow. I actually applied to an ED position that was about 50 miles away. Pay was amazing, but it was a solo position. I was actually afraid to get the job because I wasn't sure if I was ready for that kind of responsibility.

 

I never considered consulting with my preceptors because they are all in San Antonio. During the last few weeks of PA school, I went as far as trying to contact the clinical coordinator at the PA program here in Savannah to ask if I could be placed on their email list for employment and recruiter notices. I also asked about having a list of the preceptors they use so I could make some contacts. The "front desk" person told me that giving me the names of the preceptors they use would be a violation of their privacy rights. She also told me that sending me emails from prospects would be unfair to the PA students enrolled at their school because I would be their "competition" in the job market. When I asked to speak with the clinical coordinator, she told me it wouldn't make any sense to speak with him because the chances of him helping me were slim. She took my information down anyway. I never received a call.

 

Looks like I will just have to keep waiting this out. I'll keep looking, but also enjoy this much needed break. I'm sure my time will come. Thank you for your prayers. Oh....congrats on that awesome ED job!!

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  • 4 months later...

Hi kellybb0104,

 

Did you get a job? I am in a similar situation as you...I didn't start looking for a job until after I passed my boards for the same exact reasoning as you. Furthermore, I wasn't able to make solid connections during my clinical year for one reason or another. I graduated at the end of July, took PANCE on Oct.1, went traveling and then starting looking around the end of Oct. I didn't get many replies, phone interviews or in person interviews. I expanded my search from a geographical and specialty standpoint so I have been interviewing more. However, I am realizing how many awful jobs there are out there!  

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  • 1 year later...

The situation is just as bad in NYC if not worse.   Unless you are oddly passionate about urology or pain management, you will ABSOLUTELY NOT find a job as a Physician Assistant anywhere within 50 miles of the New York City metro area.  There are too many PAs, too many PA schools, and unless your uncle is the chairman of a hospital you will not find a hospital job here.  I've been trying for half a decade.

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True, except that they are insanely competetive. Been trying those for years, too...

did you try the new one in upstate NY? the director is a DO, EM PA , JD named Brian Kloss. I have spoken with him several times about the program. I got the impression they have open seats every year due to a minimal # of applicants. .

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did you try the new one in upstate NY? the director is a DO, EM PA , JD named Brian Kloss. I have spoken with him several times about the program. I got the impression they have open seats every year due to a minimal # of applicants. .

Yep, it's through SUNY Upstate in Syracuse.

 

See here: http://www.upstate.edu/emergency/education/fellowships/emergencymed.php

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