New Grad in surgery/critical care

[AlmostDone2011]

I am at the half way point of rotations and I'm actively research jobs and getting opinions about what some of my best options are. I did a great CT surgery rotation where I spent 75% of the time in the operating room and 25% in the CCU... I loved it. There were PAs who were mostly CCU or OR and some that were 50/50. I'm interested in being 50/50. I talked to many of them of how they got involved and most of them said they got into it after graduating and sortof fell into it. I felt there being a huge learning in both settings and for almost every job I have seen online they require 2-5 years experience in CT prior. I've certainly thought about residency in surgery but I'd like to explore options without being in a formal residency. Anyone have any suggestions for places positions that take new grads/teach, or do I need to take whatever surgery job I can get and work my way up from there? thank you

[IcuPAC]

As a new grad (ER tech background), I got a job in a medical ICU with cardic ICU consults. No operating room time for me, but I do plenty of central and arterial lines, and also get to intubate, do thoracenteses, etc.

 

One way to work your way into ICU is to work for a hospitalist group, then try and get to see ICU step down patients. The best PA school rotations to prep you for ICU are (besides ICU) inpatient medicine and inpatient-type nephrology.

 

Good luck.

[DJ Bunnell MSHS PA-C]

That is a great question. I always advise PAs in Cardiothoracic Surgery to join APACVS. It is a great group that has meetings every six months covering cardiothoracic and critical care topics. The next meeting is 6/23-25 at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center near Washington DC.

 

There are a few ways to get experience and education in the specialty. Residency training is good way to get a great deal of experience in a short time. However, it is not the only way. Everybody wants an experienced CT PA who can manage the ICU but many people are willing to train someone who is willing to put in the time. Make sure they understand that you are a new grad and so that they do not try to expect more than you can provide. It would be good to find a situation where a senior PA can watch over you and bring you along.

 

My experience is that becoming a good Cardiothoracic PA with Critical Care skills simply takes time and dedication. Put in the hours, develop good surgical hands, read everything that you can get your hands on, develop a strong professional network so that you can continue to grow, and keep doing those things for 30 years. The trick is life long learning so that you can continue to refine and expand your knowledge and skills.