winterallsummer Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm hoping people can add to this thread interesting jobs they've had as a PA. I have read some good posts on surgical specialists, PAs working in a prison, but would like to hear more if anyone has to share. Anything out of the ordinary or interesting. Thanks for any information you all can share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 15, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2011 my jobs have been fairly typical for an em pa. friends of mine and folks I know have done the following: solo coverage of an entire aleutian island with md backup 6 hrs away by plane. solo coverage of native eskimo village in the middle of nowhere working in antarctica on research station one of our regular posters here has worked solo in iraq, afghanistan, and sudan as a contractor for mercenaries( non-govt contractors...) for lack of a better term. em pa in england....used as 3rd yr em resident basically state dept pa at us embassies all over the world peace corps pa in third world nations cia pa most of the really cool jobs are very rural or far from the center of american medicine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Nice. I have a question for you if you don't mind: what are the prospects for a PA licensed in the US working outside of the US? For example, practicing medicine in Europe, Asia or Mexico? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 16, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 16, 2011 LOTS of new jobs in england, scotland, etc every yr. you can work for the state dept or cia in any nation on earth. you can work on a disaster medical team anywhere in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks EMEDPA. So working for the state dept or CIA, how practical is it to move out of the US once licensed and begin a job there, assuming you are moving alone with no family? What would it be like to work for these places, i.e. state dept, does that mean working for the state hospital, the same way we have state/county hospitals here in the US? I have been dead set on PA for some time, I only briefly considered MD which is not what I want, however I always thought the one thing I would personally miss out on being PA vs MD is being able to move and practice outside the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradtPA Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks EMEDPA. So working for the state dept or CIA, how practical is it to move out of the US once licensed and begin a job there, assuming you are moving alone with no family? What would it be like to work for these places, i.e. state dept, does that mean working for the state hospital, the same way we have state/county hospitals here in the US? The state department jobs are all overseas, really. Your mission is to provide medical care to the embassy staff. As a new grad, however, you won't qualify for the position. They require 2 years experience minimum, which is best for both you and your patient (hard to learn the ropes of being a new PA when assigned as the only medical officer to an embassy in a small country with no medical infrastructure to support you). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I have been dead set on PA for some time, I only briefly considered MD which is not what I want, however I always thought the one thing I would personally miss out on being PA vs MD is being able to move and practice outside the US. What are some of the more common reasons why someone would want PA over MD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 18, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 18, 2011 What are some of the more common reasons why someone would want PA over MD? less time to train less debt desire to start family sooner ability to start making income sooner desire to avoid ochem, biochem, mcat, physics, adv. math/stats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 less time to trainless debt desire to start family sooner ability to start making income sooner desire to avoid ochem, biochem, mcat, physics, adv. math/stats Aside from starting a family sooner or less training time, are the other answers likely acceptable to Adcoms? Isn't there a risk of appearing to be too much about money (less debt, quicker income) or appearing non-motivated (intentionally avoiding tough classes or the MCAT)? In other words, are there 2 sets of answers: the ones you say to Adcoms and the ones that are really the case? I'm just trying to get a feel for how Adcoms think and wouldn't want to come across to them as phony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 "desire to avoid ochem, biochem, mcat, physics, adv. math/stats" Unless you're a biomajor in which case you do all these (except mcat). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 18, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 18, 2011 "desire to avoid ochem, biochem, mcat, physics, adv. math/stats" Unless you're a biomajor in which case you do all these (except mcat). true...but maybe only 30% of pa's have a prior bs in bio or biochem. I was a medical anthro major and have taken a yr of physics, as well as stats and more bio classes than most bio majors...but never ochem/biochem/mcat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHMITTIE120 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I was a health science major and took more Bio then most Bio majors also. But i also took Ochem I and II, Biochem and Analytical Chem, plus the gen chem. One more chem class and I would have had a chem minor! Most of the younger people in my class seem to have taken these classes too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Total diversion from the OP's question...These overseas jobs you speak of as a PA...Do you know of a particular website to check out, trade journals to read, trail to lay my ear against and listen for sign? Yes, I can do leg work/research to find these answers, but I can have this screen up and it's so much easier to tap into the minds of others if they are willing to share. My wife and I plan to take our three kids abroad for a year or more. The location has yet to be determined, but the opportunity to draw an income while out and about could really but some weight towards some places. Personally, I'd love to get back to Patagonia, Argentina for a year or two but I have no idea how to get connected into the job market/visa requirements. Steve as for reasons for PA over MD...am 38, married to a lovely woman 8 years my senior, our twins are 4 and oldest boy is 7. I really want to be around to help guide my kids as they grow up and goof off with my wife in inappropriate ways while we're still young such as doing our own non commercial trip on the Grand Canyon. I don't have a bachelors degree so if I said "go" at this point in my life, I'd be 49 before I start to pull a real paycheck. The bachelor level PA school is a rock solid fit for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eventide Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 *peaks head in door* Did someone ask about working internationally? :) If you haven't visited PAs for Global Health, check it out. Feel free to explore the site and join the organization for more info on just this type of thing! PAs for the US State Dept are called Foreign Health Service Practitioners. http://careers.state.gov/specialist/vacancy-announcements/hp I am working toward getting the recommended experience to apply for this. However, I haven't met anyone that has actually held this job, so I don't know how it is! I wasn't aware about the CIA opportunities. Thanks, EMEDPA (my hero!) Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Does anyone know what a CIA PA does? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 19, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 19, 2011 Does anyone know what a CIA PA does? I could tell you...but I'd have to kill you.... in all seriousness I assume they take care of cia operatives overseas...you know, the guy who takes out the bullet when the spy can't go to a hospital in russia or yemen....:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 ive seen some jobs pop up in the Caribbean anyone have any experience or know anyone who has worked beautiful exotic places? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I just got back from some of those beautiful exotic places, they have their law enforcement walk around with machine guns. Somehow I didn't feel any safer. I was talking to our travel guide while in Belize, oh the stories he told me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradtPA Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hehe, reminds me of the time I worked a radar site 80 miles off the coast of Honduras. Having 15-16 year old Honduran navy sailors with M-16s as your security didn't really make you feel so secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Eh, call me crazy but all of that sounds like a fun adventure to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted January 20, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 20, 2011 there has been a recurring ENT job in the carribean for about the past 10 years - not sure if they just can't hire anyone or if they burn them out.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crieman Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I shadowed the first PA to work in the US Virgin Islands before I got into school. My mom lived in St. Croix and worked at the hospital so when I heard there was a PA there I set up a couple days of shadowing. He honestly just went down there and sold himself to the hospital and they hired him. He worked off of his Ohio license for quite a while before making the switch to USVI but it worked out. This was within the last 10 years that he did this too. He works in emergency medicine and runs the fast track. They let him design it too. I've stayed in contact with him off and on over the years and it sounds like there will be quite a number of new positions opening up. St. Thomas just opened a large heart center where they do cardiothoracic cases. Not sure if they ever hired a PA though. There's tons of opportunities out there, you just have to be able to sell yourself effectively and take a risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 21, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 21, 2011 http://www.elgfze.com just saw this at the pa's for global health members site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browndog Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Saw a posting at healthjobsusa.com for per diem assignment to USVI till June for PA/NP in ICU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Saw a posting at healthjobsusa.com for per diem assignment to USVI till June for PA/NP in ICU. yea i believe the job postings i saw were USVI... like crieman said there are opprotunites for PAs out there (albeit you dont have a family) They are great for single PAs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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