Residency at 47?

[dreatx]

I'm being incredibly optimistic, here but I'm about to start the PA school app process. I'm a 5 year medic in a busy system. If I'm super lucky, I'll get in and be 47 when I'm done. Emergency medicine is where I wish to go. I residency a good idea for an old guy?

[bradtPA]

If ED is your passion, a residency would help, and 47 should not be an obstacle.

[UGoLong]

Most new ER PAs haven't gone through residencies, at least around my area. That sounds like the kind of decision that would benefit from some research during your schooling and rotations.

 

Good luck! I found that going back to school later in life was one of the best experiences of my life. I hope you will find that to be the case as well. 

[EMEDPA]

I would recommend a residency for anyone considering the field on em. much faster learning there than in practice as well as structured learning which "forces" exposure to things you might rarely (if ever) see in practice. if there were one in my area I would probably still do one despite having worked in em for almost 27 yrs. I know there are still gaps in my knowledge and procedural skills that a residency would fill.

[discogenic]

I would recommend a residency for anyone considering the field on em. much faster learning there than in practice as well as structured learning which "forces" exposure to things you might rarely (if ever) see in practice. if there were one in my area I would probably still do one despite having worked in em for almost 27 yrs. I know there are still gaps in my knowledge and procedural skills that a residency would fill.

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but a quick question for E: would you say the same is also true for residencies in other specialties, or do you feel the residency setup is most suited for EM?

[EMEDPA]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but a quick question for E: would you say the same is also true for residencies in other specialties, or do you feel the residency setup is most suited for EM?

obgyn, critical care, trauma, surgery, and ortho residents all benefit greatly from their residency experience. can't comment on other fields but would ASSUME this holds true there as well.

[UGoLong]

While there have been many discussions about PA residencies, and it may well be a future trend, I would like to see statistics about how many graduates are going into them these days. Only one of my 20 fellow graduates did and that was in a very specialized area: pediatric urology.

[dreatx]

Well, if E would do one, after 27 years, I must seriously consider it.

[UGoLong]

You should. Just a little perspective though..

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

While there have been many discussions about PA residencies, and it may well be a future trend, I would like to see statistics about how many graduates are going into them these days. Only one of my 20 fellow graduates did and that was in a very specialized area: pediatric urology.

I don't see why it matters how many?

[UGoLong]

My question is that we read a lot about residencies and hear about a few and so I wonder just what percentage of recent PA graduates are going into them. A chance to learn more is always a good thing but, thus far anyway,  I suspect that the vast majority of new PAs are being trained on the job as before. 

 

A residency is a great option, but just one of many for new graduates. 

[EMEDPA]

there are currently around 20 em residencies, each with just a few spots/yr.

the folks who take those spots will get the best jobs in em 1 year later and will later become the leaders in the field, even if it is only 50 folks/yr or so.

it's like attending harvard or yale or being a rhodes scholar if you want to be president someday. you can do it without this background but it's a lot harder.

I know the surgical residency pa grads get awesome jobs as well, most of which are not open to pas without that type of training due to the procedural requirements of these jobs.

[UGoLong]

Thanks for the  explanation. So it's a desirable option, but one for the minority of students at this point given the low number of currently available slots.

[EMEDPA]

for em and surgery there are enough slots to meet current demands...for other specialties, not so much...most pa programs have 0-2 folks go on to residency at some point. there were 2 in my class, both to general surgery residencies.

[True Anomaly]

Even though residencies, particularly in EM, have exploded in the past several years, I would imagine the numbers of going into them are still a very small percentage of the overall PA graduating number...and then some.  Residencies don't just look at new grads- there are several people who come back to a residency after a year or several years working as a PA.  So the % is likely even smaller as a result. 

[Deanj59]

I would recommend a residency for anyone considering the field on em. much faster learning there than in practice as well as structured learning which "forces" exposure to things you might rarely (if ever) see in practice. if there were one in my area I would probably still do one despite having worked in em for almost 27 yrs. I know there are still gaps in my knowledge and procedural skills that a residency would fill.

EMED, in previous posts you noted times when lack of respect was shown to you and scope of practice restraints while practicing as a PA. Concerns which would not be present if you were a DO or MD. In your view, do you think a residency would mitigate some of these issues? Particularly if you have a documented procedure log from that training. 

[EMEDPA]

EMED, in previous posts you noted times when lack of respect was shown to you and scope of practice restraints while practicing as a PA. Concerns which would not be present if you were a DO or MD. In your view, do you think a residency would mitigate some of these issues? Particularly if you have a documented procedure log from that training. 

YES,  a solid procedures log goes a long way towards getting you credentialed for the procedures you want/need to do AND shows the docs you work with that you are up to the task.

[juliec]

I'm being incredibly optimistic, here but I'm about to start the PA school app process. I'm a 5 year medic in a busy system. If I'm super lucky, I'll get in and be 47 when I'm done. Emergency medicine is where I wish to go. I residency a good idea for an old guy?

Hey, I hope you're not too old, because I'm older than you (52), and have the same plan! I'd be 55 when I get out. But I'll be 55 anyway, and it's what I want to do. I think its great to start something new when you're older. Your life experience, along with your medic experience will make you a great canidate.