Boatswain2PA Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Mainer - I am scheduled to work every OTHER Tues/Wed/Thursday for the rest of this year, and that will gross me about $130K. Granted, that is a 72 hour shift, and I have to commute almost 350 miles (one way) for that job, but that's great pay and I get 26 stretches of 10 days off in a row. Better yet, I work with great docs there who threw the "protocols book" out the window for me, a CRNA who lives in town and gets to the ER in 5 minutes at 0300, and there is a life flight service in the town. I don't know if my career will get any better than this. By the way, where are you in Maine? The first PA I ever ran into was at the ED in Ellsworth (about 15 years ago). It was him that put the idea into my head to become a PA after retiring from my first career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohsnapPA Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 If you google "physician satisfaction", you will see that 50% of physicians actually regret going into medicine. This mirrors what I've seen in real life, for the most part. 50% of docs will tell you a resounding "no". A good portion of the 50% that say "yes" do so with hesitancy (especially the young ones). Again, this is purely anecdotal, but I certainly have not seen a ton of the laid back, fun docs that have extremely relaxed jobs as is commonly portrayed in this forum. Maybe a few here and there, but most are pretty angry all the time (from my observation anyway). I may have gotten some biased opinions, but the doctors I've talked to all seem to discourage me from going to medical school too, and that PA school is a better choice. One common/vague thing they all say is "being a doctor isn't what it used to be like". The cardiothoracic surgeon that I talked to the other day said that now with all the help from the PAs, NPs, RTs, CRNA, surg techs, etc...he's doing/making a lot less than he used to (which I took with a grain of salt haha $wise). One IM doc told me that if she could do it all over again, she would not become a doctor...she complained a lot about the ACA changes in primary care...too much government regulations in place, too much pressure on patient satisfaction, that it's evolved into a "business", battle w/ insurance companies, etc (of course, this is also something a PA has to battle too). on a side note, if you ever have bad thoughts about being a PA on this forum, go to studentdoc forum, and you'll feel loads better lol....i guess the grass is always greener on the other side xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MainerRD12 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 @boats....hilarious...born and raised in Etown (Ellsworth ) went to UMaine and lived in a few places since 22....currently in CA and leaving husband/pets/house for my RI program....the things we do for dreams....what a small world though. Love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delco714 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Hey Boat...Where does that life flight take your patients? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatswain2PA Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Delco - 150 miles west for tertiary care, 100 miles east for secondary care, or 350 miles west for tertiary care (depending on case & weather). Mainer - Ellsworth to Cali, and back to RI for school, that's a lot of moving! I've made that drive across country 4 times, & I was just in Ellsworth last summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick87 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I may have gotten some biased opinions, but the doctors I've talked to all seem to discourage me from going to medical school too, and that PA school is a better choice. One common/vague thing they all say is "being a doctor isn't what it used to be like". The cardiothoracic surgeon that I talked to the other day said that now with all the help from the PAs, NPs, RTs, CRNA, surg techs, etc...he's doing/making a lot less than he used to (which I took with a grain of salt haha $wise). One IM doc told me that if she could do it all over again, she would not become a doctor...she complained a lot about the ACA changes in primary care...too much government regulations in place, too much pressure on patient satisfaction, that it's evolved into a "business", battle w/ insurance companies, etc (of course, this is also something a PA has to battle too). on a side note, if you ever have bad thoughts about being a PA on this forum, go to studentdoc forum, and you'll feel loads better lol....i guess the grass is always greener on the other side xD I honestly can't say that I've met a doctor that has a good life situation AND says that they would do med school again. Every single doc that I know: 1) Has a decent job and life (good marriage and finances), but is not a very good doctor (and doesn't like it) 2) Hates medicine and regrets doing it 3) Has a massively messed up personal life (ass-raped in divorce, unable to conceive due to age, etc) I have not met a single doctor (in my 2.5 years of practicing or in my rotations) that does not fit at least one of the above criteria. However, I know many PAs that have solid marriages, good clinical skills, and enjoys their lives without regret. Again, this is anecdotal and not true of everyone, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 3) Has a massively messed up personal life (ass-raped in divorce, unable to conceive due to age, etc) ... Damn... :o Sent from my S5 Active...Like you care... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryd Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 don't forget the rainbows, puppies, and unicorns that every pa gets the day they pass pance.....:) lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FBIDoc Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 I did look for a job elsewhere...7 times...but now have found the right one. I admit that it is a personality issue. I need to be respected and allowed to do the things I am trained and experienced in doing. anything else is not acceptable. some people should just have become docs. I'm one of them. unfortunately it took me going to pa school and working in the profession for many years before figuring that out. I know there are lots of people who are comfortable not having the final say on everything and having someone else micromanage their practice. I'm just not one of them, but happy for the folks that are. I knew a lot about the pa profession, having worked daily with happy pas for 4 years before going to pa school. fundamentally they were all very different kinds of folks than I am. I didn't know that then. I know it now. I would encourage anyone who is 100% sure they will be happy as a dependent provider for a 40 year career to become a pa. E you took the words from my mouth...I am guilty of being pessimistic on this forum in the past, but I think it's also because I view medicine through realism-glasses...as a profession we can't just sing kumbaya and hope our careers will be rewarding when our patients don't know what we are and physicians demean us (I know generalities) but E hit it on the head...if like us, you can't stomach an anachronistic surgeon telling you you're not capable of placing a chest tube, in the interest of patient safety, and you've place literally 1000 more than he has, well you tend to get a little jaded... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 22, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 22, 2015 I honestly can't say that I've met a doctor that has a good life situation AND says that they would do med school again. Every single doc that I know: 1) Has a decent job and life (good marriage and finances), but is not a very good doctor (and doesn't like it) 2) Hates medicine and regrets doing it 3) Has a massively messed up personal life (ass-raped in divorce, unable to conceive due to age, etc) I have not met a single doctor (in my 2.5 years of practicing or in my rotations) that does not fit at least one of the above criteria. However, I know many PAs that have solid marriages, good clinical skills, and enjoys their lives without regret. Again, this is anecdotal and not true of everyone, of course. I know very many incredibly happy ER docs who work 10-12 days/mo and make 350k/yr. they have great families, happy kids, vacation many times/yr all over the world, participate in extreme sports at competitive levels,have nice homes and great cars, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalPA Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I'm gonna try to make the best of the PA profession. My Plan: 1. Good HCE before school 2. Attend what I feel is a reputable PA school. 3. Do a residency in Critical Care or EM and suck up all the knowledge I can. 4. Find a job with good autonomy in a city I can endure. 5. Be active in local and national PA advocacy organizations. 6. Maybe some much needed research to advance the PA profession. That's my dream. Will start #2 in August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalPA Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 ^^ hope it's not too ambitious. Being an idealist had served me well so far. Only way to know is to try!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 ^^ hope it's not too ambitious. Being an idealist had served me well so far. Only way to know is to try!!! That is for you to make that call my fellow forum member. I am an idealist too (realist most of the time) . So far so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Being a PA or in medicine is not the problem. It's having to deal with the expectations of human beings that is the problem. Some of these expectations, as in other professional fields, are grossly unrealistic. One other observation. If one is going to live in the world of ponies and unicorns, quit coming to me and asking me how to do something, or what medication to use if you're not willing to do the research yourself before hand. Don't ride the coattails of those who have gone before you. Grab the reins and take the lead yourself. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbrothers98 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Being a PA or in medicine is not the problem. It's having to deal with the expectations of human beings that is the problem. Some of these expectations, as in other professional fields, are grossly unrealistic. Which is why I now discuss expectations and what I can do for patients within the first 5 or 10 minutes of contact. Most patients understand and it saves time on the back end. The ones that thought they were going to see David Copperfield and are unhappy with the lack of a magic show then have the opportunity to leave and continue their search for the Holy Grail. G Brothers PA-C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 23, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 23, 2015 Which is why I now discuss expectations and what I can do for patients within the first 5 or 10 minutes of contact. Most patients understand and it saves time on the back end. The ones that thought they were going to see David Copperfield and are unhappy with the lack of a magic show then have the opportunity to leave and continue their search for the Holy Grail. G Brothers PA-C but I've done 3 courses of abx this week for this runny nose and I waited 5 hours to see you....I demand omnicef! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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